Category Archives: Jesus
Spirit of the Antichrist
Recently the Lord has been bringing to my attention the Spirit of the Antichrist. I was not very familiar with this spirit so I did a study of the Scriptures that mention it.
Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. I John 2:18-22 NKJV
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. I John 4:1-6 NKJV
For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 2 John 1:7 NKJV
A few key points about the Spirit of the Antichrist stand out to me from these Scriptures:
- It denies that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh
- It denies the Father and the Son
- It is a deceiver
As I pondered these Scriptures with the Lord, this is what came to my heart that I wanted to share with you.
Any spirit or influence on your mind that tries to deny that Jesus Christ is IN you, that’s the spirit of the Antichrist. Anything you hear or read that denies that you have a good heavenly Father, that’s the spirit of the Antichrist. Anything that keeps you from enjoying fellowship with Jesus Christ as a real person, that’s the spirit of the Antichrist.
Jesus Christ came in the flesh and He is currently on the earth – in YOUR flesh and blood. He’s IN YOU. Anything that denies that Jesus is IN you, currently residing in your heart, in oneness with you – that’s the spirit of the Antichrist. You can reject that spirit – it’s the opposite of Christ.
When you feel like an orphan or a victim of circumstances, that’s the spirit of the Antichrist, encouraging you to deny the Father and deny that you are His son or daughter. It is deceiving you to believe you are not loved and taken care of by a good, loving Father. You can reject that.
And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 NKJV
The Antichrist is often referred to as the lawless one. It is interesting that the Lord will destroy it with the breath of His mouth and the brightness of His coming.
You are the light of the world – you destroy the power of this spirit by BEING that light, by showing who Jesus is in you.
The Holy Spirit is the breath of His mouth. And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” John 20:22 NKJV
You have the Holy Spirit. As you walk in the Spirit and speak the truth, you have the power to destroy the spirit of the Antichrist. Isn’t that powerful?
It’s Christ IN YOU, the hope of Glory! (Colossians 1:27)
We know that this spirit is already at work in the world and unfortunately it is also in religious circles. John mentions that in the first Scripture above – They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.
Be careful when someone talks about Jesus or mentions Him in a general way, but He is not real to them. They don’t actually talk TO Him, just about Him. If He is not present in the conversation, begin to ask yourself why. Many people get deceived by what they think are Christian teachers but in reality, they don’t acknowledge Jesus as being real, in the flesh, today.
Here’s the truth you can proclaim and walk in today:
Jesus Christ is IN me and I am God’s beloved child.
The light you shine as you walk in that truth will destroy the power of the enemy every where you go.
Go be dangerous! 😁
Points to Ponder:
Where have you seen Jesus talked about, but not acknowledged as actually being HERE right now?
Could the second coming of Christ have already started by Christ abiding in us, destroying this spirit of the Antichrist by the brightness of His light in us and the breath of His Spirit being released through our mouths?
What is the Lord showing you about the spirit of the Antichrist?
Did you realize you were so powerful?
Please share your thoughts in the comments – that’s how we learn from each other. God bless you today! Thank you for reading this post. ❤️
Book Review: Seeing Jesus
I am really enjoying this new book series that I’m reading called Seeing Jesus by Jeffrey McClain Jones. I mentioned it in my previous post on another one of his books that I reviewed recently (The Girl Who Sees Angels).
This book series is very intriguing. I’ve only read the first two books, but they both have a similar theme. In each one the main character has an encounter with Jesus where He appears to them physically. They can see and hear Him as He is standing in their living room. At first they’re shocked and they wonder if they are hallucinating or losing their mind. But through a series of interactions and experiences, Jesus convinces them that He really is there in person. And He begins to simply keep them company in every day life. But of course, there’s a catch – no one else can see or hear Him physically like they can, which makes for some humorous situations!
Reading the books has heightened my awareness that Jesus is always with me. I often stop while I’m reading a chapter and try to imagine where He is right then in the room where I am. It has also increased my perception of His presence throughout my day. THAT is priceless!
I appreciate the way the author weaves insight about Jesus and His interaction with us in our daily lives. Each of the characters has challenges that they face and Jesus offers them His input, if they’re open. I’m learning a lot from these interactions that Jesus is having with the main characters.
He also teaches them life lessons that are at first quite startling to them. He addresses objections that probably many of us have also had. It really makes me think and I appreciate that about these books!
For instance, in one scene, the main character is walking to the bus and he passes a homeless person. He sees Jesus stop and look at the man with such love. The main character puts a little bit of money in the man’s outstretched cup and he smiles at him. The man looks weary and has bloodshot eyes. Jesus just lovingly gets as close to the homeless man as He can in that brief encounter. Then the bus comes and they leave. Jesus explained that by giving the man a few dollars, it acknowledged his worth as a human being. And by interacting with him, he gave Jesus a chance to demonstrate His love to the man with His presence and His attention.
In the books Jesus often explains that He interacts with others through us – our actions and words, even the expression on our face or the look in our eyes.
After I read this in the book, I came across a lady holding a sign outside a store. It said she had bone cancer and had lost her house. Thinking of that scene and imagining Jesus wanting to interact with her with love, I reached into my purse and pulled out a few dollars. I walked up to her, handed her the money and had a brief interaction with her asking about her day. She said she was so tired. I also introduced myself and asked what her name was. I was amazed that Sarah had this beautiful glow in her light blue eyes. After I finished shopping I saw her again as I left the store and I smiled and waved. She waved back.
About a week and a half later, I was coming home from a restaurant with my husband. We were at a stoplight and there was Sarah walking toward the line of cars with her sign. My husband rolled down his window. I called her by name. We gave her a bit more money. She told my husband she remembered me – that I was kind to her. That was Jesus! 😊
So I encourage you to check out this book series called Seeing Jesus by Jeffrey McClain Jones. It might change the way you see the people around you. In each of the books, Jesus encourages the main character to get out of their comfort zone and learn how to reach out to those around them with His love, His power and His words of encouragement. I love that! I want more of that in my daily life, don’t you?
By the way, if you are a Kindle Unlimited user, you can read all of his books for free! I think they’re also free (or 99 cents) if you have an Audible account. I love to read books on my Kindle, but I’ve never had a Kindle Unlimited account. I signed up just so that I could read all these awesome books – there’s 10 books in this series. If you want to sign up, here’s the link for Kindle Unlimited and Audible. I got the first 3 months free. 😊 If you use these links, I receive a small token of appreciation from Amazon for posting them on my blog.
Thank you for reading. Your comments and support are really appreciated by me.
Have a great day!
Timing Is Key in God’s Kingdom
You’ll know what you need to do WHEN you need to do it.
The Lord has emphasized this statement to me over the last few days. It’s a nice reminder. It takes some of the pressure off of me to anticipate things ahead of time.
The Lord taught me that truth many years ago when I took a professional sabbatical. There were so many unknowns – I had left my stable corporate career and was launching out into the great unknown of untapped possibilities lying before me. I was afraid I wouldn’t know how to make good decisions because I didn’t know what to anticipate. Making wise choices is often based on anticipating what will be needed and planning ahead. I had no idea what to expect. I just knew He was asking me to step away from my comfort zone and trust Him with the next step.
He encouraged me to make decisions based on all the information I had at the time. If I later encountered new information, I was not responsible for how I should have acted if I had known this information because I did not have it at the time the decision was made.
It seems pretty simple or obvious now but at the time I was putting a lot of pressure on myself and this simple principle brought great relief. I could let go of all the “what ifs” and simple wait for His timing. When a decision needed to be made, I did my best based on my current awareness of what was needed. I have never regretted this and it taught me not to look back and wonder if I should have done things differently.
It takes a lot of trust in God to let go of control – that’s basically what is at stake here. When we plan our future, we think we are in control of the variables: I will study at this school, I will get this kind of job and I will live in this house in this city, etc. Or whatever plan we think we have.
But following Jesus does not involve this kind of certainty. He asks us to trust Him and follow HIM. Not our ideas or our plans, even if they are good ones.
When I left my secure, corporate job that paid well, I was also choosing to trust God financially. He said to me,
You will have all that you need WHEN you need it.
And I have! I have never lacked for anything I needed.
Timing is KEY in God’s kingdom and often He doesn’t share things with us too far ahead of time. I think it’s like when children are small. If you tell them, “We are going to the park later”, they get so excited that they drive the adults crazy asking over and over, “Is it time to go now?” He knows how we are – we tend to run ahead and try to plan things out. That gives us a sense of control.
Instead He waits to share what we need to know WHEN we need to know it. And often the timing of the information (or provision) is important as well. If you had known ahead of time, you might have made different decisions and it would have impacted the ultimate outcome. By not knowing, and by trusting God instead, you were right where you were supposed to be. Just like a child, trusting a good parent to take care of everything they need.
It takes a deeper level of surrender to simply live life not knowing what is next. To trust God to prompt you to do things when they need to be done. To trust God to provide what you need at the right time.
But I can tell you that He is faithful. I’ve always had all that I needed and I haven’t made bad decisions by trusting Him. Things have worked out beautifully, often miraculously.
What about you? Are you ready to let go of control and let Him lead you into the unknown? Can God be trusted? Can you rely on His certainty instead of your own plans? Share your thoughts or experiences below – that’s how we learn from each other. 😊
Thanks for reading. God bless you today! 💗
P.S. Sometimes God does tell us something ahead of time and we tend to drive ourselves crazy wondering about it, trying to prepare for it, etc. Then we get discouraged when we don’t see it happening the way we think it should or WHEN we think it should. I’ve found it’s actually easier NOT knowing! Ha! 😂 What do you think?
Book Review: The Girl Who Sees Angels
I just found this new series of books that I have fallen in love with! If you’re a seer or you want to be a seer, these books will really encourage you. It’s a fictionalized story of a girl who has the gift of seeing, but doesn’t understand what she sees. The Girl Who Sees Angels by Jeffrey McClain Jones is the first book in the Sophie Ramos series.
Her mother takes her to doctors, psychiatrists and even a priest, trying to figure out how she can see things that nobody else can see. They think she’s very troubled, but instead she’s very gifted.
During the course of the first book, she meets some Pentecostal Christians that help to validate her gift. That’s really cool! If you’ve ever questioned your sanity because of the things that you see or hear or feel – this book will definitely encourage you! 😊
One of the things I really appreciated about these books was that the author writes from a place of authenticity. Some supernatural fiction that I’ve read (actually most) make gifts of the Spirit so unbelievable and they exaggerate things to such a degree that it detracts from the story. This author doesn’t do that.
Many of the things he writes about, I’ve experienced. The reaction of charismatic Christians to her gifts, I have seen. They encouraged her. They nurtured her. They taught her and helped her to understand what she was seeing. During the first book, she has an experience that shows her how she can help people with her gift. That amazes her and inspires her to learn how to use the gift with greater clarity in order to help others. She’s excited to unpack it and learn more – we get to follow her on that journey.
I’ve only read the first 2 books so far, but I was enjoying them so much that I didn’t want to wait until I finished them all to share them with you. There’s 4 books in the series. I encourage you to check them out. They are a lot of fun. I would call them “deliverance fiction”, a category I’ve never heard of but I wish existed. 😁 We get to see how her ability to see the unseen realm impacts her job, her relationships and every day life. If you are a seer, you will definitely relate!
This author has a lot of books and many of them have piqued my interest. You can check them out here. I’m especially curious about his series, Seeing Jesus. I’m hoping to read some of those next! (Update: I did a review of Seeing Jesus here.)
I love reading supernatural fiction that draws my heart closer to experiencing God in the here and now. Have you read any books that are like that? Please share the titles with us in the comments.
I love finding new authors and books that draw me closer to Jesus, don’t you? 🙂
Thanks for reading. I really appreciate it. God bless you richly today. 💗
Low & Slow = Divine Flow
There’s another dimension – much slower than our earthly dimension (which is fast and busy). We have to slow down and pay attention. Be still and silent and you’ll notice it.
This other dimension is in control of our earthly dimension. There’s peace and joy there. There’s resources there for whatever is needed. There’s help and support there.
- Slow Down
- Let go of control
- Pay attention to the other dimension – shift your focus, slow down your breathing and even your thinking
- It takes practice
- Stay in the present
There’s grace (divine enablement) in the moment. Not before or after.
Our time is being stolen by thinking about the future or the past – it’s a distraction from this present moment.
When you have nothing left, you are forced to receive from this other dimension and help comes. As long as you are trying to “save” yourself, you tell the other dimension, “I don’t need your help.” So you struggle and things are hard.
So remain consciously dependent, radically dependent, and “helpless” or powerless in the earthly dimension and you will have divine help constantly. It’s an internal shift inside of you. Oneness with Him. Resting and receiving His goodness, whatever that looks like in the moment.
My grace is sufficient for you. My strength is made perfect in weakness. My power is demonstrated in your powerlessness. Therefore I will boast about my powerlessness that the power of Christ may rest upon me! 2 Corinthians 12:9, paraphrase
Are you willing to let go of your power in order to have His power? It’s not easy – it requires vulnerability.
He told me, “It’s not Me helping you, as though We are separate. It’s Us doing it together, through your surrender.”
HE is not worried. We are the ones who are worried.
Detach from the ego that wants control and likes to worry, especially after midnight when you are trying to sleep. 😴
It’s not comfortable for ego to detach and live from a place of letting go. It doesn’t know what to do with itself. What role does it play?
The ego’s purpose is to be subject. To learn submission, moment by moment.
The ego is transformed through conscious awareness of Oneness with the Lord. It is the channel through which the other dimension comes into this dimension. This is very powerful and beautiful. This is God’s order – the way He created it. Ego is merely a channel for the other dimension, if it submits willingly.
Are you willing?
This is a revelation I received while a friend and I were talking recently. Does it resonate with you? 😊
It is very hard to slow down and pay attention to this other dimension – the kingdom realm of God’s rule and reign. To see what He’s doing, to hear what He’s saying. Yet it is SO worth it! And when we let go, surrender and just rest in Him, everything flows so much more smoothly. That’s what we were created to do – to live in union with Him all day every day.
What are your thought about this? Do you have any specific practices that help you to stay in tune with this other dimension? Please share your comments, questions or ideas below. That’s how we learn from each other – we each share our piece of the peace! God bless you today and thanks for reading! 😊💗
Thorn of Unbelief – Do You Have Any?
Did you know you can have a thorn in your heart and not even know it? This was a BIG surprise to me.
The other night we were praying for someone in our small group who was in pain. As we waited on the Lord, I saw the outline of a human body with a ball of conflict in one spot. It was like an angry ball of light trapped in the soul. Immediately the Lord showed me that disease or dysfunction in the body starts in the soul. It doesn’t start in the body.
He showed me that the way to expedite healing was to find the root of the conflict in the soul, minister to it, remove the thorn, receive His healing for the wound and it will manifest in the body as health and healing. Then what He said next blew my mind – Unbelief in God’s goodness is the number one root. Pull that out, resolve that wound and all the others will be minor by comparison.
Wow! Suddenly this Scripture made so much more sense: Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 1:2 Look at that – I pray that you be in health just as your soul prospers.
After our small group was over, I spent some time pondering what the Lord showed me and He showed me more (isn’t He wonderful?). This is the original sin from Eve – unbelief in God’s goodness. This is the thorn in the flesh that each man and woman gets to overcome during their lifetime – to break the power of Unbelief, which is the root of all deception. When you remove this root of unbelief, this thorn in your soul, everything else falls into place. You are able to walk as Jesus walked; He never doubted the Father’s goodness. It was never in question.
So I immediately asked the Lord, How can I become convinced of God’s goodness on a deep soul level? What is the key? Holy Spirit, please show me.
I meditated on several scriptures about God’s goodness, to wash my mind with the water of the word. I personalized the verses to help me connect with the truth.
- God’s great goodness is prepared for me because I trust in Him. Psalm 31:19
- The goodness of God leads me to repentance, a changed mind and heart. Romans 2:4
- I see God’s goodness in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13
- The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. Psalm 33:5
- We are satisfied with the goodness of God. Psalm 65:4, Jeremiah 31:14
- God will fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness toward me that Jesus Christ may be glorified. 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
After I meditated on these scriptures, I was led by the Lord to find and remove the thorn of unbelief in my own heart. He highlighted four specific times in my life where this thorn pierced my heart. As Holy Spirit showed me each one, we processed it to remove the thorn and pain of unbelief. Then I received what I should have received during that time. It was a very deep and powerful healing experience. I had prayed through each of these painful life experiences previously, but this was a different focus and I could feel the positive effect in my heart.
After removing the thorns from my heart, I had such joy! I’ve always been an upbeat person but there was also a shadow of “what if” lurking underneath – a dread of bad things that might happen. That is now GONE! 😊
A few days later, just as I was getting ready to go to sleep, my stomach started bothering me with indigestion. That has prevented me from being able to go to sleep many times in the past. So I prayed for my digestion. I soon fell asleep with no problem and was not bothered by indigestion at all! Hallelujah!! 😊 That’s breakthrough! I’ve prayed for that many times in the past and still suffered – so this proves to my mind that something has definitely changed in my heart! Thank you, Lord!! ❤️ My soul is prospering and so is my body!
Unbelief in God’s goodness toward you is such a deep heart issue. I had never realized this until the Lord showed me. So many things happen in our lives that put that thorn in our hearts – disappointment, disillusionment, rejection and failure to name a few. And we don’t even realize those thorns are there.
Scripture talks about the power of unbelief:
- Jesus did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Matthew 13:58
- Jesus marveled because of their unbelief. Mark 6:6
- Jesus rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart. Mark 16:14
- Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. Hebrews 3:12
- But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6
Would you be willing to ask the Lord to show you if you have any thorns of Unbelief in your heart? He asked me to share this very personal experience with you so I trust that He wants to do this for you too. I am so happy that I went through the process of removing those thorns! My life is changed! 😊💗
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Personal Attack – How to Overcome!
What do you do when you are under attack from a person in your life? Can you discern the true battle? How do you overcome?
A reader of this blog asked this question:
I served under another ministry and I was on good terms with the leader – I felt that I served them well, to the best of my ability. After the Lord led me to start the ministry where I am now, the other leader began to attack me and the ministry. I had a vision where I saw him summon all his members and he pointed at me and told them not to have anything to do with me – this was after he called me in front of his church and commended me about how I supported him when his ministry first started with just a small group. They have since grown and expanded and have built a larger facility. Why is he attacking me and what can I do about it?
We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12
What does it mean that we don’t wrestle with flesh and blood? Who are we really wrestling with?
I have seen a strategic pattern that I want to share with you that will help you get the breakthrough to overcome any attack that is coming against you personally.
The enemy knows your weaknesses – oftentimes better than you know them yourself. The Lord allows him to reveal them to you and this can be a great gift if you take advantage of the situation. Think of him as a personal trainer – his attacks will make you stronger so you can overcome any situation that comes your way!
Proverbs 26:2 says “the curse causeless shall not come”. This means that if someone is cursing you, attacking you, saying bad things about you – their words have no power to hurt you if there is no cause for them.
What is the Cause, Holy Spirit?
So the very first thing you do is ask Holy Spirit to reveal to you, What is the cause? Did you do something you need to repent of? Even if it was unintentional, repent of anything you realize you did that could have given this curse a cause, a legal right. Did you judge the other person? Did you speak anything negative concerning this person? Did you spread a rumor about them? Anything at all – even if it was only in your heart and you didn’t say it to another person. Immediately repent and ask the Lord to wash you.
It’s never about the man or woman – the person who is fighting against you. It is always about the spirit behind it. Defeat that spirit and the person will stop bothering you. The spirit attacking you is revealing a weakness – allow the Lord to heal that weakness and suddenly the attack will disappear! I’ve seen this happen many, many times.
If the attack continues after you have repented – or if you truly cannot find anything that you did to repent of, then it’s time to look deeper. There is agreement in you that gives this attack a right to continue. We call this “legal ground”. The devil knows his legal rights and wherever there is deception or agreement with darkness, he has a right to attack or harass us.
How do you defeat that spirit? Remove the legal ground!
- Identify how the attack makes you feel. Do you feel intimidated? Does it make you have doubts about your own ministry (insecurity) or are you becoming discouraged? What exactly is it trying to do to you? This will help you identify which spirit is attacking you through this person.
- Ask God why you feel that way. This attack reveals a weakness in you – perhaps it is self-doubt, or perhaps it is fear of man or doubt in God’s ability to protect you. I have an exercise that can help you identify what lie you believe about God or about yourself that gives this spirit a legal right to harass you. It is below.
- Break your agreement with the lie you believe. It may be very deep – take time to really examine it. Then let it go!
- Forgive the person who is attacking you. Release blessing upon them.
- Continue to thank God for His protection and care for you.
The Lie Detector exercise helps people identify the legal ground that the enemy has. There are two versions of it. You can do them both or just do one, based on what you sense from Holy Spirit. One helps you identify lies you believe about yourself. The other one helps you identify lies you believe about God.
Lie Detector: Self Concept
Go to a place where you will not be interrupted. Take a few deep breaths, letting them out slowly to help you relax and to quiet your mind. Say these statements/questions out loud and then wait for an answer. An answer may come as a feeling, a thought, a picture in your mind, a word, a memory or just an inner knowing. If no answer comes to the first question, this may not be the right time for this step.
“Spirit of Truth, is there a lie I believe about myself?” (pause and wait for an answer)
“Who taught me that lie?” (pause and wait for an answer)
“I forgive (name) for teaching me this lie. I forgive myself for receiving this lie and allowing it to influence my thoughts. I release myself from this lie. I give it up and let it go.”
“What truth do I need to hear?” (pause and wait for an answer)
“I receive the truth that (the truth).”
Lie Detector: God Concept
Go to a place where you will not be interrupted. Turn off any devices that might distract you. Take a few deep breaths, letting them out slowly to help you relax and to quiet your mind. Say these statements/questions out loud and then wait for an answer. An answer may come as a feeling, a thought, a picture in your mind, a word, a memory or just an inner knowing. If no answer comes to the first question, this may not be the right time for this step.
“Spirit of Truth, is there a lie I believe about God?” (pause and wait for an answer)
“Who taught me that lie?” (pause and wait for an answer)
“I forgive (name) for teaching me this lie. I forgive myself for receiving this lie and allowing it to influence my thoughts. I release myself from this lie. I give it up and let it go.”
“What truth do I need to hear?” (pause and wait for an answer)
“I receive the truth that (the truth).
I encourage you to write down the answer you get to the last question, “What truth do I need to hear?” Put it on a post-it note where you can look at it each day. Meditate on it. Say it out loud to yourself. Really let it soak in – it might take awhile for it to become your new default way of perceiving God or yourself (especially if that lie was in there a long time).
Once you overcome and break through whatever agreement you had with darkness or deception, that attack will simply disappear! Where there is no legal ground, the enemy cannot take advantage of you. He cannot harm you. The curse causeless cannot come!
Forgive the person who was attacking you. Release blessing upon them. They were simply being used by the enemy – don’t take it personally. Let it go!
There have been so many stories of curses that were placed on Christians, but when there was no cause, the curse was powerless to harm them. I’m thinking of a specific story right now from the mission field. A Christian missionary family moved into a village where there was no church or any other Christians. They began to witness about Jesus and people in the village became interested to know more about Him. The local witch doctor became jealous of the influence the Christian missionaries were having in his village. People used to come to him and now they were going to the missionaries for help with their problems. He announced to the village leaders that he was going to curse them with his witchcraft power and that they would die in 3 days. This witch doctor was very powerful and they believed he could do it. Everyone was tense and waiting to see what would happen. Blissfully, the missionaries were unaware of this curse. They just continued loving people and praying for them. When they didn’t die after 3 days, the witch doctor came to ask them who this Jesus was! They delightfully explained how God has much more power than the devil and how Jesus defeated Satan on the cross by laying down His life for us all. As a result, the witch doctor renounced his witchcraft power and became a follower of Jesus, receiving forgiveness for his sins. The entire village rejoiced and a church was planted among them so they could learn to follow Jesus.
You have the power to overcome all the power of the enemy with the Truth that is in Jesus! You are not a victim of his attacks – you are more than a conqueror! Unleash the Light that is in you to dispel the darkness. Do not be afraid – greater is HE that is IN you, than he that is in the world.
Do you have an example of seeing an attack against you disappear when you overcame the deception within you? If so, please share below! That’s how we learn from each other.
By the way, the example I used above was about someone being attacked in ministry. But these kinds of attacks can come from anywhere – your neighbor, your family, someone at work or at church, etc.
Thank you for reading this blog and sharing it with others who might need this information – you are a blessing to me! 😊
Listen! It Could Save Your Life!
In the days to come it will be life or death for us to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s impressions, especially in the great chaos of these times. – Rick Joyner, MorningStar Ministries
I was sitting at my desk at work, typing on the computer. I could see that the sky was getting dark and remembered hearing that there was a tornado warning in the area. Suddenly I heard in my spirit, RUN NOW! I grabbed my phone off the desk, ran into the hallway and straight toward the bathroom. Just as I opened the door of the bathroom, I glanced back and all the windows in my office exploded – exactly where I had been sitting! I stayed in the bathroom, praying and worshipping the Lord. I had no fear – just freaked out a little bit at how fast everything happened. I could hear the forceful winds of destruction all around me, but I had peace from the Holy Spirit that I was safe. I prayed for the building to stay intact and released peace into the storm.
Eventually everything calmed down and I peeked out into the hallway. I didn’t know if anyone else was in the building since it was after the time when most people went home. I called out and discovered the owner’s son was there, a young adult. Together we walked through the office, looking at all the damage. Then I grabbed my purse and keys to go home. The parking lot was a nightmare with cars on top of each other. It was shocking how much devastation the tornado caused in such a short period of time. I just kept saying, Thank you, Jesus! Thank you for your protection! I was in awe that I had been in the middle of the storm and was unhurt! And my car was okay – a little bit of damage, but I could drive home. So grateful to God for His Holy Spirit and the angels that kept me safe and at peace. 😊
When I read those words from Rick Joyner, a respected leader in the body of Christ, I was reminded of two stories where someone’s life was saved by listening to the Holy Spirit. This story is from a friend of mine who called me from the parking lot after the tornado passed. We both praised God for His protection of her that day!
Another time my friend was at the beach – just down the street from where this story with the tornado occurred. It was a beautiful day – she was listening to the peaceful sound of the waves lapping against the shore. A bird flew overhead. There was a nice breeze. What a great way to relax. She took a picture with her phone, trying to capture the essence of the experience. She thought of me and wanted to share the picture via text.
She was ready to leave when she heard the Holy Spirit say, Go over there and take some more pictures. So she got up from where she was sitting and walked a short distance away. From there, she took some more pictures of the waves and the beach. Just as she was turning around to walk back to her towel, she heard Pow! Pow! like gunshots. She saw everyone running for cover so she ran toward a short wall that was near the beach. She and another woman ducked behind the wall. The woman had a child with her.
My friend immediately started praying – releasing protection and peace. There was a lot of noise and commotion nearby. The woman was afraid and wanted to leave with her child, but my friend encouraged her to stay down and wait until it was clear. After a few minutes, things quieted down and after a short while, they could hear police sirens coming their way.
The woman’s husband came for her and the child and said it was safe to come out. My friend walked back to her towel to get her things. Police and paramedics were surrounding a woman who was laying on the ground – right where my friend would have been if she had left earlier. The woman had been shot. My friend was shocked and said a prayer for her.
She walked to her car, got in and locked the doors. Then she burst into tears. THANK YOU, JESUS!! was all she could keep saying. Again, her life was spared by listening to the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit.
WOW! You never know when violence and destruction might come your way. This should encourage us to pay attention to that still, small voice of the Holy Spirit – it could literally save your life some day!
Has something like this ever happened to you? Please share the story with us in the comments! If your story is longer than 2-3 paragraphs, I also accept guest posts for this blog, if you’d like to submit one. You can contact me here.
Spiritual Authority – True or False? Part 2
This is the continuation of our discussion on spiritual authority. You can find Part 1 here.
What is spiritual authority? Who gets to decide who has it and who does not have it? Who determines the rules or boundaries of spiritual authority? Can you identify false spiritual authority?
When I was younger, I was taught that I needed to be under someone’s authority in order to be covered spiritually – like the pastor of a church. Is that true? Does spiritual authority protect you?
What other questions come to mind? Write them in the comments below and we will do our best to answer them!
In my decades of following Jesus, I have seen true and false spiritual authority. The false is much more common than the true, unfortunately. You know it in your gut, but as a young person you often don’t have the words to articulate what you are seeing. I’d like to share what I have learned – you may have a different opinion and that’s okay. This is a conversation – feel free to share your perspective in the comments. 🙂
False Authority
Jesus said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25-28
This is SO counter-intuitive to our natural thinking!!
Mighty men and women of power and authority often lord it over others, making sure that no one else has influence over what happens except them! They make sure that others feel small, weak or powerless around them. They expect deference in their presence – yes, sir! They are always right and they know better than you, so you better do what they want or suffer the consequences of their disfavor.
Unfortunately many leaders in the church follow this example of false authority. It’s the opposite of what Jesus taught about having authority. Why do you think that is?
When you have authority in the natural realm, it can easily go to your head and fill you with pride. That’s dangerous and foolish. Pride always leads to a fall because you are NOT all powerful. God resists the proud – He gives grace to the humble.
Jesus was trying to teach his disciples that humility and lowering yourself as a slave is the way to power in God’s Kingdom. Jesus described Himself as meek and lowly of heart (Matthew 11:29). It’s in your weakness that the power of Christ rests upon you (2 Corinthians 12:9).
One of the characteristics of true spiritual authority is humility. You can hear it in someone’s voice and see it in their actions. People with true spiritual authority inspire you to trust and follow them. You don’t feel intimidated or manipulated by them – they respect you and encourage you to make your own decisions. You feel free in their presence.
If a leader demands that you submit to them and respect their authority, chances are they are operating in false authority. Jesus never spoke that way to people and He warned His disciples from using their power and influence to lord it over others. Keep that in mind – it’s important.
When you feel weak, you look for power to protect you, to empower you to “feel strong”. People can experience a false sense of power that comes from the soul if they manipulate or intimidate people to do what they want them to do.
The authority that Jesus gives provides true power or influence and you can see it in the fruit you experience – love, joy, peace, righteousness, etc. Anything else is false authority, false power. Soulish authority may look very powerful but it is limited. When you have God’s power, your source is unlimited.
One way to protect yourself from developing false authority in your own life is to embrace your weaknesses. Become like a little child, completely dependent on your heavenly Father. Be fully aware that it’s not your power or influence that does anything. Give up any illusion you have of being in control of what God is doing in you or around you. God is in control – NOT YOU.
You are not required to submit to a spiritual leader who is using false authority to control or manipulate you to do what they want. You can treat them with respect, but you do not have to submit to their authority. You submit to Jesus and do what He shows you to do.
If they are trying to convince you to do something and you do not sense the Lord leading you to respond, say nothing. This frustrates most leaders because they know that words can bind you in agreements (that you will regret later). It is better to be silent and attentive to the Holy Spirit, rather than try and talk your way out of the situation. Being silent also means that you can’t be bullied – you are giving them nothing they can use against you, especially if you are feeling weak or overwhelmed in their presence. Jesus was silent in the face of His accusers and it was a very powerful way to respond. He did not argue with them. He simply allowed them to speak and He didn’t say anything unless the Father told Him to speak. It can be very hard to do this, but it is a very powerful strategy.
Who gets to decide who has spiritual authority over you? You do! Toxic leaders will tell you things to make you afraid to leave their church – that God will not bless you if you leave. Or that the devil will get you if you are not under someone’s spiritual covering. Whenever someone tries to motivate you by using fear, run away fast. That’s not God! God’s love casts out all fear (I John 4:18). Manipulation and Intimidation use fear to control your behavior – that’s false authority. Get away from them fast!
Spiritual Covering
One last topic I’d like to cover is the idea of spiritual covering. I have heard it taught that you must be under a local church pastor in order to be covered spiritually. There’s some merit to it, but it has been used to confuse people and cause them to be afraid of leaving bad churches. I want to help bring clarity.
When you are covered spiritually, it means that someone is looking after your spiritual growth and development. They pray for you and with you, helping you to discern God’s direction for your life. They mentor you and help you to avoid making unwise decisions or getting involved with the wrong people.
Many local pastors oversee large groups of people and they cannot possibly provide this level of covering for you. They preach sermons at church and probably pray for you in a general way. This does help protect you from the enemy if you follow what they teach you from the Bible. Their prayers can help you, in a general way.
Will the enemy still attack you? Absolutely! For some reason people feel like there’s some kind of magic about having a pastor’s covering. There is no magic. There is still spiritual warfare and you are in it whether you want to be or not.
It is better to develop a close relationship with a small group leader or spiritual mentor that can meet with you, get to know you personally and pray with you about the concerns in your life. As they get to know you, the Lord will give them insight to help you avoid making unwise decisions or getting involved in bad situations with the wrong people. You need the personal interaction. This is how Jesus interacted with his 12 disciples. He did life with them. Most pastors simply cannot do life with everybody in their congregation, it’s not humanly possible.
I encourage you to ask the Lord to bring two or three mature Christians into your life. They may not be leaders, but they know how to walk with the Lord and how to love others. Remember to look for humility. That’s key. And then just do life together. Spend time with each other. Share about what’s going on in your life and ask them to pray for you. Listen when they have things to tell you about God or the direction in your life. The Lord will bring the right people into your life. You can ask Him to do that.
To learn more about spiritual authority, check out some good books like
Authority in Prayer by Dutch Sheets
A Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards
What other questions come to mind regarding spiritual authority? Write them in the comments below and we will do our best to answer them!
Spiritual Authority – True or False? Part 1
I was reading an article in the news recently where it talked about restrictions that some religious organizations and churches place on their members. It made me start thinking about the topic of authority, specifically spiritual authority.
Where does spiritual authority come from? Who gets to decide who has it and who does not have it? Who determines the rules or boundaries of spiritual authority?
What does it mean if someone has spiritual authority? Who do they have authority over? What power does it give them?
What happens if there’s a distorted view of spiritual authority? How does that affect people?
When I was younger, I was taught that I needed to be under someone’s authority in order to be covered spiritually – like the pastor of a church. Is that true? Does spiritual authority protect you?
What other questions come to mind? Write them in the comments below and we will do our best to answer them!
In my decades of following Jesus, I have seen true and false spiritual authority. The false is much more common than the true, unfortunately. You know it in your gut, but as a young person you often don’t have the words to articulate what you are seeing. I’d like to share what I have learned – you may have a different opinion and that’s okay. This is a conversation – feel free to share your perspective in the comments. 🙂
I hope this article helps bring some clarity as you ponder this subject.
What is spiritual authority? Who has it? Where does it come from?
Spiritual authority is an ability to exert power or influence in the unseen realm. Spiritual authority can be given or earned (or both). True spiritual authority gives you power to stop the darkness and release the light of God’s love and goodness.
Jesus gave true spiritual authority to his disciples.
Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. Luke 9:1
He said, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Luke 10:19
Authority can also be earned as Jesus illustrated in the parable about being a faithful servant.
And he said to him, “Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.” Luke 19:17
Unfortunately the devil can also bestow authority to people.
Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” Luke 4:5-7
Jesus had an authority that was astonishing – people were amazed by it. They’d never seen anything like it!
And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority. They were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, “What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” Luke 4:32, 36
Jesus was very clear where His power came from.
“For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.” John 12:49
[The Father] has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. John 5:27
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Matthew 28:18
Pretty impressive, huh?
So how does this work in the real world – the earthly realm we live in?
How do you know what spiritual authority you have? Believe it or not, it’s pretty simple. The extent of your authority in the spiritual realm is equivalent to your authority in the natural realm. Consider what is under your direct authority and control. If you have children, they are under your authority. If you own a home, it is under your authority. If you own a business, it is under your authority. If you are in management at your job, you have a certain degree of authority. If you are a teacher, you have a certain degree of authority over the children in the classroom while they are under your care.
Authority can also be delegated to us by Jesus for specific assignments. There are intercessors who are given authority to pray over specific realms in the spirit over which they have no natural man-given authority. God will make this very clear to you if He gives you this kind of authority.
Authority can also come from great love or compassion. God can give you a deep compassion for a person or a group of people and as a result, He can give you authority in order to help them.
What do I do with this spiritual authority?
You ask God what kingdom business needs to be performed in your realm of authority. You are His representative in your little corner of the earth. Read His Word. What is under your authority that is not going the way He would like it to go? Ask Him for what needs to change. Ask for His Wisdom and Revelation to guide you. Ask Him what words to speak – just like Jesus did.
Then speak with His authority, the things that need to be changed. You must be convinced of who you are in God’s kingdom and then speak. God said, Let there be light and there was light. He gives us a similar type of authority in the spirit to speak those things that should be in existence. He also gives us the authority to bind up things that should not be operating around us.
Examples:
Your home – if your children are constantly bickering with each other, bind up pride and division and release peace, harmony, humility, unity, etc.
Your job – if communication is getting confused and projects never seem to get done. Bind miscommunication, confusion, apathy and loose clear communication, teamwork and diligence.
Your relationships – if there’s someone who tries to control you, bind fear and control, loose trust and freedom.
The key is to bind up what is bad and loose what you’d like to see. All the while, asking the Father what would be best. He will show you. You don’t have to have great discernment or know the names of specific spirits for this to work. Bind up bad fruit, loose good fruit.
At times, you will see immediate change in your surroundings. Other times, it may take some time. When you are in a place you have no authority, you can always loose good things around you like peace, light, truth, blessings, etc. You should not bind what has a right to be there, but you can loose God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done everywhere you go!
Warning: Do not take spiritual authority where it is not yours to take. Be very careful. Make sure you are certain you have been given authority. You can experience serious consequences if you overstep your boundaries. John Paul Jackson outlines this in his book, Needless Casualties of War.
There’s so much more we could talk about – I’ll continue this discussion in Part 2.
Discernment of the Supernatural Realm 