Cloud of Protection
“NO! Aaahh, stop!!”
I woke up screaming from a nightmare (again). Sigh. When was this going to STOP?!
But this time, I could still feel the Fear in the room – like something was watching me! Maybe several somethings … ((shudder))
I turned on all the lights. I walked around and prayed, trying to dispel the effects of the nightmare on my mind. This was back in the early days before I knew much about spiritual warfare or my authority in Christ.
I was exhausted and just wanted to go back to sleep! But I still felt unsettled.
My mind told me, “There’s nothing to be afraid of. God is your protector. You can go back to bed.” But my heart said, “Yes, and what if those things come back as soon as I close my eyes. I hate nightmares!”
A few days before this experience, someone had mentioned the concept of using your imagination to help make God’s qualities more real to your mind and heart.
So I imagined a fluffy pink cloud surrounding me as I lay back down in my bed. This represented to me God’s Love and Protection over me as I slept. I started to relax and soon fell deeply asleep.
The next morning I was pleasantly surprised that this simple exercise had helped me SO much! I began to use it whenever I felt unsettled before going to bed. And I always slept peacefully.
I recently shared this with one of my readers who was asking about nightmares as well as how to deal with demonic entities in the atmosphere that she could feel. It’s not easy to stand up to the enemy when you don’t feel safe. I know that feeling well – not feeling safe, or feeling overwhelmed by the pressure of the demonic entities and not knowing what to do. That used to be me every day. Can you relate?
Learning I could create a personal space of safety by trusting in God as I went to sleep really helped me. It gave me more confidence. Later I learned how to apply that idea at my job, which was often a very oppressive environment. I’ll post about that on another day.
So what do you think? Does using your imagination empower you? Does it help make God more real for you? Have you tried this technique before?
I used to know a lady who really wanted to make Jesus more real in her life. She struggled to stay focused during her prayer times. So she set up her kitchen table with tea cups for two. She put tea bags in both cups. As she poured the boiling water into the cups, she began talking to Jesus as though He was joining her for tea. She talked to Him like He was sitting right there in the chair next to her – and it became so real for her! She felt comforted by His presence and they talked until His tea got cold. Then she drank His tea and put everything away, confident that her “tea time” with Jesus was as real as any prayer time she had ever had.
Fiction Flexes Your Seeing Muscles
Many people find this blog because they want to grow in being able to “see” the unseen realm. Can you see what is unseen? Yes, you can. Sometimes you see with the eyes of your heart and sometimes you see with your natural eyes. Here’s a couple of articles on this topic: Why Can’t I See or Hear in the Spirit? and How to See the Unseen Realm.
Today I want to explore some other ways you can grow in the ability to see.
Something about reading fiction enhances my ability to perceive angels and the unseen realm more clearly. Perhaps using my imagination as I read helps me tap into that realm more easily. Try it! Read a good fiction book like The Starlore Legacy series by Chuck Black – it’s like the Bible told in a Star Wars universe. Lots of fun! After reading for an hour or so, close the book and look around the room. Or walk through your house. I bet you’ll notice more things from the spiritual realm. I certainly do! 🙂
I believe the same part of our being that can imagine is the part that helps us perceive things that are invisible to our eyes. Think about when you get a prophetic insight – you don’t SEE it with your natural eyes, do you? You see it with the eyes of your heart! (aka your imagination) Paul said he prayed that the eyes of our hearts would be enlightened (Ephesians 1:18). I don’t think that this means we are “making it up” like when people use their imagination to create a novel. But it is a part of our being that we use to “see” things, to imagine things that our natural eyes cannot perceive. So when you read a good fiction book, it is flexing those “seeing” muscles! Isn’t that cool? 😲
Different Types of Spiritual Senses
I’ve noticed that many people that can see clearly in the unseen realm cannot perceive clearly. And those that hear can’t see and those that perceive don’t often hear or see. We need each other – none of us have all the gifts. This way we all have a piece to share. If we could see, hear and perceive everything all on our own, why would we need anyone else? 😉
I would much rather be able to perceive than to see. But that’s just me. By perceiving I mean sensing or feeling or “knowing” beyond knowledge.
I’ve also noticed that fasting sleep makes me more perceptive to the unseen realm, though I’ve never done it intentionally. It makes me overly sensitive to everything (which can be overwhelming) so I don’t do it on purpose. But if for some reason I get less than 5-6 hours of sleep, my senses are very sharp. If this happens for more than 1 night, I’m incredibly sensitive but it takes a big toll on me and I need a day or more to recover.
In college I lived on a supernatural grace of 5 hours a night during the week and then slept copious amounts on the weekend. I was young and on fire and my friends and I sought hard after God. It was exhilarating!!
So what enables you to perceive the unseen realm more clearly? And no, I don’t mean psychotropic substances. I personally don’t trust anything that alters my ability to perceive the natural realm to begin with.
By the way, I ALWAYS notice a big shift in my awareness after midnight until the sun comes up. Everything is clearer and it’s much easier to get discernment or prophetic insight. Have you noticed this too?
Let me know in the comments section – let’s learn from each other! 🙂
Emergency Rescue Prayer for Others
“Help! I need God to breakthrough for my family member NOW!”
How many of us have had that thought well up from deep in our heart – desperate to see someone we love set free from whatever binds them to trouble?
I have often pondered why some people just can’t seem to escape the trouble they experience in life. No matter how much they wish they could change, they don’t. Or you try talking to them and they won’t listen. Sound familiar?
So what can you do to help them?
We can pray. But not just regular prayer – though that always helps. I’m talking about a different kind of prayer that shatters strongholds and sets them free – without them evening knowing about it.
It’s called Identificational Repentance and it’s very, very powerful. I first learned about it from John Dawson in his book, Taking Our Cities for God. He applied it to cities and I was on prayer team who practiced the methods he recommended. We were amazed at the results!
A few years ago, the Lord began teaching me about this as it applied to individual people. I did not know it could be done that way but it made sense. And again, I was amazed at the results!
Basically instead of praying FOR the person, you talk to God as though you ARE the person.
For example, instead of praying, “Lord, please help Billy get off drugs. You know he’s already been to rehab, but he’s back at it again. He needs you, Lord. Please help him!” you pray this way instead, “Lord, I come to you now as Billy Jenkins. Please forgive me for using drugs instead of turning to You. I am sorry I don’t trust you. Please forgive me for believing the lie that I can do this on my own. I am weak and I need Your love to free me from this addiction. I can’t do this on my own. Please open my heart to Your love and show me how to live. Thank you.”
This is not easy to do – don’t take this lightly. You have to let go of your ego and lay aside your sense of self. You let go of judgment about Billy and what he’s doing. You come before God as thought you are Billy and you ask Holy Spirit to guide you as to what you need to say to God.
It is very powerful and very intimate. If you are trustworthy, God will show you what it is like to BE Billy. And it will probably surprise you. These are secrets you must keep – please don’t share them with anyone, not even Billy. These are between you and your Father.
Pray this way as often as you feel led for as long as you feel led to pray this way. You will see surprising results.
Why does it work?
Legal ground is established by our agreement with darkness – like a contract. We believe a lie (or a partial truth) and by agreeing with it, it has authority in our lives.
When we repent and come out of agreement with the lie, then its influence (or authority) over us is broken.
Sometimes someone is so deeply deceived that they don’t even realize they are in agreement with darkness. They can’t see the lie to come out of agreement with it. It is so deeply entrenched in their psyche that it seems impossible for them to recognize it. We all know people who have struggled for YEARS to overcome addiction. This is an example of an entrenched lie that is deeply hidden. No matter how they change their behavior, they are unable to overcome the lie that is hidden deeply in their hearts and minds. As a result, addiction still has a hold on them.
Here’s a secret: We are all “addicted” in some way or other. Some of us have obvious addictions like drugs or alcohol. Others have more “socially acceptable” addictions like worry, codependence or workaholism. These are all just evidence of our addiction to “self”. We all suffer from this “disease” (the more popular term for addiction now).
So, how do we get free? We turn to Jesus and repent of our false beliefs and come into agreement with His truth.
If someone is not able to do this on their own (because they can’t see the false beliefs), then an intercessor can start the process for them. The intercessor can take the place of the “addicted one” and repent before the Lord for whatever strongholds of agreement the Lord shows them to repent of. These are usually mindsets, patterns of thought or heart attitudes. It could be pride, independence, self-centeredness, fear, doubt, disbelief, etc.
We agree with HIM regarding what the truth is and come out of agreement with the lie – doing all of this as though we are the other person.
How does it work?
We become “one” with the person we are praying for, the one for whom we are repenting. Here are some examples from Scripture of the principle of being “one” with another person.
Husband and wife are one, according to Scripture. Genesis 2:22-24, Ephesians 5:31 and Matthew 19:4-6:
And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” Matthew 19:4-6
If we truly are one and that’s how God sees us, then that means I can “take the place” of my husband before God, if necessary. I can repent on his behalf – as though it was him talking to God, but the words are coming out of my mouth. I can’t change his heart, his mind or his will, but I can remove the stronghold of darkness that is exerting its influence on his heart, mind and will by repenting on his behalf.
All believers are one, according to Scripture. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, Colossians 3:11, Galatians 3:28 and Ephesians 2:13-16:
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. Ephesians 2:13-16
How about unbelievers? Can we be “one” with them?
For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, 18-21
And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. I John 2:2
What if they are unwilling?
What if they are unwilling? You can’t make anyone receive God’s love. From my experience, the only people I’ve ever met who were unwilling to receive God’s love and forgiveness were people who had a misconception either about God or about themselves. They believed a lie or partial truth that convinced them that either God didn’t really love them or that they were unworthy of being forgiven and loved by God.
There’s no logical reason for anyone to reject God’s love! The only time people reject it is when they believe a lie. We remove the power of the lie by breaking the agreement with it through repentance.
What an amazing masterful strategy from our God!
Once the power of agreement is broken, darkness no longer has any legal right to have such strong influence on their mind and heart. Then they can receive God’s love and forgiveness more easily!
Really – try it! It works! 🙂
I’ve seen it happen in “hard cases” – people who were not able to receive God’s love. Then someone prayed for them in Personal Identificational Repentance. Suddenly God’s love was accessible to them on a very deep level and they completely changed! Their hearts opened up like a flower bud and they blossomed with His Love! It’s an amazing miracle!
Visit Heaven Today 😊
One day a friend came to visit me. He was always really on fire for God. I enjoyed spending time with him because he always had new things to share with me that our heavenly Father had shown him.
We were sitting in the living room getting caught up, when he turned to me and said, “Did you know you can visit heaven before you die?” I looked at him quizzically. No one had ever said that to me before.
I was taught (and you probably were too) that we only see heaven after we die. In fact, that seems to be the emphasis of most preaching – accept Jesus so you can go to heaven when you die. So I always assumed that heaven was not for now.
Guess what? My friend was right!! He taught me what he learned about it. We visited a friend later that evening and told her too and all three of us visited heaven that night – together! It was a blast!
WHAT?! I can just hear some of you right now thinking, “Has this woman lost her mind? WHAT is she talking about?”
So let’s start with what the Scriptures say about it.
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Colossians 3:1-2
How do you “seek those things which are above, where Christ is”? What if this is not figurative, but something you can literally do?
Paul said we are already there! How can that be?
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7
What does it mean to “sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”? Ponder that with the Lord.
John was invited to make this a reality – he saw a door open in heaven.
After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.” Revelation 4:1
Yes, John was given a special revelation for the church. But why not ask Jesus, “Can I go too?” 😁
Lastly, think about what Jesus said. This is one of my favorite passages in the book of John. I thought it was for “some day”, but what if it’s for now?
In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:2-6
When did Jesus come to you and receive you to Himself? Well, for me it was when I opened my heart to Him and asked Him to guide me and be my Lord and Savior. He came to me and received me. So then He says why He went to prepare a place – that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Jesus Christ is the only way this visit to heaven can work – never forget that. He’s the one who invites us to sit with Him in heavenly places, that where He is, we can be also. Isn’t that cool? 🙂
I know it’s kind of a mind blowing idea, but stay with me.
Take a moment and say in your heart, “Lord, show me if this is true.” Then wait and see what He says.
The easiest way to do this is simply spend some time with Jesus. Ask Him to open the eyes of your heart. And while you are with Him, say, “Jesus, will you please take me to heaven?” Then see what happens.
The first time I went with my friends to heaven, we were talking to Jesus and we asked Him to take us. We were sitting in my friend’s living room when we said this. But suddenly we all had the experience of moving up and we all saw ourselves in a convertible car going up to heaven. It was so fun! I said to my friend, “Hey, did you bring the popcorn?” She laughed because we just had been talking about eating popcorn on road trips.
Then we were brought into a courthouse building. We were standing in the lobby outside a courtroom. We saw a bunch of children being escorted into the courtroom and we each immediately knew that justice was being given to these children that had experienced abuse. It was solemn but there was also a sense of joy that justice was being served for them. They were no longer victims without a voice.
After that I became aware that we were in the living room again. I slowly opened my eyes and looked at my friends. We smiled and tried to process what we had just experienced together. It was amazing!
I don’t think I left earth – my body was still here because I hadn’t died yet. But my spirit was definitely somewhere else – up in heaven. Just like John in the book of Revelation. He was in two places at once. Remember Revelation 10:4? Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.” So John was in heaven seeing and hearing all these things and he was also writing them down on earth. What he wrote down is what we call the book of Revelation in the Bible.
Other people have experienced this too – many of the prophets were shown things and they wrote them.
So why not us?
Many people see things when they pray for others – like a picture from the Holy Spirit showing them something about the person. I was taught to “pray into the picture” and more would be revealed. So as I concentrated on what Holy Spirit was showing me, in an attitude of prayer, He would expand what He was showing me in the picture. Often I received more revelation by getting more details about the picture. For instance, if I was praying for someone and I saw a picture of a man, I would look more closely and ask Holy Spirit for more information.
Holy Spirit might show me who the man was or why this man was significant to this person. It would go from a generic man to a more specific man – perhaps it was the person’s grandfather. Then I could continue to pray and perhaps the Holy Spirit would show me WHY I was seeing a picture of the grandfather.
Does that make sense?
So taking a trip to heaven is kind of similar. It’s a revelatory experience of the heavenly realm because Jesus wants to show you something.
You might visit a garden. Or ask Jesus to show you your mansion in heaven. You might visit a courtroom to get justice for your situation (see my post here).
So go ahead – ask Jesus to take you to heaven and see what He shows YOU!
Enjoy your trip! 🙂
Is God REALLY Your Provider?
Is God REALLY Your Provider? Or do you secretly rely on your job, a family member or the economy to keep your bills paid?
This is a question most people don’t wrestle with – they have a job = they pay their bills. They might pray for a job and feel that God has provided one. End of story.
But what if God asks you to walk away from a very good job and just trust Him to provide?
What if you get fired? Will God provide for you then?
Learning that God truly is your provider can be a very challenging experience, especially when you are used to being self-sufficient.
Self-sufficient … think about that. Self-reliant is a synonym of that. Notice the first part – SELF. Yeah, the one thing Jesus told us to deny. Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Matt 16:24 and Luke 9:23
It’s not about you striving to provide.
Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. – Jesus, Matthew 6:25-26, 33-34
Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to GIVE you the kingdom! – Jesus, Luke 12:32
This is what my heavenly Father has said to me:
“You’ll have all that you need when you need it.”
And when I’ve been thinking about things I wish I had, He has said:
“You don’t need it or else I’d be providing it.” (Ouch!)
This doesn’t just apply to money or paying bills. This applies to EVERY area of life – having discernment and wisdom to make good decisions, having certain people in your life, having opportunities you want to experience (i.e. travel, ministry, a specific career, etc.), what kind of place you live, what resources you have available, etc. The list could go on – basically whatever you “need” falls into this category.
Can you really trust God to be your provider? Because ultimately that’s what this is – it’s a TRUST thing.
Do you really believe that it is your Father’s good pleasure to GIVE you the kingdom? (No striving necessary.)
Do you really believe that if you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness that all the things you need will be provided? Is God that good?
I do. I’ve lived it. It’s real. He promised it and I found out He was true.
Many years ago He asked me to leave my very good corporate job and just trust Him to provide. So I did. And I can honestly say that I have never lacked for a thing. I have always had all that I needed WHEN I needed it. 🙂
Anyone else have a testimony they’d like to share about God being their provider? Please share in the comments. I’d love to read your story.
And if this is an area you are struggling with – be honest with Him. He really likes honesty. Find the root of the fear that you feel and ask Him to help you with it. Once the fear is gone, it’s much easier to trust Him. ❤ This post on Overcoming Fear might help. 🙂
Thanks for reading this post. I love to hear from readers – it really encourages me. 🙂
Glowing in the Spirit
The other day when I woke up, I felt power. It was as though more of who I am in the spirit was revealed. It felt like I was glowing!
My senses were heightened and I could perceive much more in the unseen spiritual realm. I had an aura of tangible energy around my body that I could feel. I could feel authority in my inner being, near my solar plexus (gut). I don’t know why this happened exactly. But it felt great! 🙂
I share random experiences like this on this blog so that if you experience them, you know you are not alone and that you are not crazy. 🙂
This feeling was very similar to what I experienced about a month ago. Here’s what I wrote in my journal that night:
“Earlier tonight I was feeling it. My husband and I walked around The Falls shopping center after having dinner at a restaurant nearby. Wherever I went, people looked at me. It was different than usual. I would look at them and smile and it’s like they would light up. Normally people don’t make a lot of eye contact in our city. But everywhere I looked people would catch my eyes and I would smile and they would respond. I felt like they were picking up on whatever I was carrying. I don’t know how to describe it other than we brought Light and they liked it or were drawn to it.”
Here’s a picture of what I imagine it looked like that night:
A few weeks after this experience, I woke up in a lot of pain – my whole body was tense and felt “tight”. I asked the Lord what to do and sensed I should let my spirit “out” instead of holding it inside. So I did. (Kind of hard to explain what this means – it was intuitive.)
Immediately I could feel the tension dissipate. It was like my inner person was too big to be contained by my body. So instead of hiding and keeping it inside, I just gave myself permission to be released. I felt so much better! Immediately!
It felt like I had switched – instead of my spirit being inside my body, it’s like my body was inside my spirit. My body immediately felt healthier, stronger, and had less pain and tension. Wow! 😲
I don’t really understand what is happening with this new switch, do you? For months I have been feeling that it was time for the sons and daughters to be revealed – maybe this is part of that? Letting our spirits out so that HE who is within us can be experienced by those around us? What do you think?
So do these kinds of things happen to you? If so, please share in the comments. Tell me I’m not alone. 🙂
Pain Is a Love Song💕
Recently I was discussing with a friend the random insights I get from the Lord. She laughed and said, “Me too! It happens all the time – I get some random deep insight and I don’t know what to do with it.” We both laughed and I said, “Sometimes I feel like a walking encyclopedia of random spiritual insights because there are so many and they seem unrelated to each other.” She could relate. So here’s one I got recently – maybe it will help you. Or maybe just file it away until you need it. Start your own collection of Random Spiritual Insights (RSIs). 😂
Random Spiritual Insight #47:
The Lord showed me that every pain that we suffer in our physical bodies is a love song of our sacrificial love for Him. Life on earth is HARD and yet we chose to come to earth because we love Him and His kingdom – just as He loved the Father and chose to come to earth to fulfill the Father’s plan.
I do my best to listen to my body and take care of it, but when I’ve tried everything and still I suffer, I am reminded that I am a living sacrifice for Him and He appreciates that. ❤️
He also reminds me that He provides all that I need as I need it, so if my body isn’t functioning as well as I’d like, I don’t have to worry about it. If I need it to do something, He will provide what is needed WHEN I need it. 😊 He’s so good. 😍
=======================
Do YOU have a random spiritual insight you’d like to share? If so, send me a guest post! Here’s the link for how to do that: https://supernaturaldiscernment.com/guest-posts/
Or you can post it below if it’s short. If not, I reserve the right to edit it for space considerations. 🙂
Walls of Fear and Lies Hurt You – They Block True Love 💗
A wall that protects you from getting hurt also prevents you from receiving the love you need to heal. Did you know that?
To you it feels safe – you don’t trust anyone so having a thick secure wall around your heart and emotions makes sense, right? You’ve been hurt before and you’re not going to let THAT happen again. I know – I’ve been there. That used to be me, but not anymore.
The internal walls we build are built by lies we believe and they are held together by the mortar of fear. We are afraid to let down our walls. We probably even paint over the wall with pride so that no one will know how afraid we are of being open and transparent with another person. So we look self-sufficient and “normal” on the outside as we hide from our internal pain and fear.
What’s the lie? It has to do with God’s love. Each person phrases it their own way but basically the message we believe is: “God is not good to me”. He cannot be trusted. His Love is not real. Or it’s not for me. Why did He let that terrible thing to happen to me? He’s not concerned with my pain. I can’t trust Him to heal my pain. I don’t trust God and other people to allow God to love me through them. He is not safe. I don’t really trust Him to do what’s best for me. God is not really for me. He just wants His way – He doesn’t care how it affects me. God’s not ________ (fill in the blank with whatever comes to mind for YOU).
To people on the outside, your wall feels like rejection. They try to reach out to you and you don’t even realize the ways you keep them out of your inner world. You don’t mention pertinent information about your life (that feels too vulnerable). You are very selective with what you share. You don’t want your words to be used against you. Unconsciously you miss the social cues for connection with others and you end up feeling more and more alone. But you are used to this – you’ve felt this way your entire life, not realizing love is within arm’s reach. It’s all around you but you are blinded to it in your fear of intimacy and being known.
It’s not easy to break out of that wall. I know – I’ve been there. I used to have those walls, ever since childhood. I had no idea they were preventing me from going deeper with God and with other people. They stood in the way of His purposes in my life so they had to come down. And I had to learn how to make Him my refuge instead of my cleverly devised walls. It’s a process, not an overnight thing. But it starts with a decision to let Him teach you another way to do life.
Are you willing? If so, tell Him right now.
“I am willing to let You in. I am willing to trust You. Please show me how. Please give me the grace to let go of the tight control I exert to keep people out, even people You sent me to love me. I am willing – help me cooperate and have courage. Thank you. Amen.”
Keep saying that prayer every day until you are able to live in His love without the wall. His love is the greatest protection you could ever ask for. I’m not kidding. At first, I was afraid to lower the wall because I was afraid of feeling like a turtle without it’s shell – vulnerable with no way to protect myself. But the more I learned how to let Him hold me in His love, the safer I began to feel. He is my strong tower. I can trust in Him. He’s got me – it’s so much better than my own self-made walls! SO MUCH BETTER THAN ANYTHING I COULD DO TO PROTECT MY OWN HEART. 💗💗💗
Walls are meant to be a temporary solution, until you learn who you are – a Much-Loved Child of your heavenly Father. Then you don’t need them anymore. 🙂
What do you think? Are you aware of any walls that are “protecting” you inside? Please comment below and share your experience – that’s how we learn from each other. You are welcome here – even if you don’t agree with me! 🙂
His Power in My Weakness at the Park
Recently I was having a very hard day. I hurt physically, I didn’t sleep well and I was weary emotionally. Not a good combination. I felt discombobulated, weak and vulnerable. It was hard to think clearly. I bought a healthy peanut butter-banana smoothie and went to the park. I sat in my car, drinking the smoothie. At some point, I happened to look up and stared at the tree in front of my car. I saw the face of lion. Somehow the various bark markings looked like a lion to me. I smiled and felt this was a “wink” from the Lord that He saw me and my suffering today. An old worship song came on the radio and it helped me feel better.
I decided to play my favorite worship playlist on YouTube, hoping that would help me shift to a better place. I put in my ear buds and got out of the car to go for a walk. Near my car was a small bridge that crossed a canal and joined a tree-lined walking path around the park.
As I crossed the bridge, I felt such powerful “energy” emanating from my back, between my shoulder blades. As though flames of fire were shooting out into the world around me. As I walked, the feeling increased. I could sense the fear of the Lord and the presence of God intensely. I wanted to worship to the songs I was listening to – I wanted to sing loudly and raise my hands, but I kept encountering other people walking on the path and I felt it would be rude to do this. I sensed someone joining the path behind me and I sensed darkness. I turned and a man was just crossing the bridge to walk on the path I was on. I walked off the path quite a way and turned my body so that my back was away from him. Somehow I knew that it would hurt him to get too close to the flaming energy emanating behind me.
After he passed by, I joined the other walkers on the path again. It started to sprinkle. I paused – watching the rain fall over the ball field nearby. It was beautiful. I heard thunder in the distance. I put my arms out to feel the rain – not much reached me under the trees. I smiled and I noticed the pressure of the energy within me kept increasing.
I suddenly realized no one was on the path around me so I decided to sing along with the worship and raise my hands. As I did, it began to rain harder. I sang, motioning with my hands to the music and felt such power released through me. I slowly walked back across the bridge exhilirated, clapping my hands to the music. It felt like a butterfly was breaking out of a cocoon – it was arduous but freeing.
I felt GREAT! I went back to my car in the pouring rain, dried off and combed the wet hair out of my face. When I glanced up at the tree in front of my car, I saw the face of Jesus. He was beaten with one eye squinting and a crown of thorns on His head. I blinked several times, trying to find the previous lion face I had seen. It was gone. I couldn’t find it at all! All I could see was the crucified face of Christ. I knew this too was a sign from Him that He saw me and what I was suffering.
Lately He has been emphasizing to me that we are One. Maybe that’s what this experience was about – becoming one in His crucifixion and feeling the power of His resurrection. Today’s verse of the day said to me (pronouns changed): She made herself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of women. She humbled herself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross of Love. Philippians 2:7-8 paraphrase
He asks us to take up our cross and follow Him. It is the cross of Love – dying to selfishness, self-centeredness, self-ambition. We let go of our reputation and become a humble servant who obeys whatever He asks us to do, even if it makes us suffer terribly … because He is worth it all.
Unfortunately the great feeling disappeared and I was left once again weak, in pain and now hungry. I drove to Panera cafe nearby and got a sandwich. I wondered why – why feel and experience such power on a day when I am feeling so weak and shaky? How did that help anyone? Isn’t the power of God meant to heal the sick and cast out demons? Why did I know that information about the man on the path, but nothing about anyone else I passed? Oh, except there was one other instance that was comical. While I sat in my car with my eyes closed before I went for a walk, a white van parked in front of my car. I didn’t hear it arrive. When I opened my eyes, I saw the van and immediately knew there was a man in there in desperate need of the restroom. As I watched, a man left the van and walked quickly in the direction of the park’s restroom. LOL What was that about? What was the point of knowing that information about a stranger? 😂
The Lord told me to focus on Him and not on my misery. This feels like an attack from Baal, the spirit of destruction at work in the sons of disobedience. The spirit that is behind the hate, violence, abuse, bloodshed, lust and greed. I am not a helpless orphan – I am a Much-Loved Child of the Father. 💗
A couple of days later I spoke to a fellow intercessor – she said she felt very strange and discombobulated too. She also experienced the presence of God and the fear of the Lord intensely. She too had no idea why it was happening. So at least I know I’m not alone. And now I’m sharing it here so that if/when it happens to you, you’ll know you are not crazy. 🙂
Need Peace? Need Protection or Provision?
When we feel like an orphan or a victim of other people, we feel small and powerless. We have all felt that way. Some feel this way every day. For others, the feeling comes from time to time, especially when we are having a bad day.
When we feel this way, we are consumed by our Fears. We strive to be in Control (or we feel that others control us). And we focus on what we Lack.
Fear, Control and Lack are the three illusions that the enemy uses to keep us stuck in this mindset of being a victim or an orphan.
I use the terms victim and orphan interchangeably. Some people prefer the word victim as in “he has a victim mentality”. Some prefer the idea of “orphan” meaning that they do not have anyone stronger than them looking out for their interests (like an orphaned child).
When you see someone complaining about their life, but not doing anything to change their situation, you see a victim/orphan.
When you see someone too anxious to take a step toward a better life, a better relationship or a better job, you see a victim/orphan.
The opposite is someone who is an Overcomer (versus a victim). The opposite is a Much Loved Child, an Heir of God’s kingdom, who is no longer an orphan.
When you think about a good parent (which every orphan longs for), you think of someone who soothes a child’s fears, making them feel safe and taken care of. Someone who is a good provider and protector. Victims look for someone to rescue them from their fears, their oppressors and their lack of resources.
God is a perfect parent. In fact, God longs to be the father and mother that we have each needed … desperately needed.
He offers us Peace in exchange for our Fears.
He offers us Protection & safety so we don’t need to be in control or allow others to control us.
He offers us Provision in exchange for our Lack.
God is all we need. God adopts the orphan into the Family of God. God rescues the victim from those who oppress him. That’s the whole reason Jesus Christ came, lived, died and was resurrected – to convince us that God cares about us and is strong enough to take care of us. He is our Peace, Protector and Provider – even in the face of death, the grave could not hold Jesus down.
So when your life feels full of Fear, Control and Lack – turn to the Lord. Remind yourself that He is your Peace, Protector and Provider. He is all you need. I promise.
I know for someone this might just sound like “magical thinking”. I know – I have felt that way too. But there really is something “magical” that happens when you allow your heart to believe that God is good and that He is able and willing to take care of you. It literally shifts your perspective and your expectation. Expectation is another word for “faith”. Somehow when we shift our expectation, it literally opens doors that would not have opened otherwise. I’ve seen it happen many times. If you think like a victim, you expect to be victimized and guess what? It happens! But when you think like a Much Loved Child, you expect things to work out for your good and guess what? They do! 💗
Discernment of the Supernatural Realm 