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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! 😊
Trust in God’s Goodness. He’s Got You! ❤️
Yesterday I woke up at 7am and sensed the presence of the Fear of the Lord in my room. I waited expectantly.
Two pictures kept coming to my mind from the Holy Spirit. One was from a dream I had in 2020 and the other one was from a vision I had in 2022. The pictures kept being shown to my mind over and over and I sensed that they were related – although that had never occurred to me before.
I will share with you the two images, as recorded in my journal. For the purpose of this blog, I have added pictures to try and illustrate what I saw.
July 28, 2020 I had a vivid dream. My husband and I were laying on the roof of a car, parked at the beach. The beach was full of people. The sky was a beautiful light blue with puffy clouds. We were sunning ourselves, laying on our backs. I looked up and suddenly there was this gigantic wave coming toward us. I freaked out and grabbed onto my husband. I didn’t want to get separated from him when it hit us. As it continued to grow larger, I became more frantic. I looked up at the wave and it had grown so tall that it became frozen in the atmosphere! It was as high as the clouds! Suddenly light fluffy chunks started falling, but they were not anything to fear. They were soft and light. I felt such relief and I laughed. I could feel the relief of those around me (the other people at the beach). Then I woke up.
January 7, 2022 I had a vision as I was walking down the hall. I looked up and saw an evil principality in the sky looking down toward the earth. I looked down quickly. Then I looked up and smiled – I was not afraid. Then I thought, I don’t want to draw attention to myself – he’s a big, bad one . So I looked down again. Then I looked up and thought, I am in God and He is in me. I saw this unfolding structure come out of me and surround me. I knew it was a representation of this thought and I felt immediately safe. Then I looked down again and when I looked up, I decided to look past the principality to the Father and His goodness in heaven. I smiled and as I continued looking, I realized the principality wasn’t real. It was like a huge balloon that they use in large parades (like the Macy’s Day parade in New York). It was light brown with a roundish head, a black outline around the head and it had a face with eyes. But now I could clearly see he was just a caricature – a big balloon full of air with no substance.
So how are these two images related?
They both represent something scary that’s very powerful with a sense of impending destruction. The evil principality brings destruction and seems to have influence on the earth. A tsunami is a very powerful, destructive force of nature that is unstoppable.
In both of these experiences, I was shown that there’s nothing to fear. In my vision the principality turned out to be a lot of hot air but no substance. In the dream the tsunami stopped before hitting us and was transformed into something harmless.
For some reason this makes me think of all the negative news we see – all the doom and gloom. It can make you feel afraid of impending destruction beyond your control. I’ve also noticed a very negative narrative being expressed from some religious leaders, forecasting impending destruction and judgment. This can also make you feel afraid.
But I believe I had this experience with the Fear of the Lord to encourage us that even though it might look like things are going to be scary and destructive, FEAR NOT! Instead focus on God’s goodness and His victory over the darkness. You will always have all that you need – your heavenly Father knows what you need before you even ask. Trust in His goodness. He’s got you! ❤️
If you have any insight or have a response to this article, please feel free to comment below. I love to read your thoughts and ideas. We learn by sharing with each other what the Lord is showing us. That’s why this blog exists – to offer a conversation about important topics like this one. Chime in! Let’s hear what you have to say! 😊
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.
Discerning of Spirits, Gift of Discernment
I came across your blog while seeking answers concerning the gift of discernment. I would like to get help in understanding the gift because there’s a lot I am going through and sometimes it becomes so overwhelming.
Overwhelming? Oh, yes! I can relate. Having the gift of discernment can definitely feel overwhelming at times.
The gift of discernment (aka discerning of spirits) is a very challenging gift to have. Many people have no idea what to do with it and they often feel alone. What they experience seems so weird or odd that they are afraid to tell anyone. If they do mention it to someone close to them, often that person has no idea what they are talking about – which teaches them to not talk about it anymore for fear of being rejected or judged for being abnormal.
Let’s talk about this gift and try to normalize it for those who are uninformed.
Discernment is a gift of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 12:10). No instruction manual is provided with this gift so you learn about it through life experience. This forces you to draw close to God and ask HIM to teach you about this gift.
This gift gives you the ability to discern good from evil (or truth from deception) and especially the spirit behind something. Sometimes it is similar to intuition but it usually comes with more information. Discerning the spirit behind something can come in many ways – it might be something you see, or something you hear or something you feel. Or a combination of seeing, hearing or feeling. It can also just be an inner knowing.
Have you ever met someone and immediately you got a bad feeling about the person? They looked like a nice person, but everything inside of you was saying, Watch out! Be very careful – this person is not trustworthy. That was discernment giving you information to protect you. Chances are this was confirmed later by their behavior or attitude toward you, right? Or you saw them hurt someone else and you realized your discernment was accurate.
The number one danger that those with the gift of discernment have is to talk themselves out of their discernment. They assume they are wrong or that they are being judgmental of someone they just met. So they ignore or dismiss their misgivings and then they suffer the consequences.
If this is you, please stop right now and say, “Holy Spirit, I am sorry for ignoring the warnings you have given me. I have not honored this gift you gave me. I apologize. Please help me to pay attention to the things you are showing me. I didn’t realize that it was YOU telling me to be careful.”
Some of us have a stronger gift of discernment and we can perceive angels, demons, etc. in the unseen realm. Some see these beings as shadows or lights. Some feel them as energy or a presence. Some hear them in various ways – words being spoken, sounds of movement or wings, etc. Many with this gift can also discern things about people – they can perceive someone’s gifting or calling, or they can perceive areas of unhealed wounds in their soul. And they can also tell if someone has a demon attached to them.
As you can imagine, discerning things that are invisible, that no one else seems to notice, can make you question your sanity. Am I going crazy? I know too much. How come no one seems to have this gift? How do I know if I can trust what I am perceiving? Is it accurate?
First of all, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! I started this blog to help people like you and me – to help us know we are not alone in this gifting. There are many of us and in fact, the Lord is increasing this gift because we need it more now.
The biggest question I get is – What do I do with the information I receive? Is it accurate? Should I take action on it or tell other people what I perceive?
The only answer I have is this – ASK GOD. Become very familiar with the Holy Spirit inside of you. Talk to the Spirit every day. Holy Spirit was sent to us to help us and teach us (John 14:26). This gift forces you to rely on Holy Spirit to show you what to do with what you are receiving from this gift. And that’s a good thing! 😊
So whenever I perceive something, I say in my heart/mind, Holy Spirit, what is this? Do I need to do anything with this? And I wait. It can be hard to do this in a busy, noisy place, but I do my best. And if it is a very strong impression then I try to get away by myself for a minute so that I can discern what, if anything, I am sensing I should do.
Many times I do not sense that I need to DO anything. For a long time this bothered me. Why am I receiving information if I’m not meant to ACT on it? I would ask. But then God showed me that this is just part of the gift. Some people can perceive a lot more detail when they hear music because they are musicians – they hear things that I don’t. Some people perceive a lot more detail when they look at paintings because they are artists – they see things I don’t. It’s the same way with this gift – I perceive things that other people don’t. I don’t usually share what I sense – unless I am talking to someone who also has discernment.
I have discussed this gift with many people who DO have discernment – that’s how I know I am not crazy and I am not alone! That’s actually the best advice I can give you – ask the Lord to bring you 1 or 2 people who have this gift so that you can share your experiences and learn from each other. That helped me learn a lot when I was first exploring this gift – I wrote about my experience in the Introduction on this blog. When you share what you sense with someone who has the gift, it’s such a good experience. You don’t feel weird anymore. 😊
The second thing that really helps is to pursue inner healing for yourself. Often we can get overwhelmed by what we sense because of our own wounding. If I have a lot of unhealed fear or anxiety in my soul and I encounter another person who is struggling with fear or anxiety – WHAM! Suddenly I am drowning in fear or anxiety! And I don’t even realize why. My senses are so overloaded that I can’t think clearly. This could happen with any strong emotion – fear, hate, anger, lust, depression, grief, rejection, etc.
The more you become healed on the inside by receiving God’s love for you and what He says about you, the easier it is to discern what is your stuff and what is someone else’s stuff. Then it doesn’t feel so overwhelming because you are no longer triggered so easily by other people. After you have been healed, you can then use this gift to help others heal – that’s a very powerful and redemptive experience. When you see how your past suffering helps someone else find freedom from the same things that used to plague you, it helps give purpose to your pain.
I hope this article has helped bring some clarity to this topic. Keep in mind that people use the word “discernment” differently. Some use it to mean having wisdom to make a good decision. Some use it in the Catholic community when they are talking about someone discovering their calling in life or ministry. Because of the different uses of this word, it can be hard to find books or articles on this topic.
Here are a few I can recommend:
Seeing the Supernatural: How to Sense, Discern and Battle in the Spiritual Realm by Jennifer Eivaz
The Veil by Blake Healy
Discernment: The Essential Guide to Hearing the Voice of God by Jane Hamon
The Discerner: Hearing, Confirming, and Acting On Prophetic Revelation (A Guide to Receiving Gifts of Discernment and Testing the Spirits) by James Goll
Sometimes this gift is considered part of the prophetic giftings. Some say it is part of being a Seer. This gift can be used to help people with inner healing and deliverance. It is very helpful when dealing with spiritual warfare too. There’s so much this gift can do to assist the body of Christ.
Don’t be afraid. Ask Holy Spirit to teach you and pay attention to what you sense. There are many articles on this blog that describe experiences I have had that might encourage you. You can use the search feature at the top or side to search by a specific word or phrase. You can also look at the Directory for a list of all the articles by name.
Feel free to post your question or comment below – that way we can all learn from each other! I look forward to reading your thoughts and responding to your questions.
Related posts:
- Feeling in the Spirit – What Do I Do With It?
- Spiritual Senses – Which one is your strongest?
- How to See the Unseen Realm
- God’s Voice vs Other Voices: How Can You Tell the Difference?
- How to Remove Blocks to Hearing God
- Spiritual Protection from Dark Forces & Evil Spirits
- Spiritual Cleansing: Taking a Spiritual Shower Each Day
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.
It Hurts to Carry the Cross
It hurts to take up your cross and follow Jesus Christ. No one really talks about this. I don’t know why.
It has been shocking to me how painful it is to follow the Lord.
Jesus said to deny yourself, take up the cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24).
In church, they make it sound so easy. Just open your heart to Jesus Christ and ask Him to be your Lord and Savior. Nobody reads you the small print – the cost and obligations you now carry. It sounds simple – just love your neighbor. Be kind. Don’t be a jerk (a selfish person).
What does it look like to deny yourself and take up your cross?
At first, people assume it means that you stop drinking, smoking, swearing and hanging out with those who encourage that behavior. You start cleaning up your act, so to speak.
That’s probably the first steps you take as God convicts you that your behavior is not like Him. You start making wiser, more loving choices and it shows in the change of your behavior.
But what does it really mean to carry the cross? It means you die to everything you want. It means you give up your right to have a say in who your friends are, who you marry, how many children you have and what kind of career you pursue. It means you don’t get to choose where you live, how you live or how long you live. Your life becomes a living sacrifice for Him. You die daily, like Paul said (1 Corinthians 15:31).
It is painful. It is not easy. I think if most people knew the cost, they would take it much more seriously when someone invites them to follow Christ.
I know this is not a popular topic. But it needs to be said. I wonder how many people are really willing to follow Jesus if they knew the cost?
It’s a decision you make every day. You no longer live for yourself, you live for Him.
It hurts to carry the cross. You give up everything for Him. And then you do it again and again and again… forever – because He is worthy! He is SO worthy! It is a pleasure to serve Him and lay down your life for Him. And yet … let’s be honest. It still hurts. It is painful to die to yourself, to let the ego-driven desires go.
You think you have given up everything and then He shows you that there’s even more to give. It doesn’t stop.
Is it worth it? Yes! Is it still painful? Yes!
What has been your personal experience of carryng the cross and following Jesus? Did anyone explain the cost to you before you made that decision?
Please comment below – we learn from each other’s experience. I think this is something more people should be honest about because I’ve never heard anyone share their experience of this. Have you?
[P.S. I can hear people saying, “But God let’s you choose some things!” Yes, maybe, sometimes, not often. I can hear others saying, “But God’s plan for you is SO much better than anything you had in mind.” Yes, I’m sure it is. But it’s still okay to acknowledge the pain of sacrifice. Why are people afraid to talk about that pain? It needs to be said so that young believers are not disillusioned when the pain comes. Are we afraid of scaring people away from Christ? If they assume following Christ is easy, then what kind of followers will they be? Let’s be honest with them – they deserve that. 😊]
Touched by an Angel
When I was 21 years old, I went on a missions trip to Mexico. The Bible college I attended was sponsoring the trip and the chaperones were instructors from the school. When I signed up, I didn’t know who else was going to be on the team. There were several mission trips scheduled for that summer to different locations around the globe. I prayed about it and felt I was to sign up to go to Mexico.
After joining the team and finding myself in Mexico, I realized this was going to be tougher than I thought. It was a 4 week trip and I was with a bunch of strangers! The leader of the team was from the athletic department of the college. All the guys seemed very familiar with Coach, as they referred to him. I assume they played basketball on his team at school.
All of the girls on the team seemed to know each other. I only recognized one of them from a few classes we had had together. They spent a lot of time harmonizing together, practicing different worship songs, as we rode many hours in the school’s van to reach the border of Mexico.
I loved to worship, but I knew I had no singing talent. I didn’t know the first thing about harmonizing so that excluded me from their practice. I had tried to take a singing course at the college, but I guess I failed the audition because I was not permitted to sign up for the course.
We had a great time in Mexico, ministering to the very poor. It’s a beautiful country and we were traveling in the mountains. The scenery was full of luscious greens and beautiful flowers everywhere. But the longer the trip went, the more isolated I felt. No one was mean to me, I just didn’t “belong” with this group of people. I didn’t play basketball or any other sport and I didn’t sing. I didn’t realize how hard it would be to be away from everyone who knew me for so long.
One day, feeling particularly lonesome, I left the room where I was staying and went for a walk. We were at a large retreat facility that had many buildings and a courtyard. I went to a nearby building and climbed the outdoor stairway. I sat down on one of the steps. I put my head down and just cried. I felt like no one knew what it felt like to be me, all alone in a foreign land with no one to talk to about how I felt.
Very gently I felt someone put their arm around my shoulders. I assumed it was one of the girls from the team, but I couldn’t tell which one it was. I was a bit embarrassed and didn’t raise my head for a few minutes. I waited for the emotional storm to pass and then looked up to see who was with me.
There was no one there! 😲
I quickly stood up and looked around – thinking maybe they had just left and I hadn’t realized it. But there was no one on the stairs or in the courtyard below.
I sat back down and tried to remember if I had heard footsteps on the stairs. No, it had been silent the entire time.
That’s when it dawned on me – that must have been an angel! 😇
Suddenly I felt a lot better! I recalled the comfort I had felt, feeling someone’s arm around my shoulders. I had assumed it was human comfort, but realizing that it was heavenly comfort made me feel “seen” in the best way possible.
God knew where I was and He cared about my sorrow. He CARED and sent a tangible reminder of that. It blew me away. ❤️❤️❤️
That is a very precious memory for me from that trip – something I’ll never forget. The Lord brought it to my mind last night and I wanted to share it with you.
Have you ever felt the presence of an angel during a time of need? Can you describe what it was like? Please comment below – I’d love to hear your story!
Generational Curses & Blessings
Everyone suffers from generational curses. Most people enjoy generational blessings too. Here’s a brief discussion about this topic. I get asked about this frequently so I decided it was time to write about it.
When someone describes negative patterns in their life, I often tell them to ask Holy Spirit if there’s a generational curse they need to break. Here are some examples
- Getting passed over for promotions in your job over and over
- Unable to stay employed (for various reasons)
- Whenever you are blessed financially, something comes to take it immediately
- Almost everyone in your family has been divorced
- Family history of addiction to alcohol, drugs, compulsive behaviors, etc.
- Family history of trauma and/or abuse
- Family history of severe anxiety or crippling depression
- Family history of mental illness, any kind
- Family history of cancer, arthritis, kidney disease, diabetes, etc.
- Family history of suicide or early death
- Chronic illness
- Accidents happen frequently to you
Generational curses come from choices that were made by previous generations – someone in your family made a bad choice and the consequences were passed down to you. You may or may not have made the same bad choice. You can see this very easily in family traits – your father had a bad temper and so do you. Some of it is learned behavior – you copied what you saw as a child. Some of it can be spiritual – a familiar spirit of anger or impatience that seems to push your buttons so that you get angry easily.
There are entire books written about this subject, if you want to know more. Many books that deal with inner healing and deliverance cover this topic. As you become more healed inside, you stop making bad choices. But when you are still suffering the consequences of other people’s bad choices, that’s when it’s time to consider generational curses.
You may not be aware of how generational curses affect you – most people aren’t. Whenever I see a pattern in someone’s life, that’s the first thing that comes to mind.
The only one who knows whether you are being affected by a generational curse is the Lord – so ask Him! He will show you whatever details you need to know in order to break the curse. It’s not complicated. Breaking the curse is easy. Recovering from the patterns of thinking or reacting that you have developed is what takes time to heal from usually – sometimes they stop immediately, other times it takes daily practice until they disappear from your life (i.e. learning how to respond with patience instead of anger is both mental and emotional).
How to Break a Generational Curse
- Ask the Lord what generational curse is affecting you. Wait quietly in His presence as He shows you. You might see a picture of someone or an event that occurred, you might hear words spoken to your mind or you might simply have a knowing about what happened. It can often help to have someone pray with you to hear from God. Since a generational curse is familiar to you, it can be easier for someone else to perceive them from the Lord.
- Repent and renounce the behavior that brought the curse. You can pray something like this, Lord, I repent and renounce on behalf of myself and my bloodline for participating in __________________. Please wash us of this sin and place your blood, Jesus, on my bloodline to break this generational curse. Thank you, Lord.
- If the Lord shows you anyone that you need to forgive, this is a good time to do that to clear away any bitterness or judgment you have held against someone in your family. You could pray, Lord, please forgive me for my judgment of __(name)__. I forgive them for how their ____(sin)____ affected me and influenced my choices. I release them from the harm they caused me and I let it go.
Generational Blessings
We tend to focus on generational curses because they cause us pain. But there are generational blessings too! These can be invisible to you and it might help to have someone help you discover them. Ask the Holy Spirit to highlight to you the way you have been blessed through your bloodline. Pay attention when older family members tell stories about past generations – there might be a hint in there!
For instance, ever since I was very small, I wanted to be a teacher. I studied to be a school teacher and during my internship, I discovered that I was not cut out for that kind of teaching. So I changed my focus and tried other career paths. Then one day I was going through a safety deposit box at the bank with my mother. She pulled out some really old papers and started telling me about my great grandmother and what an excellent Bible teacher she was. I sensed the Holy Spirit saying, “See? It’s in your bloodline to teach. You have a generational blessing passed down from her.” No one had ever mentioned to me that she was a teacher and no one in my family had followed in her steps. This was a generational blessing waiting to be claimed – I embraced it in my heart as being for me!
That gave me courage to explore how to teach about spiritual things – like through this blog. I have also written books and taught workshops on spiritual topics like cultivating the presence of God at home and at work. The more I have done this, the bolder I have become realizing that I have been blessed in order to BE a blessing to others. Thank you, Lord, and thank you, great grandma Emma, for your faithful service to the Lord to teach His word! 🙂
Another time the Lord showed me a generational blessing, I was at church with my dad. The minister said during the service that my father was a man of great wisdom and that whenever my dad spoke, the minister listened to him. I was surprised! In my family, I did not grow up going to church. It was a recent development that my father had started going to church. When I asked my father about it later, he said his mother had been very connected to God and was also known for her wisdom.
People have often commented on the wisdom I carry and share with others, but I had no idea it was a generational blessing! It was a beautiful surprise and I cannot wait to meet my grandmother in heaven.
We often take good things for granted so you probably have more generational blessings than you realize. Ask the Lord to highlight them for you and He will!
I hope this brief discussion on generational blessings and curses has been helpful. If you have experience with this, please comment below so we can learn from each other. If you have questions, feel free to post them and we will do our best to answer them. God bless you! 🙂
Overcome Rejection – It’s NOT Your Problem
One of the readers of this blog asked me to share some suggestions for overcoming the Spirit of Rejection. A lot of people suffer from attacks from this spirit and don’t even realize it. In fact, the reader who contacted me also had a generational curse of Rejection to overcome. But she’s determined to do it! And so can you!
I’ve met people (and you probably have too) that everyone seemed inclined to reject. It wasn’t even directly tied to their attitude or behavior – you just instantly get this feeling that you should avoid them. Guess what? That’s the Spirit of Rejection! People can be born with a curse of rejection assigned to them (from a generational curse that’s not even their fault). From day one, people reject them. This becomes particularly painful when they reach school age and NO ONE wants to play with them or be their friend. Can you relate? Or do you know someone like that? I do.
When I was in my twenties, I moved to a new city and was getting to know people my age. This one guy came across my path in a group setting and immediately, I wanted to walk away. I was surprised! I hadn’t even made eye contact with him yet and already I was repulsed. I knew something wasn’t right. As I asked the Lord about it, He showed me what the Spirit of Rejection does to someone. It was so sad. Over time, I got to know this guy and he was funny and tender hearted. I could tell he suffered a little bit from social anxiety – probably because he’d been rejected his whole life! I didn’t know then what I know now so I couldn’t help him, but I DID pray for him quite a lot and I hope he found freedom.
Most of us have experienced rejection in some form or another. In fact the fear of rejection is the number one fear that all human beings experience. Let’s talk about how to break it’s power over us!
Rejection is very painful. It can alter our view of ourselves. I would encourage you to make a list of the ways Rejection has affected you. Be very specific. For instance, I used to be afraid to walk into a room of strangers because I was afraid I would be rejected. I felt insecure about meeting new people – there was always this question, Will they like me?
Go through the list and break your agreement with the lies that Rejection has told you. For instance, one of my lies was – You should be afraid to meet new people, they probably won’t like you. That’s a lie! I had to break my agreement with those lies. If you have a hard time identifying the lie, there’s a little exercise called Lie Detector: Self Concept that can help. It’s here: https://destinysfreedom.com/freedom-exercises/ (scroll down on that page)
Then make a list of the truth about you – the opposite of the lies. For instance, “I’m not afraid to meet new people! People like me!” The Lie Detector exercise helps you identify the truth you need to hear. I did that exercise over and over and over and gathered a long list of truths that I needed to hear.
Say those truths about yourself OUT LOUD every day. Print them and tape them to the wall so you can see them and read them and meditate on them every day. You are training your brain and shifting the way you think about yourself which takes time and effort. Like a parent raising a child, you have to say it over and over and over and over until it becomes the way you think about yourself. Then people will begin to treat you differently based on these truths. I was pleasantly surprised when it started happening to me.
Here’s an example of some of the things I said about myself to cancel the rejection I had experienced:
I am accepted and I belong.
I am appreciated and acknowledged for my contributions to the kingdom family.
What I say is important, valued and received with honor and respect.
I am loved for who I am.
I receive love and respect from other people.
I have faithful, loving, close relationships. I am a blessing to others.
To be honest, when I started saying them out loud, part of my brain would say, “Yeah, right!” with a sarcastic tone of unbelief. I kept doing it anyway – teaching myself the truth. Whether I felt like it or not, I just kept doing it – like going to the gym, I was working on my muscles, getting stronger in the truth.
Two BIG keys 🔑🔑
The first BIG key for me was a revelation the Lord showed me:
You are already truly and deeply loved by God. Other people are meant to love you too. We are commanded by God to love one another. If someone doesn’t love you and rejects you instead, it’s THEIR problem, not yours! Isn’t that amazing?! Rejection is NOT your problem. 💗
Rejection is NOT your problem. 💗
Fear of rejection is what we need to heal from. But whether or not someone rejects you is NOT your problem. It’s a heart issue between them and God. Let that sink in. Ponder THAT.
The second key was identifying a lie about being alone. Feeling rejected can make you feel alone and isolated. This was another big revelation for me – it’s actually IMPOSSIBLE to be alone! If you are a follower of Jesus, you are in Christ and He is in you. You are never, ever alone – you always have all that you need. He is in you – His love, His companionship, His encouragement, etc. You belong to God. Feeling alone and isolated is an illusion! You always have a place to belong – it’s with God, Jesus and Holy Spirit. Your eternal family. 🙂
I know it can be hard to really receive another person’s revelation – so simply ask Holy Spirit, “Will you please reveal to me how I am never alone?” Or, “Will you please reveal to me how rejection is not my problem?”
Healing from the spirit of rejection takes time. You can break it’s power over you in the spiritual realm instantly, but healing your heart and changing the patterns of your thinking takes time and effort.
Here are some videos and books that helped me – my best ones for dealing with rejection:
Inheritance by Graham Cooke – I’ve listened to this one, over and over. SO good!
Father’s Love Letter – another good one to listen to more than once and share with your friends!
Experiencing Fathers Embrace by Jack Frost This is a GREAT book – totally shifted my thinking about God’s acceptance and love for me as a Father. Some of Jack’s teachings might still be on YouTube – you can search for them, if you wish. His family also offers live workshops on this topic now that Jack is with Jesus.
Daddy, You Love Me by Brent Lokker This book WILL stretch you in the way you connect with God.
Whew! That’s a lot. Take whatever works for you – this is how the Lord set me free. Now, when I walk into a room full of strangers, I’m excited! It never occurs to me that they might not like me. God adores me! Why wouldn’t they love me too? 🙂 God’s love has given me SO much confidence in social settings. I used to worry about what people thought of me all the time, but not anymore. What they think is THEIR issue, not mine! And if they don’t like me, I feel bad for them because it’s their loss! LOL 😁
I trust that the Lord will lead you down the perfect path for YOU to become completely free of rejection. It takes time, but it is SO worth it to feel comfortable in your own skin and happy with who you are.
If this post helped you today, would you add a comment and mention which point spoke to you? Or if you have already overcome rejection, please share what set you free! I love to hear other people’s stories. 🤩
Discernment of the Supernatural Realm 