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Thorn of Unbelief – Do You Have Any?
Did you know you can have a thorn in your heart and not even know it? This was a BIG surprise to me.
The other night we were praying for someone in our small group who was in pain. As we waited on the Lord, I saw the outline of a human body with a ball of conflict in one spot. It was like an angry ball of light trapped in the soul. Immediately the Lord showed me that disease or dysfunction in the body starts in the soul. It doesn’t start in the body.
He showed me that the way to expedite healing was to find the root of the conflict in the soul, minister to it, remove the thorn, receive His healing for the wound and it will manifest in the body as health and healing. Then what He said next blew my mind – Unbelief in God’s goodness is the number one root. Pull that out, resolve that wound and all the others will be minor by comparison.
Wow! Suddenly this Scripture made so much more sense: Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 1:2 Look at that – I pray that you be in health just as your soul prospers.
After our small group was over, I spent some time pondering what the Lord showed me and He showed me more (isn’t He wonderful?). This is the original sin from Eve – unbelief in God’s goodness. This is the thorn in the flesh that each man and woman gets to overcome during their lifetime – to break the power of Unbelief, which is the root of all deception. When you remove this root of unbelief, this thorn in your soul, everything else falls into place. You are able to walk as Jesus walked; He never doubted the Father’s goodness. It was never in question.
So I immediately asked the Lord, How can I become convinced of God’s goodness on a deep soul level? What is the key? Holy Spirit, please show me.
I meditated on several scriptures about God’s goodness, to wash my mind with the water of the word. I personalized the verses to help me connect with the truth.
- God’s great goodness is prepared for me because I trust in Him. Psalm 31:19
- The goodness of God leads me to repentance, a changed mind and heart. Romans 2:4
- I see God’s goodness in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13
- The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. Psalm 33:5
- We are satisfied with the goodness of God. Psalm 65:4, Jeremiah 31:14
- God will fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness toward me that Jesus Christ may be glorified. 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
After I meditated on these scriptures, I was led by the Lord to find and remove the thorn of unbelief in my own heart. He highlighted four specific times in my life where this thorn pierced my heart. As Holy Spirit showed me each one, we processed it to remove the thorn and pain of unbelief. Then I received what I should have received during that time. It was a very deep and powerful healing experience. I had prayed through each of these painful life experiences previously, but this was a different focus and I could feel the positive effect in my heart.
After removing the thorns from my heart, I had such joy! I’ve always been an upbeat person but there was also a shadow of “what if” lurking underneath – a dread of bad things that might happen. That is now GONE! 😊
A few days later, just as I was getting ready to go to sleep, my stomach started bothering me with indigestion. That has prevented me from being able to go to sleep many times in the past. So I prayed for my digestion. I soon fell asleep with no problem and was not bothered by indigestion at all! Hallelujah!! 😊 That’s breakthrough! I’ve prayed for that many times in the past and still suffered – so this proves to my mind that something has definitely changed in my heart! Thank you, Lord!! ❤️ My soul is prospering and so is my body!
Unbelief in God’s goodness toward you is such a deep heart issue. I had never realized this until the Lord showed me. So many things happen in our lives that put that thorn in our hearts – disappointment, disillusionment, rejection and failure to name a few. And we don’t even realize those thorns are there.
Scripture talks about the power of unbelief:
- Jesus did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Matthew 13:58
- Jesus marveled because of their unbelief. Mark 6:6
- Jesus rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart. Mark 16:14
- Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. Hebrews 3:12
- But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6
Would you be willing to ask the Lord to show you if you have any thorns of Unbelief in your heart? He asked me to share this very personal experience with you so I trust that He wants to do this for you too. I am so happy that I went through the process of removing those thorns! My life is changed! 😊💗
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Illusions of Earth – Ready to Be Removed!
On earth certain aspects of life seem solid and unchangeable – gravity, for instance. We can depend on gravity to keep us grounded while we are here. I never worry about floating out of bed in the morning, do you? 🙂
However there are several aspects of life that are actually illusions – things that seem to be solid and reliable, but as you grow and learn more about God’s eternal kingdom, you see them as flimsy veils that have no real substance. The more you walk with God, the less influence they have on your daily life. That’s really good news! 😊
Here are several illusions about life on earth versus the truth about God’s eternal kingdom.
The Illusion of Worth
On earth we measure worth based on accomplishments, talent or even wealth accumulation. If you are poor, unskilled or considered undesirable for some reason then you may feel you are not worthy. Not worthy of love, attention, acknowledgment or respect.
But in the eternal realm of God’s kingdom, you are already worthy. God made you – you are not junk (Genesis 1:27). You are not undesirable. You are not rejected or unwanted. God loves you and He is excited to see what you will do with what He gave you (Ephesians 2:10). He smiles when He looks at you (Zephaniah 3:17).
The Illusion of Separation
Sometimes we feel far away from God. We wonder if our prayers matter. Does He hear us? Does He care? Many times people feel alone in their troubles, like God has abandoned them. God is “up there” in heaven and we are “down here” on earth and it feels like a very far distance between the two places.
But in the eternal realm of God’s kingdom, you are never alone. In fact, it is impossible to be alone! We are one with Him. He is in us and we are in Him. Scripture says “in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28) and “he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him” (I Corinthians 6:17). “By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.” (I John 4:13)
The Illusion of Death
This illusion of separation makes many people afraid of death. There are a lot of questions surrounding the act of dying. What happens next? Will we still be ourselves? Will we see other people we know? Or do we just cease to exist? The sense of separation people feel during their life tends to influence their fears about death and what to expect afterwards.
But in the eternal realm of God’s kingdom, you don’t die. Your spirit continues eternally. You retain your sense of self, your identity and other people will recognize you (I Samuel 28). You will see people you knew on earth. Just like you can’t be separate from God while on earth, you cannot be separated from Him afterwards either. You are one spirit with Him. He lives eternally and so do you. Death is not the end – it’s simply a transition to another way of living. Our body stops functioning but who we really are lives on (John 3:16).
The Illusion of Time
Often on earth we feel limited by time. We don’t seem to have enough time to accomplish all that we would like to do. We fear running out of time or of being late or left behind because we didn’t do what we needed to in time to meet a deadline.
But in the eternal realm of God’s kingdom, you have all the time you need. You are eternal (see previous point). You don’t run out of time. All your steps are ordered of the Lord (Psalm 37:23). You are right on time. You’re not late. Many Christians experience time as something fluid and bendable. Have you ever been in the presence of God and it seemed like only a few minutes, but when you look at the earthly clock hours have gone by? We think life is dictated by earthly time, but in reality God’s time table rules over all. You will never be late when you are following God’s direction (Joshua 10).
The Illusion of Lack
Another big illusion we experience and often fear is Lack. We compare ourselves to others who have “more” of something we wish we had – whatever it is – and that makes us think we don’t have enough. What if we run out? What if we don’t have enough? What will happen then?
But in the eternal realm of God’s kingdom, you have all that you need when you need it. God takes very good care of us. Jesus said, Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ These things are what unbelievers seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:31-33)
The Illusion of Fear
Fear seems SO REAL when you are experiencing it. It feels paralyzing. You don’t know what to do. You can’t think straight and you feel weak or unable to take action. But time and again, we have learned that FEAR is actually False Evidence Appearing Real. Most of the time, if you look for proof that your fears are real, you can’t find any verifiable proof. Fear seems very powerful and people often use it to manipulate us to do things – or we use it to manipulate others because of our fear.
But in the eternal realm of God’s kingdom, there is nothing to fear. God is love and His love removes all fear (I John 4:18). As we live and abide in Him, we have nothing to fear. We are taken care of – we don’t fear lack, we don’t fear running out of time and we don’t fear death. We know we are not separated from Him and we accept that we are valued and loved by Him. What is there to fear? (Psalm 27)
The Illusion of Control
Control causes us a lot of stress in this earthly realm. We want control – we think being in control will keep us safe. We want to manage/control everything around us – our time, our resources, the people we love (and those we don’t). When we are not in control, we get stressed and fearful. It’s a lousy way to live!
But in the eternal realm of God’s kingdom, we find freedom in giving up control! We can rest in the Father’s timing, His ability to provide resources and take care of the people we love (and those we don’t). Surrender is the way to enter God’s kingdom and it frees us from so much stress! We don’t have to be in charge of it all – we can give it over to the Lord and He will direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5-6, 16:9). What an awesome promise!
As I am writing this list of illusions, I can hear people thinking, “Yes, but what about …”
Instead of arguing, try this – ask Holy Spirit to reveal the truth to you that you are concerned about. That’s what I have done. I have experienced these illusions personally and over time, He has taught me what the truth is about God’s kingdom. How things work in the eternal realm.
I used to think that my worth was defined by how society judged me – whether I had talent, prestige or wealth. God showed me what true success was – being loved by Him! Living in the reality of His judgment of me as His beloved daughter set me free from anyone else’s opinion. I am worthy and I am enough!
I used to feel separated from God and abandoned by His goodness. It was a HUGE revelation when He showed me that it is impossible for me to ever be alone! Hallelujah!
I used to think that death was the end. It was so encouraging to discover that I will live forever and I’ll see my loved ones again, including my beloved pets! What a relief!
I used to feel time was my master and I was always fighting with it. But when I realized that I will live forever and that I’ll never run out of time, it was so freeing! Learning to trust that God is ordering all my steps gave me the peace to relax and simply enjoy the process.
I used to fear lack – having things taken from me or losing things I needed. It was a big fear, often on my mind. But the more I have depended on God to be my Provider, I have never lacked anything I needed. In fact, one time when I was grumbling to Him about something, He very strongly said to me, You don’t need it or else I would be providing it! I immediately realized my mistake – He WAS providing all that I needed, not necessarily everything I wanted.
I used to feel fear every day – it pushed me around and told me what I could and could not do. I hated it. It was such a BIG relief when I realized it was an illusion. God is love and His love never fails. Sometimes I still have to remind myself – I have a poster on my wall that says, “Have no fear. I AM here.”
I used to be under the illusion that control would save me. If I could just stay in control, everything would be okay. But the more I’ve learned how to surrender to God’s control and timing in my life, the freer I have felt. I don’t have to be in control – what a relief! I can let go and He will take care of everything that concerns me.
Wouldn’t you like to have that peace and freedom too? Ask Him to show you what truth you need today to help you pierce through the illusion.
You are not rejected or unwanted. You are loved by God and worthy. You are enough.
You are never alone. It’s impossible to be alone – you are one with Him.
You are eternal – death is not the end.
You have all the time you need. You are not behind. You are right on time.
You have all that you need when you need it.
You have nothing to fear.
You don’t have to be in control – you can let go and let God take care of you.
So what do you think? Did any of these illusions surprise you? Or did something inside your heart say, Yes, that’s true! I never thought of it that way before.
Do you have any other illusions you would add to this list? Please comment and share your insight with us – that’s how we learn from each other. Thank you to Terry Spencer for sharing Zachary Fisher’s thoughts which got me thinking about this topic. God bless you and thanks for reading! 😊❤️
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! 😊
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://establishingthekingdom.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. 🤩
God’s Favor – Free Donuts 🍩
God’s Favor – what is favor? It is something in the Unseen room that most people are not aware of. Is favor something you can see? Is it something you can feel? What does it look like? What does it sound like?
The first person I ever heard teach in detail about the favor of God was Lance Wallnau. Search for his name and the word “favor” on YouTube – there may be a recording of his teaching on this topic. It’s worth listening to.
One of the things I remember him saying is that when you have the favor of God, people go out of their way to do things for you that they would not normally do. I guess he had experienced it because he gave examples. For instance, he might be talking to someone at a business and they would say, “We don’t normally do this for our customers, but I just feel I should do this for you,” and they would offer him something unexpected.
Favor might happen in any number of ways. Here’s an example that happened to me this week.
My mother was in the hospital for about a week and then she was discharged. She was home for only three nights when her symptoms reappeared and she had to go back in the hospital for a couple of days. After her second discharge from the hospital, we were driving home and it was getting late. The traffic was heavy and it was going to take us almost an hour to get home. I decided to stop somewhere and have dinner because I could tell that we were both weary. Being in the hospital really takes a toll on your soul.
We stopped at a place that we don’t usually go to because it’s so far from our house. But it was right around the corner from the hospital. We went in and had some dinner – the food was excellent. When we stopped at the restroom before leaving, we saw a connecting corridor and followed it around. To my mother’s surprise, there was a donut shop attached to the restaurant (my mom loves donuts). It was a specialty donut shop with all kinds of really fancy looking donuts.
There was a family there with three small children making a lot of noise trying to figure out who wanted which donut (“No, Mommy, I want the pink one!”). Their mother was giving them a treat because it was the Christmas season and their Elf on the Shelf left them donut coupons, which she gave to the clerk. Mom and I were tired and I was ready to say, “Forget it, let’s just go home.” But instead we waited while they picked out their donuts, including having to translate the flavors and descriptions into Spanish for their grandmother who was with them. Finally they left. Mom and I knew what we wanted because we’d had so much time to look over all the selections. I told the clerk the two donuts that we wanted. He said, “Well, I’m all out of small boxes – the only ones I have are large boxes. Do you mind?” I told him that was fine.
After he placed our two donuts in the box, he said, “Pick out two more – they’re free.” I looked at him surprised. I said, “Free donuts?” He said,” Yeah, go ahead – pick out two more. There’s room in the box.” So we did.
I said, “Well, I guess it’s the end of the day and these donuts probably won’t sell before you close.” He said, “No, I can choose to give free donuts to people at my discretion. Enjoy your free donuts.” 😁
Later as I was talking to the Lord that night, it occurred to me that it was Favor. It was a kiss from God. It was His way of saying, “I see all that you two have been going through in the last few weeks. You’re not alone. I see you – here, have a donut”. Just like a parent trying to cheer up a child. It was so sweet. 💗 We enjoyed nibbling on them on that long drive home.
How have you seen the favor of God? I have often seen it where it comes to my mother. She has tremendous favor everywhere she goes. I’ve often seen favor happen to my husband as well. Especially in the areas of provision. Things just happen for him that don’t happen for other people. For instance, one day he was outside doing yard work. He was chopping a bunch of tree branches and making a big mess. I was thinking, What are we going to do with all this debris? We don’t have a truck or any way to haul it to the dump. I guess we’ll have to chop it up into little pieces and put it in our trash can. (There was a LOT more than 1 trash can full.)
Just as I was thinking those thoughts, a small pickup truck comes around the corner, pulls into our street and stops right in front of our house. A young man comes out of the truck. We had never seen him before. He walks right up to my husband and says, “Would you like me to haul this away when you’re done?” My husband said, “Sure, how much?” I think the kid said 20 bucks. So he waited for my husband to finish and loaded it all in the back of his truck. My husband handed him a $20 bill and said, “Thank you very much.” I have never seen that young man again. He appeared at just the right time, providing exactly what was needed.
That’s the favor of God! At the time, I was shocked! I had never seen such favor in my life. I have since come to see that it is a common thing in my husband’s life. Whatever he needs just shows up and it usually shows up before he even realizes that he needs it. In fact the year that we went to Ireland, it’s like the Lord was emphasizing that to us.
We went on our own to Ireland without a tour – just the two of us. Since we speak the same language (mostly 😂), we figured we could probably manage on our own in a foreign country. There were so many challenges! I was surprised. But I kept noticing the favor of God throughout our trip. Let me explain it through a couple of stories. One time as we were going through the airport, it seemed that we had to walk and walk and walk and walk, pulling our luggage behind us. Our energy was starting to lag. It occurred to me that if we got a luggage cart, we could pile everything on it and it would be much easier to walk the remaining distance that we needed to reach our gate. Just then it dawned on me – we had just passed a machine that gives you a luggage cart when you put money in it. So I walked back and got a cart and it made the rest of our trek much easier! We had not seen one of those luggage cart machines for most of the time we had been walking through the airport. We saw other people using those carts, but we didn’t know where they came from. But it was funny how it didn’t dawn on me until AFTER I passed it – we were so focused on getting to the gate on time. I think the Lord was starting to teach me to pay attention to what we needed and expect Him to meet the need.
Later during our trip we were coming out of a train station. We didn’t know which way to go to get to our hotel so we just started dragging our luggage out of the station toward the curb in the direction of the city. People walk everywhere in Ireland so we thought we would too.
Just then a taxi drove right in front of us without stopping. That’s when it hit me – we need a taxi! He had just passed us so I started waving and yelling and he slowed down and we were able to catch up with him. I don’t think it was the proper place to flag down a taxi. I think we were supposed to walk to a specific place a long way off from where we were and wait for them. But since I saw him and I didn’t see any other travelers near us, I just knew that God had sent him for us. It’s very challenging when you’re a foreigner in an unfamiliar land trying to figure out how to get around. It was such a relief to have somebody realize what we needed and they were there to help us. Throughout that trip God was teaching us that if we will pay attention to what we need and then expect His provision, we will see it right in front of our faces. It took us several tries to learn this lesson. We often “almost missed” His provision because we weren’t paying attention to what we needed. I have since learned to anticipate His goodness for our needs, no matter how small. Even a cheer-up donut! 🍩
Where have you seen the favor of God? For me it’s easier to see it on other people than to recognize it when it happens to me. But I’m learning. Feel free to share your stories below.
The favor of God is an aspect of the Unseen Realm and I think it’s time for us to learn how to enjoy its benefits. Of course, favor can unlock much greater opportunities than a taxi ride or a free donut. But we learn to trust God by taking baby steps! 😊
Related posts:
Power Over Chaos: The Enemy’s Worst Nightmare
I had a really intense dream this week that gave me some wonderful deep revelation. Here it is:
I’m alone outside. I observe that the wind is starting to blow. I see all this trash on the ground. It was empty plastic bags – some clear, some white and some light blue. The kind of bags you get at grocery and retail stores.
I was in a semi wooded area and it was kind of ugly. The ground was white dirt. The trees had no leaves, like the way it looks in winter. When the wind started to blow, I noticed that all the plastic bags were being picked up by the wind – it was cleaning the ground.
I was happy about this – I was delighted to watch all the plastic bags being picked up and taken away or maybe just gathered in piles so they could be thrown away.
By watching the bags, I noticed that the wind was blowing in a swirling circular pattern. In front of me was a small lake. I saw that the swirling was centered in the lake and it was getting stronger and stronger. I could hear a voice warning me, Don’t go near the swirling! (As though this was very dangerous and the voice was trying to protect me.)
But it was inevitable for me to be swallowed up by the swirling. There was no way to escape it. It got more and more violent until I was in the center of it in the lake.
There was nothing but chaos surrounding me. It was like standing in the middle of a tornado. I couldn’t see anything – just the sense of being in the middle of this powerful swirling wind.
But instead of freaking out, I started calming down inside by humming two tones over and over. And I knew that as I calmed down on the inside, it would calm the chaos around me. Then I woke up – my husband thought I was having a nightmare and he woke me up (he said I was making noise).
Here are some Insights I received from this dream:
I have been warned to stay away from the chaos. But when chaos surrounds me, I have power over it!
You can stop the chaos without, by bringing peace to the chaos within.
I do NOT need to fear the chaos because greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world (I John 4:4). I bet that terrifies the devil! Maybe I was having his nightmare! LOL 😂
I think the voice that was trying to protect me is either my ego or maybe religion. What sounds like wisdom, but it’s really based on fear. The voice was well-meaning and trying to protect me. It thought that the chaos would harm me. But when I was in the middle of the chaos, I found out that I actually was more powerful than it.
The enemy tries to intimidate us with chaos – he says, “Look at all this craziness you can’t control!! Be afraid, be very afraid!” (If you watch the news or read the headlines – it’s there every day.)
Yet the Chaos is the very thing that reminds me to tap into the Peace within me, which is more powerful than the chaos outside of me. Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. I am powerful in Him. It’s time to stop listening to the voice of fear that is trying to protect us. Because in reality we already have all that we need. Nothing can truly harm us. We are safe in the most wonderful way.
I feel such joy! The more I embrace that things around me are out of my control, the more true lasting power I realize I have because I am the one that brings calm to the storm. I don’t have peace by controlling things around me to keep things from getting “out of control”. I have peace because none of it is under my control. I don’t have to control it! I don’t have to manage it in order to have peace and power. Peace and power are already mine – it resides in me as I abide in Christ.
The devil is terrified that we will discover this secret and take away his power by bringing peace on earth.
We are the enemy’s worst nightmare. Not the other way around. I LOVE that!! 😁😍🤣
Wow. Thank you, Lord!! Your kingdom rules over all and we are your ambassadors. We bring Your kingdom wherever we go! ❤️
So what do you think? Does this speak to you the way it did to me? What is the Lord highlighting to you about this dream that you could apply to your life today? Please comment – I love to hear your thoughts!
Thank you for being part of this journey – bringing Peace on Earth. Go be dangerous to the devil! 😎
Discernment of the Supernatural Realm 