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The Pain Is Gone! 😲
A few nights ago I was on the phone with a older Christian woman. She mentioned that her knees had been really hurting in the last two weeks and that her legs were very stiff. She has had leg stiffness and knee pain every day for the last year, but although she has been exercising and losing weight, the pain was getting worse not better.
We were both puzzled by this. As we were discussing what she could do to alleviate her pain, I had a sudden inspiration. I asked her, “Have you considered blessing your body each day?” I had heard a friend share this idea last year – the power our words have on our bodies and how we need to honor the body God gave us.
She said, “Yes, I could do that. But I suddenly realized that I need to repent for the way I have not always taken good care of my body in the past.” She started praying right then and there, “Father, I am sorry for not always taking good care of this body you gave me. I am grateful for the way this body has served me and allowed me to do so many things. Please forgive me for times I have misused it.”
Then she began to bless her body and suddenly she saw Pain as a spirit that was tormenting her. So she said, “Pain, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus! Go!”
She finished her prayer and we continued to talk.
Then she stood up to see what was the result of her prayer. She was shocked! She told me, “The pain is gone! Wow!! Thank you, Lord!” Then she sat back down and we talked some more. Then she decided to walk around. Again, she was incredulous, “There’s no more stiffness in my legs – they are SO loose! This is amazing!! Thank you, Jesus!!” 😲😍
It was so much fun to hear her joy! She had been in pain every single day for over a year. Can you imagine how freeing it must have been for the pain to simply leave?
“You know, if someone else had asked me to pray for their body because they were in pain, I would have probably prayed like that for them. But it never occurred to me to pray for my own body that way. Thank you for encouraging me to do that,” she said.
“You’re welcome. Thank you, Lord, for bringing that to mind! I think that’s part of having compassion on ourselves in the same way we would have compassion on someone else,” I replied.
The Lord has been talking to me lately about anticipating His goodness. What does it look like? Can we train our minds to anticipate a good outcome instead of worrying about bad things happening? He has been challenging me to reach out and grasp His goodness. Sometimes it feels easier to have faith for someone else, but right now, He wants me to pay attention and do this for myself. It’s a form of self-compassion – learning to receive His goodness toward me.
What areas of your life is God challenging you to anticipate His goodness toward you? Sometimes we need to start with repenting of Unbelief in His goodness in order to open our hearts up to receiving more from Him. I know I do. Lord, what do you imagine for my future? In what ways is Unbelief in Your goodness holding me back?
Please comment below – your insight might inspire someone else to open their heart to receive more of God’s goodness today!
Share this with a friend who needs to hear it! 💗
Rebellion Breaks Strongholds – What?!
Yesterday I awoke at 5am and these words came to my mind in pairs.
Indolence -> Diligence
Complacency -> Determination
Distraction -> Clarity
Apathy -> Action
Tolerance -> Intolerance
Indifference -> Vigilance
Passion moves you from one to the other. Zeal enables you to take action. Zeal is when passion in your spirit leaks over into your soul energizing you to take action! 🔥
“The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.”
Thomas Jefferson, 1834
Once you start taking action, the very next wall you hit is –
Discouragement -> Encouragement
Don’t let anyone diss your courage to move toward Change. 🙂
True change requires perseverance – and it’s worth it!
So where does the energy come from to break out of patterns of distraction and complacency, laziness and indifference? Passion is the fire that starts the movement, but a great way to use that spark is to focus on REBELLION!
Wait, what?! I thought rebellion is a bad thing. “Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft” and all that. (I Samuel 15:23)
Yes, if you rebel against the Lord it IS bad. But what if you use that same mindset and energy to REBEL against complacency, apathy and distraction? What if you say to yourself, “Enough is enough! I’m sick of how things are turning out and it’s time for change!!“
Rebel against laziness and distraction by being diligent and clear about what you want to see changed. Ask the Lord for wisdom and determination to take action daily. And when you feel discouraged that things aren’t changing fast enough, ask Him for more passion and courage to persevere. You WILL see the change you desire. Hang in there!
Yesterday I heard in my spirit, The spirit of this age is the spirit of Distraction. Wow – that’s so true! And when you are distracted, you can’t focus on what’s important. You can easily get lulled into complacency, tolerating things in your life that you really don’t want.
It’s funny – we hear two strong messages in today’s world: Don’t settle! and Being intolerant is bad!
But if you tolerate what you don’t want in your life, that means you are settling for less! So there are times when being tolerant is bad for you. Until you decide that you will no longer tolerate indifference, you will remain complacent.
Yes, these words are all related.
What I saw was like a net, where each of these words connected to one another, creating a stronghold in our minds that made it seem very hard to move forward toward healthy change and growth.
I pray that TODAY you have the passion to start rebelling against the powers that are holding you down. It’s just a net – it only has the power you give it. Your hands are not tied, there’s no gag in your mouth. You can untangle yourself from this net and have clarity, diligence and determination to take action. Stay vigilant and watch out for any thoughts that try to diss your courage! 🔥💗🙂
Jesus and I believe in you – go do it!
Communion – In Remembrance of Him
This week I took communion with some friends as we were praying and seeking the Lord. It was very powerful and we were enjoying the Lord’s tangible presence among us.
The Lord gave us a revelation about His body and blood, the elements of communion. During communion, we take the bread as it represents His body broken for us. But today on the earth, WE are His body, broken for those who are looking for the bread of life. It is our lives poured out (like His blood was poured out) in sacrificial love to care for those around us who need patience or kindness.
After we said to the Lord, Thank You for Your sacrifice, for Your body that was broken for us. He then said to us, Thank you for being broken for those in the world that need to see My love and My goodness through your compassion and sacrificial love – by being patient with someone or kind when it’s not easy.
This is how we do communion in remembrance of him – by showing the Father’s goodness to others. This demonstrates our union with Him. We serve them the communion that we have received. Isn’t that beautiful? ❤️
For those who want to experience more of the presence of Christ, I encourage you to take communion at home. It’s not just a practice for church settings. In fact, the very first communion was in a home, as the disciples were sitting around the table after a meal.
Do you take communion in places other than at church? If so, please comment below and share your experience with us. 🙂
How to Walk in the Kingdom of God: Simple Steps
The other night I was pondering what I wanted to share on an upcoming podcast a friend asked me to join. What is a simple, straightforward teaching that resonates with me and the potential audience deeply? For me, that is – How to Walk in the Kingdom of God.
Many people have asked me over the years how to do this – how do I actually follow Jesus? What does that look like? How do I position my heart and mind so that I can stay connected to Jesus and do what I see the Father doing? So here are some simple steps.
How to Walk in the Kingdom of God: Simple Steps
1. Choose to become like a child in your heart and mind. Jesus said unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:3).
2. Become pure in heart. The pure in heart see God (Matthew 5:8). Stop allowing defilement in through your eyes and ears. Do not watch or listen to anything that is inappropriate for a 4-year-old to see or hear. This is critical. Ask the Lord to cleanse you of things that you have seen and heard and wash them from you. Stay pure and you’ll be amazed how much easier it is to see God and experience His presence. Forgive and let go of judgments against others. Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it flow the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23).
3. Lose complacency. If you do not have passion for God, acknowledge that to Him. Ask Him to reignite your heart and draw you to Himself. Do this every time you sense yourself becoming distracted or your heart growing cold. He loves to answer this prayer and you will see a response usually within 48 to 72 hours. Your passion for Him will return.
4. Practice His presence daily. Learn how to connect with the tangible presence of God. Find your key to open that door and do it every single day. Then begin to cultivate an awareness of God’s presence every hour of the day until it becomes second nature. When you awake, your first thought will be Him. When you fall asleep at night, your last thought will be of Him.
5. Follow His leading, moment-by-moment every day. Just do what you see your Father doing. It’s that simple. Don’t overthink it. Just be, and be content. Holy Spirit will teach you how to do this. It’s actually much simpler than you may think. We make it hard by expecting it to be more than it is.
It’s that simple. Become like a child, pure in heart, with a deep desire to be in His presence and to follow Him everyday. That’s how you walk in the Kingdom of God. 💗
Which step are you currently practicing? Is there one of these steps that is hard for you? Why?
Which one would you like to start working on this week?
Feel free to comment below – what do you think of these steps? Are they simple? (though not necessarily easy at first) This is my take on it – what’s yours?
I love to hear from my readers – so please, let me know your thoughts or questions below.
Book Review: My Descent into Death
My Descent into Death by Howard Storm is a very inspirational Near Death Experience (NDE) story about an American college art professor who has a medical emergency while traveling in Paris, France. I love reading books about another person’s experience of life after death in the heavenly realm. Unfortunately, Howard didn’t start there. He was an atheist when he died and experienced something terrible – something I hope you never see or hear in your life. I won’t go into detail – no spoilers here. But fortunately, a song from his childhood came to his mind – Jesus loves me. He sang it in pure desperation, wondering if he could ever escape this hellish place he found himself in and guess what? Jesus came to him!
The rest of the book is full of inspirational and unusual insight. Remember, he didn’t know Jesus when he died so he had no preconceived religious ideas (or not very many). So he asked a LOT of questions of Jesus and the angels – the answers he received provide some powerful truths we could all benefit from.
For instance, when Jesus told him that he needed to go back to earth, Howard was very reluctant and asked why he had to go back. He was experiencing such love and peace as he had never experienced before – you can imagine why he didn’t want to come back to earth. Jesus’ answer to him was unique.
You can save the world.
I don’t think so. I’m nobody and I’m not going to save the world. How could I save the world? Howard replied.
You are to love the person you are with.
How will that save the world? Howard wondered.
When you love a person, they will love the next person they meet, and they will love the next person they meet, and so on.
I don’t know if I can do it.
You can do it because we will help you. (“We” meaning Jesus and the angels who were with them.)
Howard was also thinking of his family – his wife and two children. Jesus told him he had to return to finish the job he had.
You have a job to do, which is to take care of the people God needs you to love. You were born to love these people. This is the job that you were created to do.
I LOVE this idea, don’t you? You have a job to do – to take care of the people in your life. Whether that’s your spouse, children, parents, siblings, friends, neighbors, etc. But it’s not “everybody” in the world – just the ones you are with – the ones you speak to, live with, visit or see each day. “You were born to love these people.” What a simple, yet profound concept.
I took my mother to a doctor’s appointment recently and as we were leaving, the doctor turned to us and said, “Take good care of each other.” That hit me with such powerful simplicity. Yes, that’s what we are called to do – every single one of us. Just take good care of each other. 💗
Reading Howard’s life story is very encouraging – his NDE completely changed his life. You can imagine what it might be like going from being a humanistic atheist to a man of faith who had actually met Jesus, face to face! How he changed his life and the differences it made in those around him is contained in the book and I am so glad! Often NDE stories end with the person waking up in the hospital, but not this one. He describes what life was like for him and how long it took to physically recover as well as process his supernatural experience. And the life choices he made afterwards profoundly changed the direction of his life and family.
He said something very powerful toward the end of the book,
Living life with faith is infinitely more rewarding than living without faith in God. Having faith gives one courage to do things one would never do, and the patience to endure the unendurable. Faith gives hope when you haven’t a clue how things will turn out. Faith gives joy when everything is bleak. Life with faith in God is so superior to life without faith that I recommend anyone to seek faith above all other things.
– Howard Storm, My Descent Into Death: A Second Chance at Life
Thank you, Howard, for sharing your story with us. We need encouragement when things look bleak in the world. We need that courage, patience, hope and joy. And most of all we need Love.
As Howard learned to apply his faith, he was amazed at how much good he could do to help others. He said,
“There is nothing we couldn’t do if enough people listened to God.”
I believe it! And as my previous post described, Jesus is already drawing people together to bring restoration to the earth. They WILL be listening to God, whether they realize it or not! 😁
If you’d like to read Howard Storm’s book, you can click here to find it on Amazon.
Do you have a book you’d recommend? Please post the title and author’s name below in the comments. I love finding good books. Thanks to Andrey in Poland for recommending this one!
Light Exploding as Unity Restores the Earth
The Lord showed me a very encouraging vision 2 nights ago. I was with a group of people, waiting on the Lord to see what He would show us.
Someone saw us standing in a circle with our hands outstretched toward the center of the circle. Suddenly there was a bright light in the center and Jesus was there! We felt enveloped by His presence and were awestruck with the weightiness of His glory – it was awesome!! 😍
The Lord showed us that our unity reveals the brightness of His glory. We each have Him inside of us and when we come together in unity, His glory is revealed. This is what creation is waiting for – His manifest glory through our unity as One. Wow.
Then He said, “Stay focused on the Light, there’s more coming.”
Someone sensed a new beginning – that it was time to dance!
I saw this bright burst of light explode into the night sky like a rocket. Then it split off into two and circled the earth.
Immediately I knew: This light represents the power of restoration for all creation – His glory revealed in our unity. HE is doing this – bringing people into unity all over the world because now is the time. No more playing around – it’s time for Unity on the earth in order to bring Restoration.
I was in AWE. 🤩
And then He made it clear to my mind that it wasn’t just Christian people He was uniting. He was bringing unity to all kinds of people – so that what is inside of them can come together and reveal His glorious power to restore the earth.
WOW. WOW. WOW.
God is SO GOOD! I’m excited to hear and see what that looks like.
Already so many good things are happening in the earth and it seems they are accelerating. Every week I hear good news about new breakthroughs that will help solve the problems of the earth. There’s an app you can download that will give you good news like this regularly – I read it to encourage me, especially after I’ve been reading regular news headlines. Here’s what the icon of the app looks like:
Here’s the links to download it, if you’re interested. I love what they are doing to share good news!
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.impactpartner.goodnews
Apple Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/good-news-app/id1321856447
What are your thoughts? Please share them below. Can you imagine things getting better on the earth as people begin to work together to solve the world’s problems? I completely believe it is possible and now that I know God is already working on it, it makes my heart so happy!! 😍💗😁🤗
💗 HE IS THAT GOOD!!! 💗
Water Responds to Love: Jennifer’s Story
I have a very cool story to share with you today! A friend of mine, Jennifer, recently shared this story and I was blown away – this is LOVE in Action!
On this blog we discuss our authority as believers in Jesus Christ. As He is, so are we in this world, right? (I John 4:17) We have authority to help creation prosper and cooperate with the needs of God’s children. Authority comes from knowing who we are as children of God (aka sons of God) and taking our place to help govern the earth as Adam and Eve were commanded to do.
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:26-28 NKJV
The authority we carry comes from Love. Jennifer was learning about this and decided to put it into action. Here’s her story:
My husband built our home in 2018. When he was starting to finish the basement, I heard the Lord say he should wait to finish it off because the basement is going to take on water and there will be damage. I told the Lord, “You know he is not going to listen to me.” Out of fear and not taking responsibility, I kept silent. Every spring when the snow melts, our basement has taken on water and made a mess for me to clean.
In spring of 2023 I repented and said, “Lord, I really should have taken responsibility for that and said something, even if he hadn’t listened to me. What can be done, Lord?” The Lord has led me to speak to the water. Not in a demanding way, but in a loving way. I said, “Water, I really love and appreciate you and you are needed in the earth, but do you think you could go around the basement instead of through it?” I went on to explain that I’m a son of God and how much work it was causing for me – how it was preventing me from having a clean and comfortable home for my loved ones. So far in Spring of 2024, the basement is dry! Praise the Lord!! – Jennifer V., Maine
WOW! I love stories like this because they are so real and practical. She had a mess on her hands EVERY SINGLE YEAR. She was frustrated. She didn’t know what to do. So she asked the Lord and realized she needed to repent for not saying what He told her. She took responsibility and asked the Lord for help and He gave her a creative solution!
This is an exciting time to be alive as more and more people are learning how to work WITH creation as partners in taking care of each other. Creation was made for us and it respects us when we are acting in Love and in accordance with God’s will.
Notice that she did not demand that the water obey her. She honored the water and it’s place. She asked it to simply help her keep her basement dry for her family. I think that’s awesome! I never would have thought of that, would you?
I’m curious as to how this actually happens – that her basement stays dry. Are there angels redirecting the water away from the basement? Is the water itself moving away? Is the soil around the basement shifting so as the snow melts, it runs in a different direction, away from the basement?
Regardless of how it happens, she is thrilled that it IS happening and no more wet basement! Thank you, Lord, for giving us authority as your sons and daughters!
Do you have an experience of talking to creation and having it respond to you? Please share it below! I love to hear these kinds of testimonies because they stretch our faith and help us think outside the box.
Need Peace? Need Protection or Provision?
When we feel like an orphan or a victim of other people, we feel small and powerless. We have all felt that way. Some feel this way every day. For others, the feeling comes from time to time, especially when we are having a bad day.
When we feel this way, we are consumed by our Fears. We strive to be in Control (or we feel that others control us). And we focus on what we Lack.
Fear, Control and Lack are the three illusions that the enemy uses to keep us stuck in this mindset of being a victim or an orphan.
I use the terms victim and orphan interchangeably. Some people prefer the word victim as in “he has a victim mentality”. Some prefer the idea of “orphan” meaning that they do not have anyone stronger than them looking out for their interests (like an orphaned child).
When you see someone complaining about their life, but not doing anything to change their situation, you see a victim/orphan.
When you see someone too anxious to take a step toward a better life, a better relationship or a better job, you see a victim/orphan.
The opposite is someone who is an Overcomer (versus a victim). The opposite is a Much Loved Child, an Heir of God’s kingdom, who is no longer an orphan.
When you think about a good parent (which every orphan longs for), you think of someone who soothes a child’s fears, making them feel safe and taken care of. Someone who is a good provider and protector. Victims look for someone to rescue them from their fears, their oppressors and their lack of resources.
God is a perfect parent. In fact, God longs to be the father and mother that we have each needed … desperately needed.
He offers us Peace in exchange for our Fears.
He offers us Protection & safety so we don’t need to be in control or allow others to control us.
He offers us Provision in exchange for our Lack.
God is all we need. God adopts the orphan into the Family of God. God rescues the victim from those who oppress him. That’s the whole reason Jesus Christ came, lived, died and was resurrected – to convince us that God cares about us and is strong enough to take care of us. He is our Peace, Protector and Provider – even in the face of death, the grave could not hold Jesus down.
So when your life feels full of Fear, Control and Lack – turn to the Lord. Remind yourself that He is your Peace, Protector and Provider. He is all you need. I promise.
I know for someone this might just sound like “magical thinking”. I know – I have felt that way too. But there really is something “magical” that happens when you allow your heart to believe that God is good and that He is able and willing to take care of you. It literally shifts your perspective and your expectation. Expectation is another word for “faith”. Somehow when we shift our expectation, it literally opens doors that would not have opened otherwise. I’ve seen it happen many times. If you think like a victim, you expect to be victimized and guess what? It happens! But when you think like a Much Loved Child, you expect things to work out for your good and guess what? They do! 💗
Walking by Faith – Amy’s story
Here’s an example of what it means to follow Jesus.
Amy works at Best Buy, an electronics store chain. She used to work in real estate selling homes several years ago, but took a break after she had a car accident. During her recovery, her husband suddenly died of a heart attack. Without her husband’s financial support, she needed a job – fast. She felt drawn to work at Best Buy and did very well there – she became a “pastor” to the people she worked with and often had opportunities to pray for them and help them find hope. This job provided a much needed sense of stability to the sudden roller coaster of her life. She’s been there for almost three years now.
A few weeks ago, she began to feel the Lord directing her to go back into real estate. She was a little hesitant because it had been so long and she was used to getting a regular paycheck from Best Buy. It would take her out of her comfort zone. She told the Lord, “If you give me a listing to sell a house, I’ll resign.” Someone called her and asked her to list their home for $650,000 (USD).
However she still had doubts. What if she didn’t get any more listings? What if she couldn’t pay her rent? A friend in real estate told her that right now is a seller’s market which means it is hard to find properties that are for sale (new listings). Plenty of buyers, but very few people are selling. This discouraged her and made her wonder if she really should quit her dependable job.
As she pondered it, it dawned on her that with just 2 real estate listings she could make as much as she made all year with Best Buy! This gave her courage to step out. So she said, “Yes, Lord, I am willing. I will turn in my resignation tomorrow.” That night a woman she knew called her at 1:30am. The woman had been looking at a particular house she wanted and it was suddenly listed as available for sale. She asked Amy to write a contract for that house immediately – at 2am she completed the contract and sent it in.
The next morning the agent that had listed the house was shocked. Who writes contracts at 2am? She had to find out so she called her. Amy explained how much this woman wanted THAT particular house and had contacted her in the middle of the night. The agent explained that she had only listed the house for a few minutes last night and that the house was not available right now. However she said she would talk to the owner and get back to her. Within a few hours, she called back and said, “We’re not going to list the house to the public, but we ARE going to work with you and the buyer who really wants this house.”
That was the listing she needed. Praise God!
That morning she went to Best Buy and turned in her resignation, giving them a two week notice. Two days later a coworker invited her to lunch with some friends of his (a couple). She had met these friends at a previous event and felt prompted to go. They had a nice lunch and she went back to work. A few hours later, the woman called and said, “We are moving out of our condo and we want to buy a house. We want you handle the real estate transactions for both properties.”
That was a third listing! And she would represent them in a fourth listing when they bought a new house!
But wait, it gets even better. 😃
She wanted to have her own office, but did not have the means to rent a place. A lot of agents work from their homes, but she knew with family obligations, she would prefer to have a space to focus just on business.
The next day, a business associate from her past called her. He said he was having a lot of trouble doing business in his country due to COVID-19. He asked her if they could build a partnership where he could do business in a city near her and she would represent him. He told her, “Find an office we can use and I’ll pay half of all the expenses.”
Yes! In less than 1 week, she got three new real estate listings and she now had the means to get her own office! She also would have even MORE business as she partnered with this colleague who would send her clients who were looking for real estate in her area.
She said, “I had been waiting on God, but as I stepped out to walk by faith, I felt like He had been waiting on me! He had all these people lined up, ready to bless me with business – and here I was afraid to step out. He is a good, good Father.”
This is an example of what it means to follow Jesus – to step out in faith, obeying the prompting in your heart from the Lord, even when you have no idea how it will work out. It means taking the risk that God is who He said He is and that His plans for you are always good. ❤
Do you have a story like this that you’d like to share? Please post it in the comments! Or you can write a guest post for this blog. We’d love to hear from you. 🙂
God Loves You As You Are
There is an AWESOME video of Graham Cooke sharing a word from God’s heart about His Love for you. It will deeply touch your heart, if you let it. Listen to it over and over until it really sinks in. I’ve written some of the words he says (but not all), but there’s nothing like listening to them so they get down into your soul. ❤
The Lord says that there is nothing that you can do that would make Him love you more,
there is also nothing you can do that will make Him love you less.
He loves you
because He loves you,
because He loves you,
because He loves you,
because He loves you,
because He loves you,
because He loves you,
because He loves you,
because that is what He is like.
It is His nature to love and you will always be the beloved.
What will change, says the Lord, is your ability to receive My Love.
I challenge you to open your heart to Me,
and you will receive
more of My Love than you have ever experienced before.
I dare you – give Me your heart, give Me whatever your obstacle is.
I love you as you are.
You are the beloved.
It is your job, says the Lord, to be loved outrageously.
I AM He that loves you outrageously!
My love comes to set you free from rejection, and from shame,
and from low self esteem, and from despair, and from abuse.
My love will fight fear. It will fight fear in you,
it will fight fear around you.
Beloved, you are My beloved.
So be loved!
Discernment of the Supernatural Realm 