The Winning Key to Your Battle.

The Winning Key to Your Battle.

Mark 11:13-14 talks about Jesus coming along and finding no fruit on the tree. Jesus said to it; “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” Jesus talked to things.

We’re all given tests; obstacles to overcome and step one of the test is where fear, doubt and worry strike the mind. Subtle suggestions that things won’t go right.

The first thing you need to do, no matter the test, is to answer it, talk to it. No one can do your answering for you. Talk to the symptoms when they show up. Tell those symptoms; “No you don't!”

Be it lack; “No you don't.” Illness; “No you don't.” Anger; “No you don’t.” Fear; “No you don’t.” You don't have to give that thing entrance into your life. You don't have to accept it.

After Jesus spoke to the tree with no fruit, they went on to Jerusalem. Jesus just kept going. He didn't stop to analyse, or to pay attention to what was happening, He just kept going.

The next step is to get your attention off what you've answered. Keep going with your life and know the answer you gave works. It’s that simple. You don't wait for a change, just go on your merry way. Have faith in God.

Continuing with Mark 11, verse 23 discusses casting the mountain into the sea. “Whoever says to this mountain, be removed and cast into the sea…” Believe it shall come to pass. Believe what you say. Talk to things and they'll obey you. Talk to the mountain (talk to the problem, the test, the suggestions or threat). Talk to it, not about it, if you want to see change.

The next step is to answer specifically. Whatever the threat; speak life. Speak the opposite of what’s been thrown at you. You don’t have to quote the bible word for word, just know what God’s word is on the topic.

When Jesus saw the tree had no fruit, Jesus said no man will eat your fruit. He answered specifically the issue at hand. If you hear the whisper; “You won't have enough money. You’ll lose your house. You’re going to get cancer,” don't state the general when the devil gives the specific. Give back the opposite to what you heard.

What you say is; “I will have enough money. I will not lose my home! I will not get cancer; I will live and not die.” Answer exactly in line with what the devil speaks to you.

If you’ve heard you're going to die prematurely, counteract it with; “I will not die prematurely. I will live and not die, for the Lord promises a long life.” This is how you overcome the devil and his schemes. Answer it specifically and declare God’s word into it. When you answer right it affects not only you but your home life as well.

When David considered killing Goliath, he asked what the reward was. There's a reward for answering right. David was made wealthy. He married the king’s daughter which carried the royal blood line and he paid no taxes for the rest of his life. It’s a three-fold reward.

This three-fold reward carries the whole family into a whole other future, bringing about a different outcome for future generations, but only if you answer right. If you answer right, you'll move into things no one else has.

When you listen to the wrong thing long enough, you'll start believing it. Even if it’s unintended, such as a family member constantly telling you; you won’t amount to anything. That’s not something you want to hear, not something you went after, but something which was thrown at you (a fiery dart). You have to put your trust in God’s word and what He says about you.

Stick with the right answers and don't get off it. When the devil attacks, he produces a feeling that causes you to believe what he says. When God speaks you sense the anointing, because there's power and there’s peace. Fear and anxiety come from the devil.

You must answer the word that was spoken and answer the feeling that comes along with it, for often a feeling and a thought come together. If you feel a heaviness, or oppression; it’s not you. It’s a negative spirit. Talk to that oppression. If you don’t know what’s causing it, look a little deeper. You’ll find it.

Anything with anointing on it, will be challenged by the opposition. Answer it and answer it specifically. 

The next step is to tell the spirit which spoke, harassed or threatened you, to leave. In other words, cast it out.

Jesus said to the evil he faced, "Shut up and get out.” You do the same. (Luke 4:35; But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be Quiet, and come out of him!”)

Usually an evil spirit will come in the form of fear, worry and doubt. It will speak of failure or loss. You’ll feel the oppression in the room with you. When a negative is spoken, tell that spirit; that’s a lie. Call it out for what it is. Tell it; “That’s a lie and you have to go.”

If you don’t tell it to go, it might leave your thought arena, but it will remain in the room, looking for another entry point into your mind. When you lose your peace, something’s stealing it. As you become more aware of the peace of God, you’ll feel a change of atmosphere.

Be specific in coming against negative words. If words of negativity are still floating around in your head, they’re still trying to gain access into your mind, in order to take root and grow. Speak life.

Your biblically spoken words will stop the infiltration of the devil’s words. Counteract what’s been spoken and support it by the word of God. You don’t need to quote scripture word for word. If you’re in fear, you’re not in faith. Decree your faith. Answer the judgement and then laugh at the devil.

There’s a direct route to victory. It doesn’t need to take weeks, months or years. You don’t have to wait. You can stop it immediately by answering specifically, then tell the spi6rit to leave you. “Leave! Get out!” Doubt leave. Fear leave. Illness leave. Poverty leave. Over time you should gain greater skill in this area and that means your victory happens more rapidly. Answer the thought, the word satan speaks and the feelings he conjures up. And then worship.

When it comes to worshiping God; don’t speak in tongues until you’ve worshipped, for the devil is still in the room and he can still access that part of your mind. Don’t speak in tongues, as the mind then becomes bypassed (that’s the whole idea of tongues, but you don’t want that in this moment). Speak in English so your mind is involved. With tongues the mind isn’t involved, giving the devil access.

Don’t get me wrong; tongue’s is a great tool, but not at this time, in this moment. Instead; worship. The reason we worship is to hold our attention away from what the devil has thrown at us.

You’ve been given something fearful and it may take a little time for the body to catch up. Worship takes your attention from the devil and his words and it allows the body to settle. When you’ve spoken specifically, fear, panic and anxiety stop, but sometimes the symptoms remain in the body. Just keep your eye on God, worship Him and you will calm and the devil will leave. It just takes a few minutes.

If the things you’re praying toward don’t seem visible yet, just keep in the word and in worship. Once you’ve spoken it; it’s done. Hold yourself in that place of faith. Faith is spirit arena. The devil wants you in the mental arena, stressed and fearful. Worship keeps you in the spirit arena; the arena of love and power.

Simplifying the whole thing;

Talk to the issue specifically.

Tell the spirit to leave.

Worship.

When tested in the wilderness, Jesus said; man shall not live by bread alone (specific). He said; away with you satan (in other words – get lost). And finally; thou shall worship the Lord thy God and Him only. That’s specific, that’s casting out and that’s worship…three simple steps.

And that’s the winning key to your battles.

God is With You Always.

God is With You Always.

Your battles will be fought 1 day at a time, 1 giant at a time. He will deal with your issues and unsurrendered areas; 1 at a time. Position yourself. Stand. Do not fear, for He is the light of the world – not a light – not 1 of many, but The Light. He is not the light only for some, but The Light of The World.

All we need to do is trust.

During the storms of life, God is with you. You may not see Him, but He is there, for His word says He will never leave you nor forsake you. During your greatest trails; He’s still with you.

God’s purpose for your life is greater than the storm you’re going through and He will see you to the other side of the storm. Have you discovered your God-given purpose?

He has given us a greater plan than just to eat, work and sleep. Your storm could just be a temporary set-back, but it’s not the end of the road. As long as you follow God, do what He’s asking you to do, change where He’s wanting you to change, you’re on the right path. He will empower you to overcome your biggest obstacles.

God will open doors for you and drive out your enemies, destroying them in the process.

Deuteronomy 33:27 The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will thrust out the enemy from before you, and will say, “Destroy.”

In walking through a door you feel God has opened, it may come with hardship, but it will also come with great achievement. Open doors don’t come with instructions. To discover what’s on the other side of the door, you have to enter through it. Fear might be on the other side, but God will be with you. When you’re not certain, trust God. And remember; opportunity isn’t for you alone, it’s also to bless others.

You may not have all the answers. You may not be able to see how it will turn out. Have courage. Know that even the disciples worked in the same manner. When wondering if they should include the Gentiles, it seemed good to them (Acts 15:25 & 28). Seemed good? That’s not a surety. “Seemed good” is not certainty. Open doors don’t require certainty, they require obedience.

Walking by faith, is to use slow and measured steps. Sometimes the whole path is lit, sometimes only the next step. Faith, however, is what we’re called to do. We’re called to “step out in faith.” Can you do it?

Activate the Power of God.

Activate the Power of God.

At the moment I’m praying for two people with heart issues. One of those, I’ve been praying for a measure of time. I felt, quite some time ago, the Lord say he is healed. It took an act of faith and courage to say this to the man. You can’t see a heart. I couldn’t see if there was a difference, but that’s what I felt the Lord was telling me – he is healed.

Another lady is pregnant with her second child and in hospital with a heart problem. I had sent a message that I’ve been praying and all is well; again, trusting in the Lord’s promises of healing when we pray.

Having said a good twelve months ago, the man’s heart is healed, he recently went for a heart stress test (I feel to add here, I was praying once again for this man and heard God say; “Why are you praying for ….? Did I not say he is healed? Is my word not true?" This was in the morning, before he went for his test) and after the test, it seemed the heart has become a little worse. The lady too, who wasn’t in hospital at the time I started praying, now is in hospital.

In my prayer time this morning I said to God; “If I’m going to decree it and declare it and then tell them all is well, You need to hold up Your end. You’ve asked that we step out boldly and in faith and I need to see something positive here. I don’t know what more to do at this point."

The next moment I opened you tube and there it was; the answer. The speaker went on to talk about activating the power of God to work in the situation you’re praying for. We’re to keep believing, in spite of what we’re seeing. We’re to keep talking to the issue, not to God, but the problem itself.

Activation is the power switch and we are to turn on the power. It matters what you remember when you’re seeing a distortion. We need to remember what we’ve been taught in coming to God for anything we’re believing for.

We activate by not worrying or weeping or begging God, but by activating. To activate, you mix your faith with His power, the power of God. You do it by adding your faith to His power.

Declare the power is in the heart (or the situation you have) and declare it by faith; loudly, boldly. “Power is in that person. I believe in the power of God. You know the exceeding greatness of power, for those who believe.” Believing activates it. Belief exceeds the power of death, the power of illness, the power of injury, the power of poverty.

There is a vast difference between His power and any other power and nothing else comes a close second. Every other power is lesser. Talk about that which is greater, diminish that which is lesser. Choose to believe and be a doer and activate that power. The more you talk about the power, the greater the measure that will flow.

You can have a minimal flow or a greater flow. You are the custodian of that power. Don’t pray for a move of God, be the move of God. Use the exceedingly great power that you’ve been given. Consistently give voice to that power of God. Decree you believe in God’s power, God’s power always works in your life, God’s power is great and effective in all situations.

We need to increase our flow, for it’s not safe unless we do. Mastery at this time is what’s needed. The power is working in this situation. Resurrection power is what’s in you, is what’s working to those who believe. Every demon in hell, who try to oppose us, is a lesser power and all are overcome by our word and our faith.

Resurrection power is what you’re wired with. “I believe in the power of God. I’m wired with power. I release that power to flow. I speak words that give it permission to flow. I assign the power of God. The power of God is working in this situation (finances, health, relationships - heart).”

Flip that switch and turn on the power. “I believe in the power of God. I’m wired with that power. Every other power is a lesser power. Every other power is a defeated power. I BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF GOD!”

Now, what can you turn that power towards this morning? Get going. Get started. Get the word into the atmosphere. God always speaks before He acts. That’s why He declared “Let there be light and there was light.” When we declare, as if it is, not as if we wish it was, then we too shall see the power move in our situation.

One other important aspect to prayer success is praise. Remember to praise at all times. Praise the Lord. Praise Jesus. Praise the Holy Spirit. You could praise 100 or 1000 times a day and it will be effective. Just keep praising. 

What's Wrong with Pornography?

What's Wrong with Pornography?

As you might have guessed; I love words. Being an investigative photojournalist and author, there’s nothing I like more than sinking my teeth into a new story; a new topic of discussion. I also like numbers. Now, I can’t say I’m better than average at numbers, but if numbers crop up in my investigations, I’ll follow the evidence and trace the clues.

Not all that long ago I was listening to a clip by Derek Prince, who taught philosophy until he became a Christian. Prince then taught on faith, marriage and spiritual warfare, amongst many other Christian related topics. In this particular clip Prince mentioned masturbation. He said if you’re doing it: “Don’t!” At the time I didn’t think anything of it.

More recently Christian Vision wrote that in the UK a survey revealed 75% of Christian men and 35% of Christian women regularly look at pornography. Those numbers seemed incredibly high for men and women of God who are supposed to be following God’s word; possessing a sanctified vessel and not one of lusts of the flesh. And so, I stopped to consider.

I just happened to be reading 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4 at this time; For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honour. An interesting area of bible study at this time, I thought to myself, as questions arose in my mind.

Why are those numbers on pornography so high? Why did Mr Prince tell his students/parishioners not to masturbate? This all came about in my prayer and study period, as I was reading Thessalonians. And so, as I was engaged with God already at that time, I had to ask the questions. It is kind of a topic with a difference. Not one I’ve ever had to consider before. Still, surprisingly, I put those questions to God. More surprisingly, God answered immediately.

Turns out, I felt Him say (for this was more an impression, than a spoken word), masturbation is not a lot different to taking drugs. First you start with a little weed (the gateway drug). Then the effects wear off and you find you need harder and harder drugs to get high, until you’re totally addicted and unable to break free.

Masturbation is the gateway drug, so to speak, into perversity. Pornography is the next step. These are the gateways to abuse and immorality, which then goes that step further to objectify and sexualises mainly women and children, but occasionally, also men. These acts are not only demeaning and vile, they also contribute to domestic violence, teaching that women and children are unworthy, valuable only as sexual objects.

Finally, after you’ve been doing this for some time, you become hardened and as you become hardened, you fail to hear God’s voice. In God’s eyes you’re now reprobate; a degenerate, a sinner. God will let you go so far, and then no more. You need to turn back to God, before it’s too late and He steps aside.

Masturbation is deemed perverse in the bible. And while in biblical times pornography wasn’t invented, the Greek word porneia (although not taken to mean pornography), is often translated as sexual immorality. This immorality is degrading and disloyal to the other entity of the partnership. The bible clearly has only one view on this topic. We too should hold the bible’s one view as our own – sexual immorality is sin.

Titus 1:16; They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient and disqualified for every good work.

Hebrews 6:8; but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.

It wasn’t my intention to write on this topic, however I felt strongly led to do so. These high numbers are hurting the church’s profile and it needs to stop. God is only coming back for a pure church, not a perverted and reprobate church.

Say “no” to the sin, for we are not condemned. Surrender to God. There is a way forward and it’s only in taking one step back. To use an idiom by John Barnett: “Take one step back and repent, then you can move forward once again in confidence.”

This is a pardonable sin, unlike the one and only unpardonable sin; the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Any other sin can be forgiven, if we take one step back and repent. I implore you to do so at this time. Don’t delay. Don’t put it off. Do it now. Father forgive me, for I have sinned…….

Delving Deeper.

Delving Deeper.

When we know how to study the bible as against just reading it, we find all the hidden gems. In a previous post to this one (Getting the Most out of God’s Word), I wrote on how to dig deep into God’s word. In digging a little deeper even in just the first few chapters, right from the beginning of the bible, we can see what we haven’t seen before. And that works all the way through the Good Book. Delving deeper will bring greater clarity and further understanding of God and His word.

Gen 2:17 God told Adam not to eat of the tree, before He made Adam a helper. Eve wasn’t there to hear the version of that conversation, although Adam must have passed this knowledge on to Eve, otherwise the serpent wouldn’t have queried as to whether God really did say not to eat of the tree. Eve did embellish the story, when she said “we must not touch it.”

When God speaks to us, we must be careful also, not to embellish. Moses over emphasised when he struck the rock in anger (Numbers 20:8-11) and water flowed out of that rock. This embellishment, this over emphasising, resulted in him being unable to enter the promised land.

Gen 3:15 The serpent had seed, but it was Eve’s Seed which will bruise. Seed with a capital S. And He shall bruise the serpent’s head and the serpent shall bruise His heel…that’s because, later Jesus trod on the serpent (evil), as He overcame death.

This was a promise of future fulfilment. The word enmity indicates a blood feud. The woman’s Seed, Jesus, was killed by satan (no, I won’t capitalize this evil name) but He rose again. The blood feud having taken effect, the but future fulfilment of the Risen Lord was the fatal blow to the serpent. He knew it then and knows it now and it fills him with dread and terror.

Gen 4:7 Sin lay at the door and its desire is for you (every man). Rule over it, or it will rule over you. (When we’re dissatisfied, we’re more vulnerable to sin.) If we put our soul satisfaction before our relationship to God, we will more easily be enticed into sinning. The secret to living in joy is in Spirit-dwelling and in being content, whether rich or poor.

And after you sin you shall be, according to Gen 4:12, a fugitive and a vagabond. After Cain murdered his brother, he dwelt in the land of Nod, which means to wander. Nod; defined as moved, agitated. A Hebrew root of the verb; to wander.

So, you can see, as you delve deeper, as you study, and as you look at the concordance, and find articles on the internet, you’ll peel back the layers within the word of God and He will show you great and might things. “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3)

Don’t read your bible just to tick a box on your to-do list. Read it with the intention of getting to know God, His character, His love for His people, His winning strategies for war. Then you shall live a life of peace, abundance, success and love and they’re all promises of God; promises you can count on for God’s word doesn’t lie.

Break Those Bad Habits.

Break Those Bad Habits.

Repetitive behaviours, whether good or bad, form pathways in the brain which fire in an automatic sequence. That sequence plays out whenever triggered and without much thought behind it. The triggers can be obvious, or so subtle, you don’t even know what the trigger is.

When the behaviour is an undesirable one, this leaves a person feeling a failure, as they try to fight the issue through the flesh, when it can only be resolved by the Spirit. This is why we need to renew our mind and to renew daily. The mind needs to be taught to move from the destructive to the constructive. It takes radical commitment to remove a destructive behaviour.

Stop buying what’s harmful. Drive a different route home, so you’re not passing the store. Get off the internet, if that’s the issue. Have a trusted accountability partner. Spend more time in God’s word. Love more, give more, expect more from yourself and slowly you can turn things around.

This passage is by no means exhaustive. There are many ways to overcome behaviours you wish to change. Different things work for different people. Search for a pathway which works for you and keep searching until you find it. Read books, watch clips, speak to others who have overcome what it is your trying to conquer. Learn from them; do as they did. Most of all, turn to God. His word promises we will be overcomers and His word doesn’t lie. He will direct your steps.

And when you fall off the wagon, which you will at times, don’t quit. Get back up and go again and keep going until the issue has broken off you. Then you too, shall be an overcomer, able to help others in their need.

You then can be a solution to other people’s problems.

Be solution-focused not problem-focused. When you grasp the understanding of the power of the tongue, it will change the course of your life. Speak positive, encouraging, uplifting statements, not statements of doom, gloom and disaster. One way of speaking brings life and joy. The other; darkness and depression. Your mouth can bless or destroy, not only in your life, but in the lives of those around you.

After a while, what you say becomes habitual; what you say becomes who you are. What you put out in the world, is what’s reflected back at you. Season your speech with grace. Take hold of the words God speaks to you. (If you’re not reading your bible, you won’t hear what God’s saying.)

Take words of illness out of your vocabulary. Remove words of poverty. Sprinkle words of love liberally, rather than words of hate and anger. Replace sickness and poverty speach with words of health and abundance and watch your life change. You can do this with any negative in your life. You must replace the negative with a positive.

You can’t just eliminate a negative and leave a ‘hole,’ otherwise something else will come in and it might be something you don’t want. Replace your negatives with positives and wait for the fun to begin.

When you take this seriously and do the work, you will see results.

Getting the Most out of the Word of God.

Getting the Most out of the Word of God.

Zechariah 2:7-13

“Up Zion. Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.” For thus says the Lord of Hosts: “He has sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye. For surely I will shake My hand against them, and they shall become spoil for their servants. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me. Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” says the Lord. “Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. And the Lord will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem. Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!”

When studying scripture, there are questions we need to be asking, for it's not enough just to read God’s word. It's in asking questions and taking notes that we learn and remember. What questions should we ask, I hear you say?

1. Why is the phrase included in the scripture?

2. What does it mean for me today?

3. What eternal truths can I learn?

When it comes to learning, we can come at it with one of two mindsets – opened or closed. When closed, your mind cannot take in the information you want to learn, so be open to learning. It’s easy to say I can’t focus; I can’t understand what I’m reading. It’s harder to take the time to look deeply.

Be open to learning new things. Believe there’s always more you can learn on any topic. Look back and forth between your notes, study guides and the internet. Write down your findings.

Ask questions, such as why does it matter? How does it fit in?

To get the most out of what you’re learning, mind map and create summaries. Look for the important relationships between your ideas. Which are the most important? Look for similarities/differences. Analyse and judge. Justify your hypothesis.

With the Bible, even simple words can have great meaning. Take the word 'surely' for instance, from the biblical verse above. The word surely here means to emphasize a firm belief that what the writer says is true. That's there is no doubt.

That the writer speaks of surely, without doubt, is an important part of the text and we could have easily overlooked such a simple word. There is considerable meaning behind every sentence sitting within the pages of this great book.

When reading a passage, we need to ask; What does that mean for that bible verse?

*Why is the phrase included here?

Why Zion and Babylon? What does it mean; sent Me after His glory? Who were the plundering nations at the time of writing? Are there plundering nations still around today? If so, where are they? Who are they?

To be sent after His glory; the Devine mission, restoration and honour, judgement and vindication. Can we delve deeper here?

What else do we need to know within these few sentences?

*What does it mean for me today?

We’re told to sing and rejoice and that’s important, for that connects us to the Almighty. The Lord dwells in our midst and we connect to Him through our praise and worship.

*What eternal truths can I learn from this passage?

The eternal truths are the availability of God’s presence and protection. God’s love for His people. Rejoicing over His promises and God’s sovereignty, the ability for God to bring about His plans and a future hope (something sadly lacking in today's society).

These truths provide comfort and encouragement. They show God’s character and His plans for His people.

Here I've just scratched the surface of this passage. You can go as deeply, or as shallow as you have time. Some days I have plenty of time to dive deep. Other days not so much. Here though, is a guide for you do work towards as you try to understand all that God has for you.

The bible is a book to savour, not a book to rush through and if you want to make the most out of the words God is speaking, it's worth taking the time to do a deep dive.