I was walking along a row of full and towering pine bushes that act as a natural fence around a large nearby business. While many of these bird-filled bushes were still healthy and upright, I did come to a few sections where singles, doubles, or triples had fallen right out of the ground. As i scouted around them, I observed the roots and patches of dirt that pulled up with them and found rather shallow roots. Here is the prophetic word. Not falling away and being taken out by the enemy requires deep roots of relationship with Holy Trinity. And a vital part of having deep roots requires knowing why you believe what you believe. A person may accept life through Jesus with joy, but do you know why you have accepted Him and are clinging to Him? “Because someone told me to” does not count. If one knows those vital questions from a personal place, then the enemy doesn’t stand a chance at convincing you to abandon your faith and uproot you. Your roots will be strong enough to hold you up through any ‘weather’ of circumstance and from shallowness of meaning that could otherwise cause you to wither (reference to Matthew 13:20-21). So the both encouragement and warning for believers is this… if you don’t already have a solid understanding of the why’s of what you believe and of what you do, pray about and seek to have a firm reasoning for yourself and also that you are ‘Always prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have, in gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15) In Jesus’s Name!
My identity in Christ is an inner treasure I bear, which gleams outwardly in the Son.
It is a stance I emit when I confidently understand who I am and what I possess.
It is a set apartness that reveals itself to others.
Who i am is clothed in freedom, releasing me from the confinement of all truama, fresh or deep-rooted…
for it doesn’t matter how or when the enemy had secretly planted ungodly seeds that borrowed within to choke truth with its roots,
Because i can remove the roots prophetically and replace them with all things good of my God–to cleanse my soul from the wear of the spiritual war on it.
My God’s love for me is always alive and vibrant,
as my Beloved’s precious blood consistently pours over my being–A constant crimson waterfall of renewal.
Newness is the continual destination for my mind and my soul–
and I am at home when spirit-minded.
With Holy Spirit’s partnership, I take every enemy thought captive, thus reversing any possible theft by the ultimate robber of my abundant life.
What power is felt and released when I can assert contradictory thoughts that are not the truth of who I am and who I’m going to be!
What power it is to even have decernment between truth and what isn’t!
I am immovable in consistency and full of wise stubbornness that enables waterwalking!
Growth upon levels of faith are the delights i contend for through emotion-defying persistence-
For then new seasons can bring greater results of godly progress and jubilant freedom!
What cannot be shaken in me will come together to compose me, while what can be shaken will fall through-
Not long ago, I encountered a situation that again brought me back to the life-progressing, revelation truth of being led by God’s truth over feelings. Different situations I’ve encountered have made putting emotions second challenging, especially when I have compassion for the situation. But the practice/discipline of living by God’s truth before emotions is a spiritual muscle that has to be excercised for us to truly grow spiritually, be effective in ministry, and most importantly, invest precious pearls into one’s relationship with God and truly bring blessings to His Name. I recently went to visit someone I’ve known for decades, who passionately shared some exciting news in his life; that he had a girlfriend. He had lost his wife of 60 years the year before and now he had someone to do activities with and keep him company at anytime, especially when his relatives weren’t as available. It seemed like such a blessing that he now had someone to spend his time with and I was so happy for him. That was, until I learned the details of the situation and how little it lined up with God’s values… After visiting for a little while, he was eager to introduce me to her, to which I was willing and curious. On our way over to her place I asked him if she had ever been married, to which I was unprepared for the answer I recieved. “She still is” he responded without a trace of guilt. I had to process that for a second because it hit me unexpectedly. “WHAT? Is she planning on getting a divorce?” I asked. “No” he answered. The meeting was unsettling for me and put me in a place where I truly longed for this widower to be happy and stay active, but I’m more passionate about and value standing for God’s truths and seriousness of marriage. Divorce isn’t good, but it would be better than for the woman to bring someone else into the picture before letting go of the last person. It was when they made the decision to move in together that I felt confirmation to intentionally address the situation. I had already determined in my mind to intentionally go visit, just to visit, but now I also had a message if brought up. I prayed into it and it was indeed brought up, for he inquired about my opinion of the circumstance. I addressed God’s values to both him and the lady, while assuring him of my love despite the issue (as Jesus always modeled). No matter how much compassion I have for him, though, the truth is that there is a better way than with a married woman. And by these choices, they are letting the kingdom of darkness have influence in their lives. Some may have been taught that love means to just be accepting, or perhaps they are being led fully by their feelings. Feelings aren’t always reliable. Consider the times where God does not feel present or anywhere near; the Word though, says that He never leaves us or forsakes us (Dueteronomy 31:6/Hebrew 13:5). Another example is when King David committed adultery with a married woman, Bathsheba, by following his feelings of lust as he saw her naked from his roof. God’s truth, however, says that it was inappropriate and sinful for him to sleep with someone else’s wife and not honor the boundaries of marriage (Hebrews 13:4). He added to the problem by listening to his feelings of panic by becoming a murderer, which was truly not who God said he was (Acts 13:22). David had to decide what was going to guide him, his feelings or God’s truth. It is a true sign of spiritual victory and health when we have the strength and choose to believe and live in God’s truths even when our emotions reflect something contrary. It is beautiful and freeing to self and it can truly minister to others when done in love. It is also very necessary to watch satan’s influence in one’s life. Every time we purposely go against God’s values, we are agreeing with satan, to whom is never a trustworthy entity and always means trouble for you and others around you. God’s truths are freeing! You have the choice! Are we going to live by freeing truth or be controlled/imprisoned by feelings when they are contrary to His truths?
It is not unbiblical to stand for what is righteous and to stand ground against demonic issues from authorities when they are contrary to God’s Word and standards! It is actually to ours and God’s benefit that we do not agree with what we don’t believe in or let corruption continue past us through intimidation, carelessness, or silence. To love God and to want this country to be pure and blessed is true patriotism. For some years now, I’ve considered the fact that the biblical Daniel and his three friends had been pushed to deny God and His ways, by the authority of the time. In each instance, though, they stood firm in righteousness rather than the authority’s ungodly, corrupt example. And in each instance, God defended and supported them…and it brought praise to God. I also consider the motivation these accounts offer to us today. The first biblical instance comes in Daniel 3, where Daniel’s three friends Hananiah, Michael, and Azariah were ordered to praise and worship a representation of someone other than God and were threatened to be burned to death in a furnace if they refused. In the natual, it was a crisis situation and they had much to lose. But, none of that would have compared in value to treating their relationship to the God, who cared for them, with denial. What they could lose in the natural wouldn’t have compared to loosing their witness, either. So they replied to the king,
“Oh Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, your majesty. But even if He doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, your majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up” (Daniel 3:16-18).
Their boldness was beautiful and their foundation was clearly firm. And just as they had believed, God brought them out of the fire without a single burn and all bystanders recognized that God was the God to respect and believe on. Daniel also displayed a firm foundation in chapter 6 of the same book. Daniel was faithful to God, but was unfortunately surrounded by those who were not and who were jealous of him. They recognized that the only way they could hurt him was an attack on his beliefs. So they appealled to the king, who passed a law that required all citizens to pray to the king, rather than God. The price of refusing to obey was being fed to lions. Daniel, though, did not give up the invaluable gift of communication with God. Daniel 6:10 reveals how Daniel responses,
“But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God” (Daniel 6:10)
Daniel didn’t change his relationship with God for the law or cease holding to what was good and effective in his life and, when he was caught and thrown to the lions, God did not permit His creations to touch him! These two cases hold such a meaningful and applicable message for today. For because none of these figures went along with the corruption, others around them saw God for who He is and that He is the more effective alternative to any other ‘gods’ whom people trusted in. (Examples of these ‘gods’ today can be many things ranging from alcohol, to sexual immorality, to other people’s approval). God also lavished His willing favor on these loyal ones, which is so like God to recognize faithfulness! These accounts may have happened long ago in old covenant times, but it’s still a relevant example that is rather parallel to what is going on right now in America (and around the world). Issues that are unbiblical and deny God are being thrown at us, attached with verious threats to comply. In the natural, it may seem like we may have much to lose and threats we may receive may sound intimidating, but evaluate what means the most to you in the situation…which is only something each person can decide in their own heart. Is one more willing to stand firm in righteousness or to be like Peter when he initially denied knowing and standing for Jesus? Is one’s witness more important or others’ approval? Is God progress more important or one’s job? Now, I’m not denying that having a job and income is important, but having a foundation in one’s salvation and being led completely by the Holy Spirit in every decision and situation is the key. I’ve experienced many situations concerning the current issues of cultural trash where, like Daniel and his companions, I was encountering what seemed in the natural like intimidating predicaments, where I had something to lose. I decided, though, to make the spiritual realm and God’s truths my true reality and priority. I had previously worked with a male who tried to identify as a female, choosing a female name and trying to talk like one. All our coworkers were affirming this by referring to him as a ‘her’ and using the female name he had chosen for himself. I, however, refused to affirm his confusion by referring to him as someone other than what he was born as. Then, one day as I was heading to the bathroom, he cut in front of me and entered the female bathroom! I was in shock and immediately sought out the manager to express intolerance. Though the manager wasn’t comfortable about this worker’s action either, he expressed that he felt a lack of power to change the situation. The manager was very willing, though, to connect me with corporate. I found that corporate was afraid of being sued and offending anyone. I responded to them in a way to motivate them to not follow the way of the world and also that it was unacceptable to allow such an uncomfortable situation. God gave me great boldness to speak and, despite how any leadership would react or what the majority of businesses were allowing, I was going to contend for making a difference and not comply with the confusion Satan has been stirring in this realm! At another time, I had had a male coworker who was often coming to me, sharing about the consistently negative situations in his life (from him trying to figure solutions out on his own judgments, instead of with Jesus) and asking for advice. I had witnessed to him about Jesus being able to ultimately guide and heal him. Now this man was living a homosexual lifestyle and I felt prompted to ask him a question, especially since him asking me for advice would suggest that he trusted me at some level. This man came to me for advice again and, after I gave him the advice he sought, I took the opportunity to ask him, “Why do you choose to live a homosexual lifestyle?” He appeared taken off guard, but answered that it wasn’t something he really chose, but rather something he felt. I gentle came back with “It’s a choice to go by your feelings.” At this point, I think I’d taken away his defense/excuses and put a crack in Satan’s lies, which had been strengthened by the affirmations from others’ of his choice. “It’s just something I’ve felt for a while” he answered. He didn’t express anger at that time, but the next morning, I found myself in the office with a representative from corporate, being threatened with job termination and angrily questioned concerning my right to ask what I did. After explaining to them that this man came to me and sought me out for advice, I made it known repeatedly that it is a choice to be homosexual and that they are not born that way. This stirred more anger in the representive. But God gave me favor and defended me so that I did not lose my job, even when I refused to sign a statement of compliance! The next day, when I was again in an office being scolded by more leadership, they expressed their shock in the fact that I didn’t lose my job! I’m thankful for still having a way of income, but I would have lost it to hold to my convictions and also try to speak truth to this person, letting him know that he had a choice beyond unreliable feelings. I have peace knowing that my God would have taken care of my needs through another job, if needed. In Jesus Name! These are just a couple instances in my life that carry a similar message as the accounts of Daniel, Hananiah, Michael, and Azariah. Mine and their examples are to motivate boldness in contending for God’s truths in this world, not conforming to the reflection of this world when it is not reflecting God’s light (Romans 12:2), and not affirming confusion caused by Satan! Whether we believe our seeds of faith can make a difference or not, God can use each of us in unique ways that only we can fulfill and make a true difference in Christ! We can be true Patriots and push out corruption that cause our country and world to collapse!
Destructive and defeating cycles are ugly. They create wounds of hopelessness and eat away time, delaying beautiful progress and victory in Jesus. The Holy Spirit has helped me both discover their miserable presence in my own life and have also seen others blinded to them in their lives. Someone i was thinking of, as I began writing this, struggled for so long in his personal cycle, but recognized and chose the greatest way of escape from it…
The man at the pool of Bethesda was always waiting for and trying to receive his healing by the same approach he had taken all his life. He surely exhausted himself by doing the same thing over and over with no victory, in which persistence is a vital thing as a believer, but this was not in the name of and guidance of Jesus. The man was trying to make a change in his own strength, reasoning and way.
What a joyful and saving encounter was his, though, when my Jesus comes forth as the light in the man’s life and offers him a way to permanent freedom from this hinderance in his life! The man believes Jesus and takes an exit path out of the dizzying circle of unchanged conditions! In Jesus Name! He hears the living Word of God (in the flesh!) believes it, and applies it to his life…
Jesus said to him, “Stand up! Pick up your sleeping mat and walk!” Immediately he stood up–he was healed! So he picked up his mat and walked! ~John 5:8-9
Jesus told the man that healing was his and that a new way, by the Lord’s guidance, was required for a forward-moving change.
Holy Spirit visually presents to me these escapes, from repetitive cycles, as like diverging paths, a trail branching off the walking path that gets a person lost, and like finding the exit out of a circling maze. It always requires inviting God into the areas of struggle, and choosing to trust Him and allowing Him guidance to show the way to the clearing.
One of several examples from my life, of God guiding me out of a cycle, involves overthrowing a lie and changing mindsets in relation to my interactions with God, having been shaped by past views and experiences. For years I had been treating God like He wasn’t hearing or listening to me and I accused Him of it often. This is quite a defeating lie for a believer and a workable place for the Satan to steal, kill, and destroy!
Finally, I grew to a place where, one day I heard the Lord say, “Don’t you believe that I have heard you?” He spoke it in such a gentle and effective way, despite how i had spoken to Him, which is His amazing nature. I was presented with the truth that would set me free and lead me out of a defeating cycle, if I believed it. He had heard me and His way out for me was to speak in faith and thankfulness, not in unbelief and accuation to be heard! My reassurance comes from Jesus’s personal communication with me and also from several different places in God’s Word…
You will answer me, God; I know You always will. Hear my words like you always do, as You listen to my every prayer ~Psalm 17:6 (Passion)
I quickly changed my words and spoke in thankfulness that my God does hear me and thanked Him, in faith, for what He is doing in my life even before I’ve seen all of it manifest visibly. And I have done so since and remain free to this day from the original lie and am experiencing victories of answered prayer and a more harmonious relationship with my God, in Jesus Name!
In this personal example of mine, escape and guidance took the form of believing God’s Word and revelations. It was so also for the the formally crippled man mentioned earlier. So a conclusion can definitely be made that one way out of old cycles is to believe God’s Word and personal revelations despite how things seem or feel. God’s solutions are specific to the need and are ALWAYS reliable! There is no circumstance or nothing that God doesn’t have a way of escape for! He always provides His loved ones (those who recieve and believe in Him) ways of escape to further freedom in Him, especially when we choose to let God guide us to the clearing of our situations and areas of our lives! Thank God!
I often learn the Lord’s truths in nature terms from the spiritual realm. I recieve many visuals of natural imagery and one huge concept that I apply to my daily life involves seeds and roots. Everything that happens in our life, through circumstances, other people’s decisions, and through the enemy’s interferences, are seeds that are planted in us. We can recieve seeds that are of the Holy Trinity, that take root inside to eventually grow into wonderful and victorious produce on the surface. They can manifest in our lives to become part of how we live in this natural realm. But things that are not of the Lord, like traumatic childhood or present experiences, can also be planted and take root to hinder us from being who the Lord has made us and from doing what the Lord planned for us to accomplish. A very fearful and unhealthy experience that may have happened to a person when they were younger can plant a seed of memory, and if not dealt with immediately, can take root in mind and thoughts. If that happens, it grows deep and becomes a stronghold that directs how one lives and acts…and most restricts them from where the Lord want to take them. Words as another example, can be spoken to us, by others, in a derailing and negative way when they are trying purposely to hurt us, doing it in ignorance, or not guided by the Holy Spirit. What we say has the power of death or life according to the Word (Proverbs 18:21) and they may take root by way of becoming how we think about ourselves, life, and the Holy Trinity. Anything can be planted in us, which is why it truly does matter what a person allows themselves to see and hear! I think the majority of this world probably doesn’t even have an understanding of this spiritual truth, which the Word even points out that people perish for a lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). Seeds that fall on the soil of our souls aren’t always a deliberate thing by us. We may unexpectedly hear something or see something and then we can’t always predict what someone else is going to do (like seeing someone wreck their car nearby or someone unexpectedly coming up and expressing their judgement about someone else). However, some of our actions can be deliberate, like what we watch. Images can be a very powerful and influence on a person, so be mindful of what you watch. All that is planted in us matters and it so wise, as in with every area of our lives, to pray and seek the Lord’s wisdom and council. Seeds can either bring life, encouragement and spiritual growth as they take root, or bad seeds could cause hinderances in willingness to do something that the Lord is guiding you to do in the present and future, taking room away from what is lovely and from expectations of victory in the spiritual walk. So, what to do with this revelation-knowledge? What the Lord has had me do is to pray in that all seeds and roots that the Lord has not planted in me be removed and completely replaced with the Lord’s truths, realities, and all good things from Him. In faith, i believe that it is done and that the Lord hears and answers, in Jesus Name. It works every time!
Persistence. This is the word the Lord has consistently brought me back to this year and it proves to be a very valuable quality! It compliments faith, causing seemingly impossible results to manifest, because being persistent shows that what you are believing for IS possible and worth it. The Lord is also persistent (Philippians1:6), both in having a relationship with us and continually helping us to discover and live the abundant life He specifically called each of us to. He is persistent because He believes we are worth it and He truly cares that we recieve the blessings/purposes He has for us! We can persist through Christ, who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13)! So don’t ever throw away your confidence by ceasing to be persistent, especially before you see your victory, in Jesus Name! Have a fresh and exciting new year!
For times when I’m in pursuit of spiritual realities, and I desire to recieve vital and unfailing guidance from my heavenly connection with the Holy Trinity, which is mine as a believer,
Or in times when i notice that my confidence in spiritual truths is beginning to fade because of something I see, that’s seemingly contradictive in appearance to those truths in this physical realm…
I use my weapon of fasting, so that I am not living by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the Lord (Matthew 4:4)
Fasting is not for proving anything to God, or to get Him to listen to you and I better.
Fasting is void of any significance if the heart motive for it is to prove to the Lord that we are good enough to recieve from Him or acting righteous enough as a believer
The true weapon is for your own footing…to stay spiritually sharp and focused for a continued victorious mindset!
Oh For Something More in You, Lord 