Tuesday, November 10, 2009

DAY 2 Get out your sword and FIGHT!

Ephesians 6:17 (NLT) Put on salvation as your helmet and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

What I wouldn't give to be seeing all of you right now face to face because I sense the Holy Spirit is moving in a BIG way. I can feel His anointing on all of us. Can you? Have you been able to spend some time alone with Him? Have you listened to the whisper in your ear? Have you heard Him say, "I love you my child. You bring me delight."? I truly believe with all of my heart that right now, TODAY, November 10th is a day of supernatural healing for many of us. Claim it as yours! He offers healing. Take it!

This morning I was reading in the book of Acts and came across the passage when Peter heals Aeneas. Acts 9:32-35 Meanwhile, Peter traveled from place to place, and he came down to visit the believers in the town of Lydda. 33There he met a man named Aeneas, who had been paralyzed and bedridden for eight years. 34 Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you! Get up, and roll up your sleeping mat!” And he was healed instantly. 35 Then the whole population of Lydda and Sharon saw Aeneas walking around, and they turned to the Lord.

I found this passage to be kind of funny. I can only imagine Peter's tone of voice. "Uh, Aeneas, JESUS CHRIST HEALS! GET UP! Duh!". I could see him shaking his head and smiling. Why do we make it so difficult? Jesus healing us lines up with God's Word! Whether it's cancer, a terminal illness, an addiction, a mindset, a marriage, a relationship, anything and everything. JESUS CHRIST HEALS!

James chapter 4 says that He will heal the sick and make them well. Sick doesn't have to be a physical state. It can be a stronghold or any other struggle. He heals our past. He heals our present! He Heals!

A Bible Study I did recently was all about meditating on Scripture. After each verse it asked you to stop and take a moment to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you how this particular verse applied to your current battle. It was the most powerful thing I had ever done with the Word of God. You see the WORD is what heals us. It's the only thing that will truly set us free. I've said this over and over again, the WORD has a heart beat. It's living, breathing and constantly going to speak to your current struggles. One of my biggest struggles with "the church" today is the disservice they do by feeding the Word of God through PowerPoint. There is nothing wrong with PowerPoint and it is a great tool for teaching but so many of us don't even take our Bibles to church anymore. Not too long ago I was sitting in a service and decided to look around and see who had their Bibles. I am totally serious when I tell you, I SAW NO ONE with their Bible. Instead they were all looking up at the screens. This is NOT about trashing the way of the church but for me and my family I knew that I had to be in a WORD DRIVEN body of believers. Sure we attend Bible Studies, we are encouraged by Life Application sermon series but what about Men and Women of God opening up their Bibles and preaching straight from the Word of God? Unafraid of offending someone. Unafraid of losing the "seeker". There is LIFE in the WORD! There is KNOWLEDGE in the WORD. There is HEALING power in the WORD. Every single thing we will come face to face with in this life, the BIBLE can direct us. Now I may have lost of few of you already. You may be mad but I believe it is the truth. I'm not saying if you are going to a church that teaches Sermon Series out of books or your stage has fog and lights that it's not of God. What I am saying is ALL WE NEED is right there in HIS Word. If we are not being fed, challenged and walking away completely changed, I question that.

The Battles of this world are excruciating. If you don't have an army behind you, you better find one. God wants us to be surrounded by people who are willing to be clean. People who are willing to expose the darkness and uncover their hidden sin. Thankfully there is a church for all kinds of us. We are all at different places. But a lot of you have been in the same place for WAY TOO long. Are you in a dry place? Do you see life around you? Do you see growth? Do you see those around you being convicted of gossip, convicted of lying, convicted of bad choices? You should be seeing people change and never be the same again! I have so many things I have dealt with in my life regarding self doubt, fear and allowing others to control my emotions. That's why I need JESUS! I don't want to stay where I am at! I don't want to be insecure! I don't want to allow others to trample over me! I want to LIVE and BREATHE in HIM but I have to put myself around others who will encourage that.

So here's something we all need to be set free on, especially as women of God. If someone doesn't like you, if someone is talking about you, if someone is saying ugly things about you in the church lobby, move on. If you continue to struggle with trying to make everyone happy or constantly try to make sure everyone likes you, STOP. Who do you see in your life that has been able to grab a hold of Jesus and truly be CHANGED? It won't be hard to figure out. You will see the evidence. It doesn't mean you don't love and forgive. We should treat everyone according to what the WORD says. We should love no matter what. I have allowed so many people to control me. The times I have run up and down the streets in my community training for marathons and have passed people in their cars and they've ignored me without even waving. My Husband has been ignored in the grocery store by people. And those types of people used to keep me up at night and have me all in a fit! I mean I would CRUMBLE. Not anymore!

If someone ignores you, talks bad about you or wants to criticize you or your ideas, shake the dust off your feet and move on. Don't allow the enemy to distract you with STUPID stuff. I have been distracted for a couple of years now with STUPID stuff. NOT ANYMORE! I am not angry, I am not unforgiving. I have just decided to quit handing my peace over to those who do not have my best interest in mind.

Ladies, I KNOW this is a huge struggle for MANY of us. I can own it! I have struggled with so much in my last church and I gave so much power to the enemy. He uses other believers as a pawn and I refuse to be his pawn anymore. I have released those who have hurt my family. I will not hold them captive anymore because it is me I am hurting. I want to be free! Free to love which enables me to also be FREE TO BE ME!

So I know this was a long post to start DAY 2 off with but if we want God to heal us, we have to(1) be transformed by HIS WORD. (2)We have to make sure we are surrounding ourselves with people who desire to do the same. If you are an alcoholic trying to be set free from drinking, wouldn't you want to be around those who are on that same road? Why would you go hang out with drunks when you want to be healed from drinking? It's the same for our spiritual life. If you want to be changed, get DESPERATE! Look for life! Look for nourishment. If that means you cut off some relationships that are holding you back, that is what you do! Be diligent in chasing after HIM!

Before I let you loose to print Day 2, I must confess. I do not have this all beat. I will always struggle in these areas. It's life. I have caused quarrels, I have questioned and challenged leadership when I should not. I have been ugly. I have allowed the enemy to use me. But I CRAVE change. I DO NOT want to be a tool of the enemy. NO MORE! Self doubt will be HEALED! Spirit of rejection will be HEALED! Negative thoughts will be HEALED! I am done allowing the enemy to use my life as a playground!

How about you? When are you going to get mad and tell that mean "Hater" where to go?! Let today be the day you put him in his place! HELL!

2
Timothy 2:22-26 (Amplified Bible)

22Shun youthful lusts and flee from them, and aim at and pursue righteousness (all that is virtuous and good, right living, conformity to the will of God in thought, word, and deed); [and aim at and pursue] faith, love, [and] peace (harmony and concord with others) in fellowship with all [Christians], who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart.

23But refuse (shut your mind against, have nothing to do with) trifling (ill-informed, unedifying, stupid) controversies over ignorant questionings, for you know that they foster strife and breed quarrels.

24And the servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome (fighting and contending). Instead, he must be kindly to everyone and mild-tempered [preserving the bond of peace]; he must be a skilled and suitable teacher, patient and forbearing and willing to suffer wrong.

25He must correct his opponents with courtesy and gentleness, in the hope that God may grant that they will repent and come to know the Truth [that they will perceive and recognize and become accurately acquainted with and acknowledge it],

26And that they may come to their senses [and] escape out of the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him, [henceforth] to do His [God's] will


Reflection-Click Here (Do NOT click this until you have completed Day 2. PLEASE! It is a part of the study and you will know when to come back to this)

7 comments:

CHER said...

The devil has been kicking me down repeatedly for nearly a year. My husband and I got fired from our youth pastorship because I said that I did not want to have a discussion while I was angry. We got kicked out of our church, and suddenly our friends were all gone. I am so hurt by this I cannot even find words. I am shocked at how the devil has robbed us of so much because I did the right thing. Its just seems to be getting harder to fight the fight.I grew up in an abusive home and was the target for everyones abuse. Nothing has changed there. I have had a spirit of rejection over me my whole life, so for this to happen in my "church family" is heartbreaking.

Christina said...

My hope, my prayer is that I will be healed from the chains of my past. Chains of abuse that started when I was 4 years old, that day I lost my childhood. I lost a piece of myself. I WANT IT BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I pray for Christ to heal me from my self doubt, and from feeling unlovable. The past few years have been rough. Relationships have come and gone and the Hater has drug me down so low, I have struggled to take another step. I felt like I was constantly being judged by friends and family. Those who are supposed to love me unconditionally. I feel that God has given me this amazing gift to Love whole heartedly. When ohers hurt me, I can forgive and forget. But, when it comes to forgiving myself, it has been almost impossible. I had been carrying my past with me so long I questioned why anyone would love me. My own earthly father doesn't even care.

But, There is HOPE! I am receiving God's Grace every day. Through people that He has strategically placed in my life; through His WORD; and by his unfailing love for me and others! I am JOYFUL! Bring on the battles! I will be RENEWED!

Love you all!

Steph

Steph said...

I am at a loss for words because I don't even know where to begin. I have always had a low self esteem and in the past year the devil has really been working hard to bring me down. I have struggled with emotional eating for almost 4 years now. As soon as I seem to conquer it, the devil is right there waiting for me. In the past 9 months, I have been struggling with anxiety and it has affected my life majorly - especially in my relationships. I pray for renewal and for my life back.

Stacey said...

Like Steph said, I don't even know where to start.
My mountains in need of healing are numerous! A physical illness which has brought with it much shame and feelings of being a failure. Notice, I did not write feelings of failure. Oh no, the "hater" as Amanda calls him, would have me believe that not only have I failed, but I AM a failure. He wants me to take my identity in that. The jerk.
I want the tapes that play in my head to be erased once and for all. Many of them have been healed and erased over the years, thanks to the amazing women in my prayer group and the years of healing prayers we have done. But it's amazing how new mountains come up as you come around the bend in the road, ya know? The tapes that play in my mind consist of self-loathing and shame, and of course being a failure.
As you can imagine, this greatly affects my marriage and my parenting, as well as my ability & desire to make new friends here in Phoenix (we just moved).

Thank you for sharing, ladies! I am going to go to bed now and pray for each of you by name before I sleep, drenched in HIS WORD!!!!

Andrea said...

Over the past few months the devil has knocked me down day after day, hour after hour! There has not been an hour where I don't think about my past! How my POOR choices are now affecting my life today. I am repeatedly reminded how I can't ever finish anything I ever start and I haven't accomplished any of my goals. My self esteem is the lowest of the lows. Instead of Seeking GOD first, I let the devil in and I start agreeing and accepting my failures in my life.

I realize that I need to FIGHT for my life and know that GOD is in control! I need to give my past, my lost goals, my self esteem, my child, and my Life to GOD! I need to be drenched in GODS word and I need to be RENEWED!

Paula said...

My fight is with God! Hows do I get past that?