You can Hear God! Edu for Hearing God's voice, spiritual warfare, gifts and activation, counsel and keeping the fire blazing in chasing after Jesus!
ASK God to teach you and show you while you earnestly seek to be clean before Him, and He will guide you. CLING to the Word and His commentary of meaning directly to your spirit. SEEK earnestly the greatest gifts.... because by His Spirit Alone shall you know where HE is and what He is doing.
Take authority in your region of influence by bringing in the Presence of God -- Occupying until HE comes.
Jesus
did the work but we, as His ambassadors, must appropriate what He did,
making His enemies His footstool. He sent the Holy Spirit to comfort but
also to activate us in His Power. C'mon people... things are getting
worse because fewer & fewer people actively allow Jesus to reign
through them taking a stand!
In
this teaching from 2006, Stingray also talks about the importance of
paying attention to how the accuser of the brethren tries to get
believers to attack one-another & the best solution for this type of
mental retaliation after gaining ground on the enemy's front.
How
do you bring in the Presence of God??? -- Praise n' Worship?, Prayer
Walking?....Sorry folks, it's not a method...ASK JESUS.... after all, if
Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing... we are to do the same : )
On the same token...it's not so important that you implement a '3-day
rule' of not talking to people....but that you're mature enough to begin
to recognize the mental warfare that ensues... you may be able to
control it, but others might rail you unawares... easily forgetting
what's really going on (it's not so fun to try to explain it's the enemy
causing it in a heated moment so a blanket & agreed upon '3-day
rule' can be rather helpful).
The other day I was talking about prayer requests with someone & they told me the serious health problems people were having and how they'd pray for all that, but the minor ache and pain that they themselves suffered.... it wasn't as serious & they decided to just live with it.
I was stuck in a place where there wasn't room for me to interject, but it saddened me & later the Lord gave me a parable & told me what happens when people think along those lines...
He showed me that it's like a person being treated to a free buffet. The recipient is happy for some of it but when it comes to dessert (doing something for themselves) they reject the inclusion and insist on paying. We can think to ourselves, "How ridiculous would it be to go up to the dessert bar at a buffet and try and shove them money in an all inclusive environment?"; but it's worse than that... God showed me the offense to the sacrifice His Son had to make in even rejecting one part of the very costly 'buffet' He paid for.
OUCH... I had never thought of a person being content to suffer in line with willful rejection; offending God! And then He pointed out what the underlying roots of the enemy that have a hold blocking that person's abundant life: pride, self hatred, rejection, self pity and doubt. Even though the person reads the bible daily, unless that person can be delivered from such, they are trapped in that cycle; which brings up the subject of Deliverance.
If you look up the following verse in the Strong's concordance, you will find the depth of what the term SALVATION means:
Philippians 2:12-13 New American Standard Bible (NASB) 12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Let me post some of the distinct Strong's meanings for 'salvation' used above: "deliverance from the molestation of enemies; in an ethical sense, that which concludes to the soul's safety or salvation". So working out your salvation is actively seeking deliverance; part of the whole 'conforming to Christ Jesus' plan.
We are NEVER meant to 'settle' for less and anything blocking the way of that is ripe for deliverance. WE must change & part of that change is removing that which hinders or OPPRESSES our conforming to Christ Jesus. Jesus has assured us that we have authority in His Name, right? How about we use it?!! Deliverance is FOR the believer - AMEN!
I recently received a good question from a person that has a hunger about 'God' but still isn't 'sold' in the heart area:
Q: "I understand that you are pretty confident in your beliefs...let me ask you a simple question: have you been looking for disconfirming evidence to your beliefs?"
A: "You don't understand what a radical conversion experience brings… it's something others cannot understand if they don't have the living God in their life (the Holy Spirit living within). He's more real than you are… that's why the apostles had no problem witnessing even unto the grave after Jesus ascended.
During the loneliest time of my life…I ran to God and HE showed up with literal signs and wonders. Think about it…. do people these days 'need God'? Who runs, asks, seeks & knocks…. who really tests the scripture to see if its so?
The problem is that I needed God and every step I took in believing/trusting…He was there. But is that a problem? It is for ever turning back.
Then come the promises in abiding (which is abundant life)… How often do people pray their needs but never get to know Him? Read the word because they need something but then don't do anything God says to do found in the bible? Not many, and that's not 'relationship' which is what God wants with His creation. He wants to be loved in relationship, not as a dictator. I can't buy your love in friendship, nor will God (Jesus was enough).
So if I have dreams that are prophetic and happen (even documented on YouTube), and visions - if I hear Him speak - if I've seen spirits - if I've been delivered from spirits simply by following what the bible says to do and felt them physically leave my body and experienced freedom… and been healed from sciatica, - and if - and if…..and if….. why would I have cause to doubt, lest I was dealing with a spirit of doubt?
My history is so full of Him that people that don't know 'us' have no say in our relationship; and that's a problem for you, not me. I'm sorry I can't manufacture 'relationship' that He offers with you so you could understand….nor do I offer my irl (in real life) husband over to single women, LOL…. I tell em': "get your own man!" So see the cost involved….and ask yourself if you really care to know. That is the only way…we have to want to & then take Him at His word or Christianity doesn't seem to fly."
"The Lord...visits the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation."(Exodus 34:6-7 / Deuteronomy 5:8-10)
A: The thing you have to understand is that sin creates a stain & Jesus is the only covering for it. If family willfully sinned in the past & never repented, the curse from sin passes on. As Christians, we use our authority to break these things in the name of Jesus & by His shed blood. Just because He died and we are "Christians", doesn't mean the stain is gone.... it has to be actively appropriated (definition: to take to or for oneself; take possession of)--the blood must be applied...
Think of the Israelites readying to escape the bondage of pharaoh. God commanded they kill a lamb and apply the blood over the door-frame so that the angel of death would see it and pass on. HE didn't say....'just kill the lamb', no, HE said the blood HAD to be over that door-frame (see Exodus 12). In every home that had no lamb's-blood over the door-frame, the eldest child perished.
Jesus told us: "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill." Matthew 5:17
When I read that passage I understand that the old cursings and blessings are still in effect... they haven't 'passed away'... everything must come under the submission of our Lord Jesus Christ and we are His vessels for AcTiOn!
We can see everything in the Bible is 'action-based'... the full armor of God listed in Ephesians 6.... it's active stuff.... 'take' and 'put on' are not relaxing do-nothing verbiage. LOL! This christian life is all about 'doing' & 'appropriating', whereas most of Christendom thinks, "I've made Jesus my Lord, and that's enuff." But I look at the promises in the Word and look at the world and cause and effect are plainly seen. If God promises abundant life and it's not happening, there must be a reason.... we know satan is beneath us, don't we???
Look at this interesting scripture from Psalm 110:1...
"The LORD says to my Lord: 'Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.'"
We get a picture of Jesus and God conversing. When Jesus ascended on high, He went to be seated at the right hand of the Father & this was just after giving his great commission mandate....
Mark 16:17-19 "These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God."
How are the enemies of God made a footstool for His feet? By us taking our authority as believers! Appropriate what He purchased for us, there is Power in His name and Power in His shed blood!
Receiving and flowing in the Gift of Tongues is all about taking thoughts captive, worshipping God, and Faith in the truth of the Word of God. If you've been struggling to manifest this gifting, the following testimony may give you a boost to keep going.
It's a beautiful thing to mentor… and after E.J. got his breakthrough in confidently flowing in the gift of tongues, I asked him if he'd testify about it to bless others that are desiring the promise as well. He welcomed the chance… BE BLESSED!
Well it all started like this. Actually I've been praying about it for three years to be exact because now its 2015. In all this time I hadn't received it (gift of tongues). So I stopped praying about it. Until this past October/November I just got interested again. I prayed and prayed but I didn't receive it.
In December I got really desperate, and so hungry about it, so I did a lot of research about how to get it/what to do in order to get it, etc. I watched a lot of videos on YouTube about speaking in tongues. I discovered that we should move our mouth when we ask for it. Honestly, I prayed to receive it for almost a week, and then out of nowhere, I just wanted to try it. ---And it happened! BUT, the enemy came and told me it was fake, and also tried to make me think it was counterfeit tongues. Then I saw your video, and messaged you about this struggle, and knew to not give up; building my faith.
On January 2, in the afternoon… I was watching more videos and wanted to try it again because I got really tired of the enemy telling me its not real. So I went to my room. I sat there and just praised God and worshiped Him and really concentrated on HIM. I just kept saying Hallelujah over and over again until my tongue started to get kind of tied-up-feeling, and the Holy Spirit told me to, "Loosen up. Let it flow".
Then I just started speaking-- with the enemy continuing to attack, but I didn't listen to him. I just continued speaking and just let go and let it flow until I began to feel the warmth of the Holy Spirit. I began worshiping Him even more and got on my knees and with my hands up, praised Him and just prayed and prayed. I Spoke and spoke until I got so comfortable and felt so free, then I paused for a while. There was this feeling inside of me to speak more. So just couldn't control myself and prayed in tongues again. I came to a place where I felt so loved and peaceful and ended up crying, all the while still speaking in tongues.
I actually prayed in tongues for about 5 hours with small breaks, because I just couldn't help myself, I just let it flow even more. I felt sohappy.
The feeling at first, when I was new with it, was very strange. There was the enemy who just kept telling me that it is fake and I was making it up; trying to make me think it was counterfeit tongues. So I felt very frustrated and doubtful and I couldn't sleep for days. I had to know more and more on how to truly receive it.
I didn't give up. I just kept praying, until I 'got it'. I just let it flow and I fought the feeling of doubt and just went with the flow. And there it was, I had the breakthrough. FAITH is how I got the gift. Its because of Faith. :)))
"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world -our faith."
Couldn't be a better time to share the love of Jesus than in the glowing, festive season of expectation that Christmas brings with it. And Christmas is definitely about giving... so I have a wonderful outreach idea for blessing children, that includes a free PDF you can print out.
The bare bones...
This is basically a 'be excellent in character' message from Jesus that incorporates a future hope along with the reason for Christmas. The 'character' theme is fun because we will be including a lego 'character kit' as part of the gift.
It is designed "2-up" and will be printed on both sides, cut in half and folded "card style".
The Message... (Here is the body of the message included in the PDF):
I know Christmas is my birthday celebration, and usually the birthday boy is the one who gets the cards. But I wanted to give you something in this very special season because you are very special to me.
It is a 'busy-busy' season, but we can learn a lot from the wise men that visited me on my birthday. They stopped their worldly activities, sought the Savior, and offered a special gift to me.
Just as Christmas decorations make our homes pretty, so our lives can be beautiful when they are “decorated” with 'godly character' such as kindness, love, giving, faithfulness, gentleness, contentment and respect for others.
On that first Christmas morning, I may have been just a baby, but I had you in mind. Long before you were born, I knew you. I came because I love you. Just like there is a plan for this fun character you build… I have a great plan for you! Here is a special word from Me to you:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:1-3
Someday we will meet face to face. Until then, keep building godly character. Have a very Merry Christmas.
Love, Jesus
Things you will need:
• Preferably yellow copy paper, cardstock weight if you can.
• A lego or lego-style mini character kit
• Christmas treat bag
*Note: I used a 'knock-off' of lego to keep the costs down. I was able to find them sold in lots of '10' (bulk) on ebay. We wrote "Merry Christmas" and my son signed his name before we taped the lego kit down... so it's like a nice surprise found after the kit is removed.
I simply tape the lego 'character kit' on the inside of the card.
An Encourager...
It's getting harder and harder to speak "Jesus" in schools today so I'm always on the look-out for ways to keep the door open. In my case, the school ships the kids in a bus on fridays to the church across the street for "Religious Enrichment"... an opt program that must be parent-approved, and YAY, it's just Christian. Every kid in the class has consent & goes to it! But that is my back up plan....we are going to try our "Building Good Character" gift as an elementary school Christmas party gift. Where will you use it? Homeless shelters, neighborhood kids, those once-a-year visitors at your Christmas church services... be creative!
I want to encourage any of you... especially if you are in an 'easy' community that hasn't succumbed to the pressures of atheistic culture, and if everyone is just fine with Jesus... to not be afraid to let the majority rule. Make it known to the PTA that real Christmas songs are important to you & not white-washed 'holiday' mumbo jumbo. Vie for the contested live nativity in the next town. Encourage carolers and be a cocoa or snack stop for them. There is so much we can do to spread the joy and message of Jesus our Emmanuel. It is only going to close up and clamp down more and more and the world needs you to stand for Jesus... for these little ones that need to HEAR.
A: A very short question…I'm not sure of what angle this question was presented, but I will suggest many things…. 1.) Position your heart for healing
….healing only happens by faith. Sometimes its by the faith of the one doing the praying & sometimes the recipient, but we know one of the 2 has to have faith! We know that "faith comes by hearing & hearing by the Word…" (Romans 10:17), so get in the Word to gain faith for the healing.
2.) Conform to Christ Jesus
… .another imploring to read the Word. We have to believe what the Word says to be an heir of it. No matter the topic…but since this is healing…gather up healing scriptures like these:
…. and meditate on them over & over. When you begin to believe the truth you will get excited in the Word and the fire from it fuels your prayer. And we know the prayer of a righteous one avails much! (James 5:16)
3.) Praise & worship
....let the excitement cross over into adoration…anticipation of the promised truth…after all, HE is Worthy! Praise attracts God’s presence. He is drawn to where He is welcomed. If 'by His stripes we are healed', then we can fixate on how we'd be Praising Him for the manifestation of the healing. So start now!
4.) Relationship
…. just a moment ago the Lord gave me a lil' vision for you… He showed me an invited stranger bursting into a formally seated banquet & demanding healing. No, it doesn't work that way….first are introductions, gratefulness for being invited….giving the host a gift (your heart) and then casual talking & mingling….. and so on. Sometimes we need to put on God's shoes & apply what we know of Him==knowing His terms, what He expects & then apply to how we like to be treated etc.
It's like getting an invitation to a scavenger hunt with the promised reward of a pot of gold. We can stand there and demand our gold all day long, but the prize only comes in following the instruction (the Word)…going from clue to clue to the end…whilst the demanding fool had the same opportunity, but gets nothing by belligerently standing there. ….but back to the banquet scenario:
….If we gave an invitation to all, we'd still expect to get to know people in relationship. Someone barreling in demanding---even if the Word says we are heir….LOL, we have to act like heirs, not vigilantes! It's how love is proven. We can't only go the motions to get something…real love is give and take, sacrifice & surrender.
5.) Asking others to pray for you ….but really WITH you as you are pressing in, in relationship with God. Hey, it's biblical!
This can be within your church fellowship/family and beyond.
I created a forum to encourage group interaction... you can post a request on the forum at: theironsmiths.com
There are people that naturally have the 'gift of healing'… seeking those types out if they visit your area or to go visit them….(the laying on of hands type of thing), is definitely an option as well. Just pray to God and listen to what He impresses upon you to do. To hop from healing evangelist to the next as a 'groupie' more than pressing in to God isn't so much 'relationship building' with the one who is the source of all healing, a? Perhaps God will tell you "No.", about getting prayer that route, but rest assured His way is the best way.
6.) Perseverance
….He wants all the souls. He wants us eternally. We don't want to be as a beggar that rejects the mansion for the immediate handout, so the process is a refining one. The goal isn't in getting our healing & then move on… what we go through becomes the testimonial to encourage those that WE will then lay hands on to recover.
7.) Believe!
We are to heal the sick, raise the dead and deliver in His name, in the 'big picture', so while you are pressing in for yourself, start RIGHT NOW, in practicing the truth. If we decide we won't take up those promises until we are healed, the enemy will target that lie, and healing may never come because of 'conditions' we've placed upon God. But, if we focus and implement the truth in believing for others, we are fueling faith and our own healing shall not be far off!