What you think about God is the most important thought you are ever going to have about anything. – Graham Cooke

I believe the statement above is absolutely true. What you believe about God determines just about every decision you will ever make and those decisions will determine the accumulation of consequences in your life that will define it. Knowing what you believe about God is the first step to coming into alignment with his truth.

If I were to ask the average believer if he knows what he believes about God, the answer would most likely be “Of course!” Then that believer would begin to tell me everything he had ever learned in church about God and probably give me all the right answers. But knowing the right answers does not always mean that is what we believe. We typically believe that we believe the things we should believe. But our actions are more often the real indicators of what we truly believe.

For instance, if you are high on control in your life then you may actually believe that: (1) God does not always know what is best for you, or (2) God doesn’t always do what is best for you or (3) God is unable to accomplish the things in your life that would always be in your best interest. So…either God doesn’t know, he doesn’t care, or he can’t. Why else would you always have to be in the driver’s seat rather than letting God drive?   When we always have to be in control of the situation or always have to control the people around us it is, most likely, because we are afraid of being hurt or not having our needs met. We don’t trust God to meet our needs, protect us, or work things out for our ultimate benefit. If we don’t trust God it is because we believe he is either untrustworthy or incapable. Our actions are evidence of our actual beliefs.

If we are angry with God, then we must believe that he is uncaring, unfaithful, or incapable because we have taken up an offense against God believing that He betrayed us or wronged us in some way. Deep within, we believe that the Father does not always love, does not always keep his promises, and is not always righteous. Otherwise, how he could have wronged us?

If we are constantly driven by fear, then we hold similar beliefs about God or, at least, believe that God’s love is based on our performance and since we know our performance often falls short, we believe he doesn’t love us and, therefore, he will neither protect us nor provide for us. The world, then, becomes a frightening place.

We could go on but you get the drift. Most of us know what the Bible says about God but out actions reveal a deeper level of beliefs about God that are contrary to scripture. Taking a look at our actions and what they suggest about our view of God is the first step to correcting misbeliefs and is the first step to real faith.

Much of our disappointment with God, anger at him, or even “unbelief” comes from some experience in which we believe God let us down or wasn’t there for us. It is as if we have snapshots of God in our hearts through which we judge him even though the snapshots are taken in an isolated moment of time without regard for all the frames before that moment or after.

In my book, Born to Be Free, I tell a story that demonstrates that principle. Several years ago, I counseled a woman who was a survivor of satanic ritual abuse. When she was five years old she was taken to a “church” by her mother and left with some adult “church workers” who then took her to the basement of the building. In that dark basement, she became part of a satanic ritual complete with robes, candles, sexual molestation, incantations, threats and more. Terrified, this little girl cried out to God to have them stop … but they didn’t. Later, her mother picked her up and took her home. The little girl never told her mother thinking that she was part of what had happened to her or that the Satanists would kill her and her mother is she ever told anyone what had happened.

As an adult, she attended church faithfully and served in several ministries there but suffered from clinical depression. As we talked about her depression we got around to her relationship with God. She told me her story. She left that childhood experience with several negative views of God deep in her soul. Either he didn’t exist or he wasn’t loving (or at least didn’t love her) or Satan was more powerful than God because he didn’t supernaturally rescue her from those people.

Even though she was extremely hungry for God she couldn’t trust him to protect her or provide for her and she wasn’t sure that the loved her. Some days she wasn’t sure that he existed. She was fearful, controlling, self-rejecting and often found ways to medicate her emotions. After all, from her childhood perspective, she was on her own in a dangerous world being run by a God she couldn’t count on.

Our first step was to talk about the concept God’s love and free will. It is a difficult concept and gets back to the question, “If there is a loving God, why is there so much evil in the world?” That is a great question and one we will tackle briefly in my next blog. In the meantime, make Paul’s prayer to the Ephesians your own prayer as you ask God for a revelation of his true nature for your heart and be blessed today.

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. (Eph.1:17-19).

I’ve been reviewing a book by Jonathan Welton entitled The School of the Seers. It is a book about the gift of spiritual discernment and the ability to see into the spiritual realm. I know several people with that gift. It manifests in several ways but from time to time or nearly all the time these individuals can see angels, demons, and other symbolic things in the spiritual realm as if having an open vision. Whether what they see is literal or symbolic of something that is literally operating in the spiritual realm is up for debate but God definitely shows them spiritual realities in real time.

Welton says something interesting about words in the spiritual realm that is worth considering. “On one occasion when I was praying for the sick, I saw something unique about the woman I was about to pray for. Before she told me what illness she was suffering with, I saw spears stuck in her from all directions in the spirit realm. They were about ten feet long and literally stuck out of her in every direction….the woman told me she had anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, Epstein Barr virus, and many other similar ailments…Some of the spears had writing on them which explained what they were and how they had arrived there (such as hate, disappointment, and fear).

We spent some time forgiving individuals who had hurt her, releasing word curses, and dealing with many heart issues. As we processed these issues, the spears were being removed by the Spirit…The Lord gave me an insight into why I see so many swords, spears, and other weapons stuck into people in the Spirit. We see in Ephesians 6:17 that when words are in the hands of the Holy Spirit, those words are the sword of the Holy Spirit, “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Simply stated, in the spirit, words equal swords – so with our mouths we also wield swords….we can use words in a destructive manner which literally stabs and injures others” (Johnathan Welton, The School of the Seers, p. 85-86, Destiny Image Publishing).

We know that that the tongue has the power of life and death, but most of us still tend to only think of hurtful words causing injury in the natural realm by wounding emotions and battering self-esteem. But what if something literally happens in the spiritual realm that effects us in the natural? In his book, Welton said that when people would approach the woman, they would rake the spears which created tremendous pain in her soul. Because of that, she kept her distance from people. After his prayer, and the spears being removed by the Spirit, her physical illness symptoms disappeared and she was able to hug and connect with other human beings without fear of pain.

What if we saw our words in the spiritual realm either literally wounding people or injecting life and strength into them? What if we saw them as slicing and stabbing like swords or spears of the enemy or as pellets of life-giving water splashing over them, healing old wounds and reviving their souls? Would that temper our words? Would that prompt us to always be dispensers of healing instead of pain? James tells us that fresh water should always flow from our mouths rather than salt water. Fresh water gives life to green plants while salt water brings death.

We did a study on James a few weeks ago and looked at the verse instructing us to resist the devil. Developing a habit of always building others up with our words and speaking blessings over them is a powerful way to wield a sword against the enemy. Speaking over ourselves in the same way is also a powerful sword. Spiritual warfare is primarily done with words because words carry power and authority. We should be aware of that 24/7 not just when commanding demons or commanding healing over a person. Ours should be a lifestyle of speaking life, removing spears, and healing the slashes of the enemies swords in every person we connect with.

Sometimes, people wonder why sinners and broken people were so drawn to Jesus. I believe it is because he always spoke life over them and they were drawn to that source of life. Be blessed today and be a constant source of blessing to those around you just as Jesus would do.

Faith is first trusting in the character of God. All of his promises and our expectations for those promises rest on His character. When we pray “according to his will,” our first level of prayer is simply asking for things that are aligned with his general values and principles as revealed in scripture. If God commanded a thing in scripture or if his Word calls us to a certain thing then we can always pray for it with the expectation that our prayer pleases the Father and that he is willing to do what we ask. Praying for the salvation of another person is always according to God’s will because God desires that all men should be saved. Praying for a heart that loves my enemies is according to God’s will because Jesus taught me to love my enemies. God always has a heart for those things so I can always pray for those things with an expectation that God will move in response to my prayer.

When I pray, I can expect God to act because of who God is. I must also be open to the possibility when I am praying from his general will and from my own desires that some conditions in the spiritual realm may prevent God from acting on my prayer. That doesn’t mean that God isn’t all-powerful. It means that God has sovereignly placed limitations on himself that allow men to act with free will. I may pray for a person’s salvation and God will work in that person’s life to produce faith and repentance, but ultimately, he will not force his will on that individual. Think of how many people heard Jesus preach and even saw his miracles but refused to believe. Many of the miracles were performed expressly so that men might believe in Jesus, but many still refused.

There is another level of meaning to “according to His will,” however, that allows us to pray with absolute confidence not only in the character of God but also in the outcomes. When we hear the Lord’s voice and he directs us to pray for ourselves or another person for healing, protection, provision, etc. we can pray with absolute confidence because God has already determined to do the thing. He is only waiting for us to pray so that he can release his power into that situation. Learning to hear God and taking time to hear him, even before praying, is going to increase the number of prayers we see answered and will increase our faith for answered prayers and miracles.

Many of us have prayed for miracles and have not seen them or have seen only a few. Because of that, when we do pray we have little expectation of God moving in supernatural ways in response to our prayers. However, if we would seek God in the matters of when to pray and what to pray over a situation, we would see more answers and learn to be more effective in prayer. Wise kings in the Old Testament inquired of God before going into battle. They would ask if they should fight, when they should fight, and how they should fight. God would tell them to go into battle right away or to postpone the encounter. He would also give them a strategy for the battle that insured victory.

We would do well to approach critical situations in our lives and the lives of those we pray for in the same way. As we hear from God, our prayers will be more on target and more effective. Since we are instructed to pray without ceasing, we need to have an ongoing dialogue with the Lord as well.

However, if I haven’t heard from the Lord, it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t pray. If a situation is on my heart and I know that I am praying for something that is consistent with God’s will, then I should pray as I feel led or as my experience directs me. However, if I’m not seeing the hand of God soon, I may want to press in harder and ask God to show me if there is something getting in the way of that prayer being answered. It may just be timing, but spiritual conditions may be getting in the way. For instance, before praying for healing or deliverance, we often ask a person if he is holding bitterness and unforgiveness toward someone who has wounded him. Unforgiveness gets in the way of many prayers being answered. If there is persistent, unrepented sin in the life of an individual that may also get in the way. Even curses give demons a legal right to resist the blessings of God in a person’s life so those things need to be revealed and dealt with before our prayers will have the effect that we desire and that God desires.

I don’t want to give the impression that I have all this figured out. I still jump into prayer without asking God what and how I should be praying. I still go into spiritual battle at times without inquiring of the Lord. He is gracious and frequently moves on my behalf, even when I don’t seek his counsel first. But I am growing in this area and know that hearing from God, before I pray rather than after, is the most effective way to pray and for my faith and understanding to grow.

I need to acknowledge that hearing from God is not always a clear voice in my head. Sometimes it is just a strong feeling or confirmation in my spirit or my heart that God wants to do something. I know some people with a gift of healing who see an “aura” around a person God wants to heal at that moment. Others are alerted in dreams that God wants them to pray for a certain person about a certain thing. God’s direction comes in many forms but the key is to look for that direction as we pray or, even better, before we pray. As we do faith grows. Be blessed today in all that you do.

In my previous blog, I talked about the nature of faith and, especially, the faith for miracles. One question that always comes up in relation to faith and miracles is, “How much faith is enough faith?” That question seems to be a natural response to several statements made by Jesus in the gospels regarding answers to prayer. To the Roman centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you according to your faith.” And the servant was healed in that hour” (Mt.8:13, RSVP). To two blind men Jesus said, “According to your faith let it be done to you.”  And their eyes were opened” (MT.9:29). In another place Jesus told his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mk.11:24).

In these verses and others, Jesus related answered prayers and miracles to the measure of faith one possessed. The question then becomes, “How much is that measure?” Is it some faith, more faith than doubt, or absolute faith that is required? Unfortunately, I think the answer is, “It depends.” For instance, there are several miracles in which a man was healed who had no faith at all because he didn’t even know who Jesus was or what he was about to do. The man born blind in the gospel of John (chapter 9) seemed to be as surprised as anyone that he was seeing. He told the leaders of the Jews that he didn’t know much about the man who healed him; he only knew that he was healed. The lame man at the pool of Bethesda (Jn.5) thought Jesus was going to help him into the water. He had no faith for healing because he wasn’t anticipating healing at the hands of Jesus – and yet he was healed. And then there was the father of the boy who had a demon that kept casting him into fire and water. When Jesus asked the man if he believed that he could heal his son, the father declared, “I do believe, help my unbelief” (Mk.9:24). Here was a man who had some faith that was mixed with some uncertainty. And yet, Jesus healed the boy.

From these examples it seems that perfect faith is not always required for answered prayer or for miracles. Indeed, I question whether we can even have “perfect” faith because as Paul argues in Romans 7, our flesh wars against our spirit. Our flesh will inject doubt and the enemy will whisper doubt even when our spirit believes. Again, I frequently find myself in the position of knowing that God can do anything but not being sure that he will act in a certain circumstance. Knowing that God wills something is not the same as knowing that he will do it in the way and in the timing I desire. God is often willing to do something but does not because the conditions have not been met for answered prayer or a miracle.

James says that we have not because we ask not. So…much of the time asking is a condition for receiving. Sometimes a significant level of faith is required because the person offering the prayer or receiving the miracle should have significant faith because of the opportunities for faith and trust that God has placed in his or her life. To whom much is given much is required. There are simply times when we should have matured in our faith but have not because we have been casual, we have quenched the Spirit, and we have persisted in unbelief. We are double-minded because we have chosen not to do the things that would help us grow in the Lord. James tells us that a double-minded man will not have his prayers answered (James 1:7). On the other hand, those new to the faith or encountering Jesus for the first time are not required to have much faith or any faith to see a miracle or have prayers answered in powerful ways.

Unrepented sin, unforgiveness, double-mindedness, idolatry, etc. can all get in the way of answered prayers and miracles. While knowing that, we must still be careful not to judge or blame someone because, at other times, the reason a miracle does not occur is simply a mystery. I know amazingly godly people who have prayed with great faith for a miracle of healing and have not received it while others with little faith and a ragged life have been healed.

That leaves me again believing that our first position of faith is always in the goodness and faithfulness of God. I can always be sure of that. My second position is an expectation that he will do the very thing I am asking because I know it is consistent with his will and nature. At the same time, I know there are mysteries that surround some circumstances so that I may not see a miracle at that moment. So what do I do in in that circumstance? I continue to trust in the goodness of God and keep praying for the miracle while I ask for a revelation of anything that is getting in the way of that prayer being answered.

In my next blog, I will share some thoughts on growing in faith. Be blessed.

I am sometimes haunted by my lack of faith and the words that Jesus spoke; “It shall be done to you according to your faith” (Mt.9:29). He actually spoke those words in several places. All serious followers of Jesus know how important faith is. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb.11:6).

So…here are my questions: How do I grow in faith? How much is enough faith? Do I have to have perfect faith for a miracle and what is faith anyway?

Lets start with my last question. What is faith? Is it complete confidence that God will answer my prayer as I have offered it? Some say yes. I have heard preachers say that you need to get in your prayer closet, pour over the Word until you get the assurance of a promise in your heart and then pray for healing, blessing, provision, etc. and it will come to you because of your faith. But is faith that drains out overnight really faith? Is faith something I can psyche myself up for and then pray while I’m in that frame of mind or is it something else? And am I praying for what I want or for what God wants?

I don’t know that I have the answers but I have some thoughts. First of all, Jesus is always our model.   He said, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does” (Jn.5:19). Add to that, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (1 Jn.5:14). So Jesus asked things according to the Father’s will and he knew his specific will in different situations because he saw or comprehended what the Father wanted to do in those moments.

Let me apply that thought to healing. There are two schools of thought among those who have healing ministries. One is that God’s will is for everyone to be healed, so pray for everyone you encounter with illness or a disability. You can pray with assurance because God is good and wants everyone to be healed. The other school of thought is that God will direct you to individuals he wants to heal and then you pray for that person. You can pray with assurance because God has already shown you that he is ready to heal that individual.

Here’s my problem. I agree with both and see examples of both. There were times when it seemed that Jesus healed whoever he came across and certainly all those who came to him for healing. Then there were times when Jesus would pick one person out of a group of infirm and suffering folks waiting around a pool for healing and heal the one but not the rest. On top of that, the one he prayed for had no idea who he was and therefore had no faith for healing but was healed anyway.

So…how do I have faith for healing or any answered prayer in the midst of those seeming contradictions? First of all, I can know the general will of God from his Word. Does God support healing, provision, protection or deliverance? Of course! Those things are part of his nature. They are revealed by his names. They are also revealed in Jesus who did all those things over and over again and said that if we have seen him we have seen the Father. I can know, in general, what God approves of and supports because of his promises and his nature. So why isn’t every prayer offered according to his will answered? Is it a lack of faith on my part or the recipient’s part or something else?

I can’t always know what brings an immediate answer to prayer or what postpones that answer so how can I pray with perfect faith or even some faith about it? I think the answer is in the object of our faith. Are we expressing faith in our own faith and God’s response to it or do we have faith in the goodness and character of God regardless of what we see with our natural eyes?

I think our faith must lie in God’s goodness, his faithfulness, his mercy, and his love rather than in our own faith or some formula. Faith is confidence in the character of God and, frequently, we must live by faith and not by sight. Remember when Jesus returned to Nazareth and could heal only a few people there because of their lack of faith (Mk. 6:4)?   Was it God’s general will to heal? Yes. Did Jesus have the faith and capacity? Yes. But in this case, those who should have had faith did not believe and that kept God from extending the blessing. It’s not that the people in Nazareth had questions or some doubt, but rather they would not even open their hearts to the possibility when they knew that the God of Israel was a God of miracles.

There are conditions for answered prayers. Conditions that we are unaware of sometimes get in the way. Sometimes, unanswered or postponed prayers are mysteries. In the midst of that, I can still have faith in the goodness and faithfulness of God and know that the problem lies with my lack of understanding rather than with God. And I can ask for more understanding while I choose to trust in his character.  More on faith in my next blog. Be blessed.

When participating in spiritual warfare, the word of God is essential. It is essential not just for discerning what is “scriptural” or not, although that is important, but scripture is a weapon to use directly against the enemy. When confronting the enemy who is harassing, tempting, or afflicting you or another, the word of God is powerful.

Paul tells us, when speaking about the armor of God, that the word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Eph.6:17). We are also told by the writer of Hebrews that the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword (Heb.4:12). In the book of Revelation, John describes a vision of Jesus and says, “In his right hand he held seven stars and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword” (Rev.1:16). That picture of Jesus establishes him as one with great power and authority. His words leave his lips as a sword with power to judge.

In the wilderness temptation recorded in Matthew 4, Satan came to Jesus to tempt him. The devil always shows up when our strength (spiritual, emotional, or physical) is somehow depleted. Satan approached Jesus after forty days of solitude and fasting. His energy levels were low and he had been without the encouragement of friends or family for over a month. Satan, believing Jesus to be extremely vulnerable, came to tempt him as he did the First Adam. Jesus fought back with the sword of the Spirit, the word of God.

Jesus quoted scripture in response to every temptation of the enemy. The words of believers carry authority and power. How else could the commands of God’s people bring healing and deliverance or even raise the dead. In the spiritual realm, our words have substance and weight. But if our words have substance, how much more do the very words of God spoken from our lips.

Again, we are told that the word of God is the sword of the Spirit. I believe when we declare that word with faith and conviction it cuts and bruises the enemy. When we are confronting the enemy, declaring appropriate scripture has a powerful affect that afflicts and torments the enemy.

Declaring the authority of Christ over the enemy is a powerful use of the word.  Scripture is filled with such verses declaring that Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth; that Jesus has a name that is above every name; that Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. etc. In the wilderness temptation Jesus did not give chapter and verse, but simply said, “It is written… We can do the same when confronting unclean spirits.

For example, we might say, “The word of God declares that Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth and I now declare his authority over you.” Or we might say, “ I command you in the name of Jesus, who is declared by the written word of God to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and you will obey his commands as I declare them to you.” Or… “It is written that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that he is Lord and now you will bow the knee to his commands as I declare them.”

Declaring scripture strengthens our own faith in the moment while it weakens the enemy and torments him. Demons do not always depart with the first command. If a stronghold exists, you may have to “assault the walls of the enemy’s fortress” more than once with numerous commands. Declaring the word of God over that person or a situation takes big chunks out of the stronghold walls.

Every believer should have a catalogue of scriptures on hand to wield against the enemy: scriptures that declare who Christ is, who we are in Christ, the defeat of Satan, the victory of the church, God’s willingness to heal and set captives free, and scriptures that defeat fear and temptation of every kind. As believers, our words carry authority but the very words of God from our lips, carry even more power and authority with which to defeat and torment the enemy. Make a list, memorize them, and keep them handy.   We live in a dangerous world. Don’t leave home without your sword.

Shame is a powerful weapon of the enemy. I was part of a group a few evenings ago in which four or five believers were prayed for and received deliverance. In nearly every case, a spirit of shame was one of the tormentors in the life of those being ministered to.   Guilt is the sense or the feeling that I have done something wrong. Shame is the sense or feeling that there is something wrong with me that ultimately makes me unlovable and unacceptable.

Many of us carry a sense of shame from our childhood where we too often heard phrases such as: Shame on you!   What is the matter with you? What’s wrong with you? You little piece of trash! Etc. If we hear those kinds of words often enough we begin to feel as if something is broken and defective that makes us unacceptable. We also feel that the defectiveness is unalterable. Our self-image plummets and we are unable to carry a sense of goodness, worth, or acceptability around with us. The devil loves to move into those wounds and reinforce them with internal whispers of rejection, condemnation, and accusation.

When we carry shame or a sense of unworthiness we tend to believe that if anyone really knew us they wouldn’t love us. Authenticity and transparency are too risky for that individual who is always anticipating the next experience of rejection. On a spiritual level, those of us who carry shame doubt that even God can love us. We doubt his blessings and we doubt that he pays much attention to our prayers. As a result, we live with little expectation of good things coming our way and pray more with vague hope than with faith.

One of the women we ministered to this week asked for prayer because she didn’t feel welcome in the presence of God and believed that her prayers were not being heard. She had a checkered past and felt in her heart that her past failures disqualified her for the blessings and the privileges of the kingdom. The shame she carried from past mistakes was being reinforced daily by demons that had been assigned to her. After we cast our several demons (one being the spirit of shame, another rejection, and so forth) she said there was an instant shift in her heart. Before she felt that all she could do was stand outside the throne room of God and peek around the corner from time to time. After shame was driven out, she felt herself standing directly before the throne and being fully accepted by the Father.

She, of course, already knew what the Bible says about her forgiveness and the Father’s total acceptance of her but shame kept her from receiving that truth in her heart. If we don’t believe in our hearts that God loves us, delights in us, and quickly forgives our past failures we will never live up to the destiny God has ordained for us in Christ. What we believe about God’s response to our failings is very important.

Two apostles denied directly Christ on the night of his arrest. Judas denied him by betraying his location to the High Priest and Peter denied him verbally three times to witnesses who asked if he had been with Jesus. Both were overcome with shame. Both wept bitterly. One believed God would never release him from his failure and so he hung himself. The other clung to the little band of believers and the Lord in spite of his shame about what he had done. He returned to the Lord with some reason to hope that he would be forgiven because he had seen the love of the Father expressed in Jesus for the past three years.

God is not interested in shaming his children. Of course, he wants us to take responsibility for our failures, confess them, and then align our hearts with his, but then he wants to forgive our failures and forget them. Before his conversion, the apostle Paul made a career if blaspheming Jesus and arresting his followers, He put some to death. In his letter to the Roman church, Paul says confidently “those who trust in Jesus will never be put to shame” (Rom.10:11). I believe Paul leaned on that truth from time to time when Satan would remind him of his past. Paul also tells us that love keeps no record of wrongs (1 Cor13). Since God is love, he keeps no record of the failings in our lives that produced our shame and sent Jesus to heal broken hearts that have been shattered by shame. When God looks at us, he doesn’t see past failings; he sees future potential. He doesn’t see us as broken, defective unchangeable human beings but rather as born-again new creations in Christ.

The heart of God is revealed in Peter’s life in such clear ways. Other than Judas, Peter was the only apostle who directly denied his relationship with Jesus – not once but three times. And yet, less than two months later, the Holy Spirit chose Peter to deliver the very first gospel message on the day of Pentecost to launch the church of Jesus on the earth. He was enabled by the Spirit to preach that sermon to the same people before whom he had denied Christ. Jesus came to take away our shame and grant each of us a place of purpose and honor in the kingdom. Shame has no place in the kingdom because in Christ we are all loved, all worthy, and all significant. Any whisper to the contrary is a lie.

For those of us who struggle with a lingering sense of shame and unworthiness, we must choose daily to agree with God and say what he says about us while we reject the lies and taunts of the enemy. Remember….”Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom.8:1); “Because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Heb.10:14); and… “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame” (1 Peter 2:6). If you are in Christ, there is no shame. When the whispers come call them lies. Let the enemy know who you are in Christ and send him on his way. In Jesus, you have no past – not even yesterday – and you are glorious! Be blessed today.

My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were writtenall the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed. Psalm 13:15-16

Do you think much about your destiny in Christ? In the scripture above, David tells us that God ordained the days of our lives before we were born and, most likely, before the foundations of the earth were ever laid. The apostle Paul declares that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, to do good works that have been prepared ahead of time for us to perform (Eph.2:10). Those thoughts spell out the concept of destiny – a future already laid out for you by your Father.

Graham Cooke says this about our destiny. “We have two relationships with God: who we are in the present, and who He says we are in the future. Jesus occupies the space between those two identities as He stands in the gap, interceding for us before the throne (Heb.7:25). We are so much more beautiful than we know, and more powerful than we realize. Often when we are solely preoccupied with the present, we can lose sight of where we are going and who we are becoming. We get caught up with negatives, burdened by our sense of lack…We need people to remind us of our true identity. We need our companions to speak into our future destiny. Someone needs to see the treasure and not just the earthen vessel” (Graham Cooke, Coming Into Alignment, p.20-21).

Having a sense of our destiny, the plans that God has for our life, keeps us going in dark times or in times that simply seem meaningless. David knew his destiny after Samuel poured oil on his head and told him that someday he would rule over Israel. He needed the assurance that God had a destiny for him during the years that David and his men were living in caves in the desert while being pursued by Saul. One of the profound blessings of a prophetic word over your life is a sense of destiny that gives the present meaning and direction. Those believers who don’t accept the ministry of prophetic words miss out on the blessing.

Remember the words of Jeremiah to Israel when everything looked hopeless. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jer.29:11). Through his prophet, God declared that Israel still had a destiny that He had ordained. The reason it is so important to know that we have a God-ordained destiny is that we can also know that he watches over that destiny to make it a reality.

When we talk about “destiny” we are not talking about a Calvinistic predestination that will occur no matter what we do. Our destiny, like the other promises of God, is contingent on our cooperation. God prepares good works for us in advance (Eph.2:10). When we get to that place in our journey, we still have to make a decision whether to step into our destiny or avoid it. It’s like taking a trip that has been marked out by God. He tells us that he has laid out an amazing and beautiful journey for us and all we need to do is to follow his road signs. Everyday we will come to a fork in the road. There we will find a sign that says, “God’s way.”

There will also be other signs that might say, “My way” or “The World’s Way” or “The Way of the Flesh.” We then must choose which road to take. God has pre-destined a beautiful, fruitful, exciting journey and has marked it for us. However, with our free will, we may choose a different road and miss that part of our destiny. The good news is that we can also choose to return to God’s way and re-enter our destiny. Knowing that God has laid out a unique road for each of us should motivate us to stay on the road marked “God’s Way. ” That way must be found by the leading of the Spirit. As long as we engage with the Father in fulfilling our destiny, he will watch over it and us to see that it is accomplished.

God will surprise us at times with our destiny. Moses was 80 years old when God surprised him by speaking from a burning bush. Some of us are very young and are still trying to get a sense of our destiny or the things God has called us to do. Prayer, a prophetic word, open doors of opportunity, and an awareness of our spiritual gifts are often clues to our future because we are gifted to accomplish his unique purposes for us. Some of us are older and wonder if God has anything else for us. Remember that God has established a destiny for us every day or our lives.

When you are in your teens or your twenties you think about how many years you have lived because as you get older, more doors of opportunity are opened to you – a driver’s license, the ability to vote, etc. Once you crack the sixty-mark you start thinking about how many more years of quality life you have left. I have had a number of prophetic words spoken over me that are consistent but have not yet manifested in my life. One day I was wondering if they would ever manifest because the years are rapidly slipping by. God simply spoke to me and told me not to think about my age because he determines my age, not a calendar. He is watching over my destiny and will bring it all to pass as long as I continue to run the race.

If you don’t think about your destiny in Christ, you should. Walking in that destiny is the key to fulfillment and fruitfulness. It is a key to security, knowing that you are doing what God made you to do and that every event in your life has purpose as it propels you or prepares you for the rest of your destiny. Maybe you were even destined to read this blog today! Be blessed in Him.

If you have embraced spiritual warfare then one of your favorite verses has to be, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (Ja. 4:7). Sometimes, it really helps to break down verses that are very familiar to us and re-examine them in some depth. So…lets do that with this particular verse.

The Greek word anthisteme is translated resist. It really is a stronger word than that. It means to be hostile toward something or someone, to withstand, and to set yourself against. Resist implies pushing back but this word is more of a mindset of determined hostility that we are to maintain against the enemy. John’s phrase that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil has that flavor. We are to be just as determined.

Too many believers have a casual or compromising attitude toward Satan and toward sin. Too many try to live with one foot in the kingdom and one foot in the world. But as soldiers of Christ, compromise with the enemy is unacceptable. James might read, “Maintain a hostile attitude toward Satan and constantly set yourself against him and he will flee.

Satan is not so much a proper noun as a description. The word translated as Satan is diabalos and literally means slanderer, accuser, or the one who opposes you. One way we resist the devil is to reject his slander and accusations that he brings against us and against others. That happens first in our own minds when he brings accusation and condemnation to our minds in an attempt to create insecurity in our relationship with the Father. He accuses us of being such miserable individuals that even God can’t love us and constantly works to draw us back under the enslaving idea that we must always earn God’s love and favor rather than joyfully living by grace. We also set ourselves against the slanderer when we refuse to be his instruments of accusation and slander against others. Gossip is a serious sin in scripture because it makes us one of Satan’s great tools to spread his slander, accusation, and condemnation against others. Rarely are we more aligned with Satan than when we gossip.

The Greek word pheugo is the word translated as flee. It means to run away, disappear quickly, vanish, or avoid. I like the idea that when I fully understand that Satan is my enemy, maintain a hostile attitude toward him, and when I refuse to place the accusation game then he or his representatives will quickly disappear. In fact, after a while they will avoid you because you torment them instead of them tormenting you.

I need to add that in the context of James 4, a very important phrase precedes this directive to resist the devil. James says first, “Submit yourselves, then, to God” (Ja.4:7). Submit (hypotasso) carries the meaning of willing subjection and submission. It means to submit control, yield to the authority of another, to stand in the ranks, or to be aligned with someone or something. It is the same concept as “taking every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).

In both the Old and New Testament, a consistent theme is found that declares that God raises up those who humble themselves before him and opposes those who are proud. Submitting ourselves to God is humbling ourselves before him. God promotes those who are humble before him because the humble will use the gifts, power and authority he gives them as he directs rather than for their own purposes. Satan flees from those who have authority in the Kingdom and the humble are given authority. Being humble is not being timid or weak. It is simply being submitted to the Lordship of Jesus.   The more submitted we are in every part of our lives, the more standing we have in the kingdom and the more authority we are granted in the spiritual realm. Then when we maintain a hostile attitude toward the enemy and stand against him he will certainly flee and will often avoid us altogether.

James bookends his statement about resisting Satan with the phrase, “Come near to God and he will come near to you” (Ja.4:8). The progression, then, is to submit to God, resist the devil, and draw near. When we are doing God’s work, which is destroying the works of the devil just as Jesus did, then God will certainly draw near. When God draws near, Satan disappears. The more time we spend in the presence of God, the less often the enemy will come around. No demon wants to be in the presence of the Most High and Holy God.

Today…remember that the devil is not your friend. He is a sworn enemy of God bent on destroying God’s children. Maintain a hostile mindset toward this enemy and everything he represents. Do nothing that brings you into agreement with him. Submit every part of your day to Jesus and every part of who you are. Draw near to God throughout your day and then watch the devil run. Be blessed.

Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Matthew 16:12

In Matthew 16, Jesus had a familiar encounter with Pharisees and the Sadducees who were demanding a sign from him to confirm his authority as a prophet and, perhaps, as the Messiah. After the encounter, he and the twelve shoved off in a boat for another location. Somewhere on their short voyage the disciples discovered that no one had brought bread. As they discovered their dilemma, Jesus said, “Be on your guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

The twelve thought he was somehow discussing their dilemma and the fact that they had pushed off on a journey without provisions. After some discussion, they discerned that he had not been talking about the properties of a great loaf of bread but rather he had been talking about the teaching of the religious leaders of Israel. Their teaching was a well-developed theology of rules and laws for serving God. It was legalism in its fullest sense. It defined every aspect of the believer’s life and declared what was and was not acceptable to God.

I really like what Graham Cooke says about this in his little book, Qualities of a Spiritual Warrior. He says, “Part of His (Jesus) ministry was to take a stand against religiosity in church leadership. ‘Woe’ is a primary exclamation of grief and also denunciation. In Matthew 23:13-29, He used it on eight occasions. He called church leaders hypocrites, blind men, blind guides, and whited sepulchers. His foremost accusation was that they shut off the Kingdom of Heaven from people because they had no experience of it themselves.

In mentoring the disciples, He was developing a church leadership that could carry the message and lifestyle of the kingdom in themselves. He taught them how to believe God, how to move in the supernatural, how to have power over the enemy, and how to love people and release them into a lifestyle of blessing and favor…

He stood against a religious system that had captured people in a legalistic environment that prevented them from being loved fully by God. When the system defines the experience we can have with God, then we have no freedom. Jesus came to set us free from an organized religious experience that teaches us how to think, speak and act before God. It is the role of the Holy Spirit to renew our minds, not for man to program them. Jesus came to overthrow a system that does not allow us the joy of exposure to his fullness, anointing, and glory” (p.133-134).

The power of the Kingdom of God cannot flourish in a legalistic system of rules and regulations that place God in a well-defined box. Does that mean that “anything goes?” Of course not. Paul gives some healthy and biblical boundaries for the expression of the things of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12-14. However, he does not restrict their expression but only regulates them so that their expression always reflects love. It also does not mean that those individuals who want a greater experience of Jesus through his Spirit are to ignore the rules of the house set by its leaders. A great deal of harm has been done by well-meaning people who have gone off to a conference on miracles and decided to come home and “blow the roof off” their conservative congregation. Submission to leadership is an important principle in the kingdom. Finding a greater expression of the Kingdom may mean going to another environment where it is welcomed rather than “trying to shake things up” where you are. Encouraging leadership to be more open is one thing, rebelling against their boundaries us another.

We often think of legalism in terms of churches that do not accept the full ministry of the Holy Spirit but that is not always the case. There are non-charismatic churches that are full of grace but have not yet come into the miraculous measures of the Holy Spirit. They are open but have not yet arrived. There are also “charismatic” churches that are just as guilty of legalism as cessationsist churches. Some of those churches have strictly defined dress codes, hairstyles, prohibitions on makeup, and so forth that regulate the life of believers. Legalism can creep into any theology like leaven in a loaf of bread and change the very nature of faith and freedom.

Even on a personal level, we can begin to judge other believers on the basis of them worshipping God or serving him in ways contrary to our own preferences. Some of our preferences can morph into “laws” that define how God works in people and churches. There is a place for testing spirits and judging prophecies etc. but that testing must be led by the Spirit not produced by flesh or our intellect. Before declaring that God does not work in certain ways or accept certain things we need to be very careful and diligently seek the Lord.

Acts 15 is a perfect example.   The Jerusalem church came together to decide whether God was actually accepting the Gentiles and working among them. Fifteen hundred years of religion and tradition had planted deep convictions that only Jews or Gentiles that had converted to Judaism and all of its laws were acceptable to God. But God had been doing crazy things among the Gentiles who had not been circumcised, did not keep the Sabbath, and who ignored the feast days. Peter himself had to give an account of why he even entered into the home of Gentiles and why he then baptized them. The feeling in the Jerusalem church was that “God doesn’t work that way.” But, he did… and after seeking the mind of the Spirit on the matter, the leaders of the church determined that God had accepted the Gentiles without them coming under the traditions of the Jews.

Legalism, the leaven of the Pharisees, quenches the Spirit whether in churches or in our own hearts. It is actually the default setting for our fallen nature trying to work our way to heaven so we all have to guard against it. We would do well to ask the Spirit, on a regular basis, to highlight areas where we are slipping into a religious or legalistic mode because it is hard to recognize. A critical or judgmental spirit in us is a sure sign that we are slipping in that direction. For all of us then who want to enjoy the fullness of God, we need to guard against that leaven. Be blessed today. Enjoy your freedom in Christ and let others do so as well.