Luke 4: 18-19 (KJV):“18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”
First, I want to say thank you to everyone who has reached out to me concerning my well-being since I haven’t posted anything on the blog recently. This summer has been an interesting one for me as I have been placed in situations that have allowed me to know God intimately, like never before. Knowing Him as a Provider and Healer (just to name a couple) has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. During this season I have been working to be more obedient to the Lord and with that being said, I am now in the process of writing a book. The school year is also approaching so my schedule will become busier but even in the midst of that, I still have to remain focused and humble in what it is that God means for me to do. If anyone has any questions or concerns feel free to email at theepottershand@hotmail.com. I am uncertain as to how long I will be away from writing here but still feel free to visit and read the articles already online. Please keep me in prayer as I continue on this journey with the Lord. The book will be available soon as the Lord leads. God Bless you all!
One day when I was about 13 or 14 my mom looked at me and said, “Never discuss politics or religion.” I assumed that she made this statement because they can be very heated topics so I shrugged my shoulders and went on about my business. I didn’t have much to say about either topic so that was an easy request to fulfill, until now.
What is religion?
After being saved I began to wonder what religion was. Was religion different from Christianity? Apparently it was as I kept hearing others mention how disturbing and unrighteous religion is. It was then that I began to ask God to show me religion and furthermore, show me if there are any religious aspects in my life. I don’t want to know religion. I want to know Jesus.
Micah 6:6-8 (NIV):“ 6 With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Religion is very much explained in Colossians 2:23(NIV):“Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”Religion is idolatry as it ultimately tries to edify man. Christianity, on the other hand, was never meant to be a religion. Christianity is the spiritual relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ.
I had an interesting conversation with a young man yesterday. He mentioned how he believed in spirituality, didn’t believe in religion, but was still uncertain about his stance on Christianity. In the midst of our conversation he asked me what exactly spirituality means to me and if it has anything to do with Christianity. I started off by stating that we are a spirit with a body, not a body with a spirit. The young man continued to tell me about a school he once attended as a child. He mentioned how he was confused by the teaching there and how he was instructed to say, “Praise Jesus,” after every statement, literally. It isn’t funny but it is very crazy to me. I will admit that I laughed, only because I saw how religious that was. The young man described the school as being hypocritical while adding Jesus’ name on the end of everything to try to justify the dirt they were doing. The young man then began to question if religion is something new to our generation and I reminded him that nothing is new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9) and that even Jesus pointed out religion during His time on earth.
The Pharisees and the Sadduceeswere religious! They claimed to be holy and they claimed to be anointed but they plotted the destruction of our Messiah. Why? Because they were religious. In Mark 3 it states how they believed that Jesus was possessed by Beelzebub and that being the reason why Jesus had the power to drive out demons. Some of them were wealthy, some of them were educated, and some of them held festivals but guess what Scripture says? Amos 5:21-24 (NIV): ” 21 “I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. 22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. 23 Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. 24 But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”
There was a female who asked me a week or two ago if I was a Christian. After answering yes, we had about an hour-long discussion about Christianity. The young lady mentioned how much she didn’t trust Christianity but when I asked her why, she could only give me examples of religion. She mentioned how she and her family went to church with the focus of being the best looking family. She mentioned people exercising spiritual gifts in a questionable manner and proud hypocrites crowding the pews. 1 John 4:1-3 (KJV): ”1Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.2Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.” After hearing all of this I could only reassure this young lady that what she hated was religion since she hadn’t yet experienced Christianity. It was sad to see that her perception of Christianity had been skewed by religion but I did have hope in knowing that she hadn’t rejected the true Gospel simply because she hadn’t yet heard the true Gospel.
Acts 17:22 (NIV):“Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.”Religion is relevant is our generation, it was relevant in the generation before us and will be even more so in the generations to come. As the body of Christ, we need to work to abolish religion so that the fruit of the Spirit may drench every corner of the earth.Deuteronomy 12:31(NIV):“You must not worship the Lord your God in their way, because in worshipping their gods, they do all kinds of destestable things the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.”Get out of self. Find fellowship with true followers of Christ and avoid individuals who desperately want to gain religious titles. It is easy to identify religion as it claims a lot but fails to produces fruits of the Spirit. Test the spirit by the Spirit.
Hate religion as much as God does. When we see religion we need to run the other way into the arms of our Groom. We cannot exchange an intimate relationship with Christ with legalism. The idea of religion is new to me but it didn’t take long for me to realize the poison it produces. Religion can detour the lost, sway the desperate, and corrupt the innocent. We should become so consumed with a personal relationship with Christ that there won’t be any room for religion in our lives. If you recognize religion in your walk simply ask God to remove it. We need to come to God with our hearts, not with our checks.Isaiah 29:13 (NIV):“The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.” You know if you are living righteously or not. Be honest with yourself because being religious does nothing but anger God. Religion is man-made, just like denominations as stated in my article One in Christ . When religion says that you can work your way into Heaven, Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV) states,“8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Jesus hated religion and religious leaders hated Jesus. See the issue? Abolish religion.
James 1:27 (NIV):“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
Ephesians 4:28 (KJV):“28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.”
This is another article inspired by God showing me something about myself, as usual. Growing up I was never really interested in materials but there was always something that I felt like I HAD to have. It was typically something related to technology. If I wanted it, I told my dad and chances were, he got it for me. I never understood how someone could steal. While I had my share of sin, I always felt too scary to steal something. I felt like I was in trouble even if I thought about it. I always imagined that if I had stolen something, that I would give it back, immediately. For example, I went shopping once and a worker forgot to take the censor off one of my items. As I went to leave the store the alarm began going off. My eyes got wide and all I kept saying was,”I didn’t steal anything!” Of course the worker came and explained how she had forgotten to take it off and all was well. Just the thought made me afraid. I always thought, “Man, someone must be really tough if they can steal.” One day a few months ago I was thinking of all that God had delivered me from, giving Him thanks. I found myself praying against all stealing spirits and I thought, “Wait…what!?? I’ve never stolen anything!”
John 10:10 (KJV):“10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
I sat there, trying to figure out what would make me pray against that. I pray against anything that God puts on my heart but this prayer was almost like a confessing prayer. I thought really hard. I wasn’t a thief. Was I? God quickly brought to my mind the many songs that I had in my iTunes. I had over 3,000 songs a year ago and guess what!? I had gotten all of them illegally. It felt awkward to think that while it seemed like no big deal then, I was indeed a thief and my music library was proof. I then felt like I was in a dilemma because half of me wanted to delete the music but that would mean that I would have to restart my music library. I tried to pretend like it didn’t matter but I felt convicted, each time I pushed play. At that time I had only been listening to gospel music, which made me feel worse. I was listening to illegal worship. I made up my mind. I decided to erase everything in my library and if I were to listen or download music that I would either listen on Youtube or download them from iTunes.
Proverbs 10:2 (KJV): ”2 Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death.”
After I had gotten rid of all of my illegal songs I found myself asking God again, “God am I a thief?” What He showed me was and is very important. I had/have sometimes a bad habit of annoying others the way that they annoy me. I never think about intentionally giving someone a taste of their own medicine but I guess I subconsciously find myself doing or tempted to do that. How does this relate to being a thief? Because if someone stole my joy I would steal theirs. When Satan comes to kill, steal, and destroy, it isn’t always with materials. The devil can also steal joy, happiness, prosperity etc. When I found myself operating in the flesh and directly or indirectly causing people to feel the way I felt, I was a thief. Even if my joy had been stolen, that is never a reason to steal from others. Misery loves company? So aside from the illegal music, I had a history of stealing the joy from others. If someone ruined my day; theirs was going to be ruined too. I guess in my mind that would show them how it feels? Or to never upset me again? Regardless of my foolish thinking, I was operating the way Satan does. It doesn’t matter what he steals, just know that he comes to steal all things. So while I may have never stolen anything from a “store” I had indeed been a thief and it took me to surrender to God, to be humble enough to hear from Him, to see Scriptural evidence, and to gain His perspective to see myself clearly. I promise, God never fails to show us what we need to know. It is important that we ask Him to show us, so that we can turn from our wicked ways. Stealing anything is wicked and the works of Satan.
2 Corinthians 3:5 (KJV):“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.”
While studying abroad I took a Biomedical Ethics course and I absolutely loved it! I was able to concentrate on medicine and philosophical ethics at the very same time. During the course we focused a lot on the physician/patient relationship and a very important aspect was the competency of the doctor. Even after medical school physicians have the duty to remain abreast on latest epidemics, resources, treatment etc. so that they may be able to provide the best care for their patients. I often think about the position I was in when the Lord began to draw me nigh and I remind myself that I need to have a growing passion and zeal for the Lord each day that I serve Him.
2 Peter 3:18 (KJV):“18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”
I don’t know any Christians who consciously agree to become slack in their walk with the Lord. However, I believe that we all have been guilty of at some point saying, “Oh, I’ll read the Bible later,” “I’ve prayed about that a long time ago,” or, “I already know that.” While we may have prayed about something many weeks, months, years ago; that doesn’t mean the Father doesn’t want us to remain fervent in prayer about it. When we first receive salvation we are usually in bad condition and we yearn for God to give us peace, to give us a breakthrough but once some of our strongholds are broken reading the Bible can “Come later.” There is always something to be aware of as a vessel for the Lord. Especially in the last days we are always to be aware of the seducing spirits and the anti-Christ, which are trying to exalt itself against the knowledge of Christ. How can we be His soldiers if we don’t know the tactics and resources of the enemy? How can we remain competent and effective for the Father if we are still holding onto yesterday’s prayers and this morning’s Bible reading? We have busy schedules, sure we do but as soon as we put life before God, we become ineffective. God isn’t overbearing and He allows us to take care of business as long as we have everything in its proper place.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (KJV):“16 Rejoice evermore.17 Pray without ceasing.18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
As humans we want to be comfortable. We loveto be comfortable actually,which I know to be true for myself firsthand. I hate discomfort but I have learned from the 20 years that I have been alive that I have always performed best when I was uncomfortable. Moving to new locations and attending new schools usually produced some of the best aspects of my life. However, I also noticed that when I had done particularly well in a semester, the semester following became a “comfortable semester” and my grades showed. To anyone who watches the pattern of my grades will see that in the beginning I’m excited and do well then comfort sets in so I become LAZY, then I become anxious to do well again, then grades improve and the cycle continues. For many years I couldn’t understand why I would operate that way but I now understand that it is simply because I am human. Whether it be in the realm of academia or relationships, comfort is bad business. When entering a relationship individuals go the extra mile to woo the other individual but the moment they feel as if they are “accomplished” their comfort kicks in. This is when many individuals become upset with their spouses because they feel like they are no longer with the person that they married. Women sometimes marry a man who they believe will always send them flowers when appropriate and who will spend hours looking for the most extravagant restaurant to dine at. Men sometimes marry women believing that their wives will work effortlessly to surprise them with their favorite dish and who will spend hours in stores finding cute things to add to their well furnished homes. Certainly many things come with marriage and not all things will remain the same but I am simply mentioning how comfort and ultimately laziness can cause someone to quickly become disgusted. This goes way beyond spending money and eating but even concerning the small things, like saying I love you?
1 Peter 1:25 (KJV):“But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”
If a couple can become exasperated because of comfort how do you think God feels? When we tell Him we no longer have to bind and rebuke that demon because we are “Through with that?” The Bible tells us that Satan comes to tempt in seasons and while Christ has delivered many of us from many forms of bondage we should never stop praising Him nor should we believe that we are invincible. The moment we think we are humble it is then that we have lost it. We should be confident and rest assured in His deliverance but we also should never be comfortable and let down our guard. We should never be so holy that we cannot take constructive criticism or be open to hear a word from a brother or sister in the Lord. Scripture makes it clear that the journey with Christ requires us to be competent each day, each hour, each minute, each second.We need to grow in His glory daily and the only way we can do that is if we constantly thirst for His living water.
Luke 9:23 (KJV):“23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
Whenever I read a verse and I see something that mentions daily or every I try to make a mental note of it. When I received salvation I wasn’t sure how often I should pray a certain prayer or enter His gates with praise. How often should I thank Him for deliverance? How often do I need to read the Word? When someone asks me a question? How often should I pray and talk to the Lord? Every chance I get.
Lamentations 3:22-23 (KJV):“22 It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”
We are called to be the salt of the Earth but if our salt loses its savour, what can we preserve? Satan is always lurking and sin is always knocking at our doors. How can we stand it without constantly renewing our minds? The life of a Christian is dangerous because if it weren’t then we wouldn’t need the Father and His protection. How can we be vessels if we leave our crosses at home? God tells us to pick up our cross daily; it is no good in our attic. We are to be living testimonies. The Lord’s work in and through us doesn’t stop when we get saved, it is simply that it then becomes alive. I can tell all of you about the story of my salvation but I too have stories up to this day about the mighty works of God. The Father is always prompt and ready to do work. God always knows about our current situation and He is always a step ahead of us, why are we still trying to identify with yesterday? The same way we find refuge in the Lord’s competency, we too need to offer Him our lives as a living sacrifice so that we may be competent and faithful in Him. Not that we can do that on our own, as we already agreed that we are naturally lazy individuals. Too much danger to be comfortable. Too much work to be done to be comfortable. Too much praise to give to be comfortable. Too big of a God to serve to be comfortable. While I tend to lean toward comfort by nature, I am willing to be uncomfortable for Christ. God takes us from glory to glory but while that journey takes place we must earnestly pray that our competency in Christ doesn’t get lost in translation.
Romans 12:2 (KJV):“2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Father, we thank You for our salvation. We come to You asking that You may keep us on our toes, always finding ways to better please You. We are naturally lazy beings, not wanting to remain uncomfortable. However, our walk with You is important and we are willing to be uncomfortable so that we can produce Your fruit. Salt without savour is good for nothing other than to be trampled underfoot. You have been too good to us and You never deserve lukewarm vessels. You were never lukewarm to us. When we need You, You’re there. When we call, You answer. Lord, please help us stop sending You to voicemail because we think we know “the message You’ll leave.” Please allow us to pray against all sins and all wickedness in high places because while You are constantly delivering us, Satan and his angels are always trying to find ways to bind us again. When one demon is gone another is waiting to be addressed. When one battle is won another is waiting to be fought. We are Your soldiers Lord, please train us to keep our boots on and our guns aimed while in war; even after a win. There is no place for feelings in the Kingdom and “feeling” strong in the Lord and “feeling” like we are past that point are not attitudes we should have. We should always look for ways to better go toward the mark for the prize of God that we have been called to in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Matthew 5:13 (KJV): “13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.”
To be honest, I don’t even know how to begin this article because there is so much information I want to share but I am having such a difficult time. Thus far, this is the most emotional article I have written. As I sit here with tears in my eyes I will write everything the Lord gives me to write. Although this seems to be more difficult with each word, I must fight to be free from the spirit of rejection. I encourage everyone to look at the videos in this post.
Romans 5:8 (KJV):“8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
The interesting thing about rejection is that this is the one thing that everyone has experienced, even if they have “never” been rejected on Earth. God gave me the mind to understand that everyone experiences rejection by God before our rebirth. Psalm 51:5 (KJV):“ 5Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Before we receive salvation our father is Satan, simply because he is who we naturally yield our members to. John 8:44 (KJV):“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”I believe that we all are born with what I call a “flicker of light,” which makes us want to know God and be received by Him. Keep in mind that we are all made in the Father’s image and though that image is damaged by the world of sin, He gives each of us the opportunity to be rekindled. This makes sense considering that we all know that not only does the Word clearly emphasize that love is the greatest of them all (1 Corinthians 13:13), but even the world openly pursues love and acceptance. What truly runs everything? love.
Psalm 5:4-6 (KJV):“4For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.5The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.6Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.”
From the moment we enter this world we begin our search for love and acceptance. Mind you we already have a deep mission to be accepted by the Heavenly Father but naive and clueless, we seek natural avenues to fulfill spiritual voids. This search creates opportunity for the love of lust, the love of money, the love of flesh. People, myself included, can, have, and will spend many years and a lot of money trying to find what will make their life complete. You know the quote, “Money cannot buy happiness?” It is true because while many think finances will fill our missing void, they soon find that one cannot please lust. You cannot satisfy Satan. Not only does seeking things of the flesh make a foolish individual hopeful that they will become complete, but they begin to believe that their sin loves them back. This is where addictions and idolatry begins because as long as Satan can keep you in bondage, his sin will always be there waiting for you. If an individual you expect to always be there for you isn’t, marijuana, fornication, masturbation,porn, alcohol etc. always seems to enter the front of your mind saying, “Hey, I am here for you. I know they let you down but I’ll always accept you. I know your flesh loves me and I really hate you but I’ll make you believe that I love you.” Our minds become easily tricked because whether we admit it or not, we desperately want to be loved, accepted, and cherished. The whole adventure of life is finding our missing Piece. Once some of us become aware of God we can either go with Him or we can go against Him, rejecting Him from our own hurt. Atheists believe in God and they know He exists but from whatever hurt and turmoil that they’ve experienced, they reject His truth. Even Satan knows God for who He is, why wouldn’t a human? A human doesn’t know anything that God or Satan, angels or demons don’t know. They all knew the Truth before we existed. God is a gentle God and won’t force Himself on anyone but when He takes time to draw you nigh (John 6:44) and you accept, it is then that you can realize that He is who you’ve been missing the entire time. The best part of the journey is that while you may look for a man or woman to love you like you love them, a pet who loves you unquestionably, or merchandise that will keep you in good spirit, God will show you that along this journey He is protecting you, He is loving you, and He has been waiting for you, unconditionally.
Proverbs 8:17 (KJV): “17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.”
John 3:16 (KJV):“16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Rejection is a tough one, as many of us know. I remember for many years knowing that I had an issue but never knowing what the issue was, the root of the issue. I only knew that I was becoming crazier by the minute looking for it. There had been nothing in this world that I wanted and didn’t have yet my heart ached as if someone was slowly pulling it out of my chest. The week before I had gotten saved I sat and thought about how I had become exhausted by every avenue you could thing of. I had tried just about everything you could think of to fill my void. I had collected so many sins, so many bad habits, so many enemies, so many friends who were secretly enemies, so much confusion, so much demonic oppression.. just because I was looking for love in all of the wrong places. You know that love is powerful when even the world goes crazy looking for it. The only twist is that the “world” collectively knows more than what we know individually and for that very reason, it has roller coasters that keep us from His correct path. False religions, extreme behaviors, and materialism keep us bound and chasing a lie. It is like taking a stick with meat and tying it to the back of a dog, just so that it dangles enough for the dog to see it. The dog will run and run and run for that piece of meat only to find that they’ve hit a tree and fallen in a ditch and that they STILL will not receive that meat, even though they have become more desperate by the minute.
Romans 8:37-39 (KJV):“37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
As I write this to everyone reading this, I first write it to myself. To be set free from the spirit of rejection we must…we must come to God. The only one who can fulfill our deepest desires is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. It may not be easy and it may not happen overnight but we have to start somewhere. You will go absolutely crazy if you look to anyone other than God to do a job that only He is equipped to do. It is our human nature to look to friends, family, our spouses to save us from our pain but we will forever become upset and crippled to find out that we are looking for something unconditional in conditional beings. You can begin doing the world, trying to survive off of instant happiness only to find out that the world is doing you and that the joy of life is being sucked out of you by spiritual leeches. Rejection hurts, it is true but if it weren’t in us, we would never come to know God. While rejection is the one thing that every individual can attest to, it is also the very thing that will always make God relevant in our lives. If you think we look to man now…if we could find unconditional love and acceptance in this world, we would kiss God goodbye and become married to the god of this world almost immediately. God is so caring that He gave each of us a drive to know Him and when the Holy Spirit draws us nigh, He awakens that drive. Again, we either reject Him or accept Him. God gives us an ultimate relief because while we have no answer, He is the answer. He puts us out of our misery, regardless of how long we endured. This is also why we cannot effectively recognize love and give it without knowing Him. Our deepest dwellings begin to come alive and spill over when we meet our Source. When I had gotten saved I said to God, “God, love might be real, I am not sure but I am certain that it isn’t for me. If it is real, then why can’t I identify it? Why does everyone have it but me? I have everything and everyone I want but the void remains. I have looked everywhere for this love and though I thought my parents could offer it, even they fall short. Lord, I thought no one loved me more than myself and even my selfish love doesn’t suffice. No one loves self more than self. Love cannot be real so I give up.” He responded, “That’s because you looked everywhere but to Me.”
1 John 4:9-12 (KJV): “9In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.”
Father, we come to You today simply thanking You for who You are. We do not deserve all that You have bestowed upon us. Justice says that we should die but Your mercy and grace gives us Life. Some of us know about our struggle with the spirit of rejection and some of don’t. Right now we bind all spirits of rejection, all spirits of self-rejection, and all spirits of the fear of rejection. Father, we ask that You continue to guide us to the Source of our yearning. Please keep us from pursing avenues that aren’t You. You are the Key to everything about us. Many of us are broken and crippled but we ask for Your love that surpasses all understanding. We believe that You fix hearts and we ask that You fix ours. When we put our trust and hope in man and merchandise, Holy Spirit please convict us and change our ways. Whether individuals admit their yearning to know You or not, we ask that You reveal how mighty You are. Some may feel embarrassed to admit that the deepest part of their being wants love and acceptance. Please wake Your people up and show them that while seeking for love can make one do the craziest things,love can also cause someone to do the most virtuous things. You are love and we accept You as our everything and you..spirit of rejection…leave us be. Amen.
Proverbs 3:3 (KJV):“3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart.“
Proverbs 4:20-22 (KJV):“20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.”
Adversity with health is different from adversity with anything else. Health is directly connected with life and as humans, it is only a natural instinct to fear death. Anything that even makes us think that we could be approaching death either slowly or quickly, can be mind-boggling. For most of my life I have been a hypochondriac and after coming to know the Lord, my prayer has been that He take all fear from me. I no longer wanted to be crippled by merely the thought of being sick. It didn’t take me long to realize that worrying about my health was an avenue used by Satan to keep me bound. As soon as I even thought something was wrong with me, I went into panic mode acting on feelings and quickly dropping my faith. Of course this is unacceptable so my prayer became that He would purge this from me and guess what? Here I am writing this article.
Exodus 15:26 (KJV):“26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.”
As mentioned in Faithful Is He, after about a week in America I was diagnosed with an illness that I am slowly but surely recovering from. For those who know me personally, I am sure you know that I had a bit of a moment in the hospital where I had to gather myself and decide if I would allow my emotions to get the best of me OR if I would hold on to the fact that I serve a mighty God who says that He knows the plans He has for me. No one truly understands what it means to be sick until they are actually sick. This makes so much sense to me because while doctors are expecting full and a speedy recovery, my current circumstances require for me to do more than just imagine; they require for me to deal realistically. To help me understand it God has to help bring me through it.
Exodus 23:25 (KJV):“25 And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.”
I don’t really want to discuss death too much in this article because I want to save that topic for an article in the future but I do want to talk about how sickness can be spiritually and naturally inspired. We certainly shouldn’t give Satan too much credit, always blaming him for everything that goes wrong. While Satan does his job to the best of his ability, he has no authority over that of God’s and if God sees fit, He will bring it to pass.
John 4:47-52 (KJV):“47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.50 Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.52 Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.”
We often associate unclean spirits coming in subjection unto the authority of the Father but I find it amazing that the flesh has to obey as well. Illness can be natural, no doubt about that. Natural sicknesses may require natural remedies but it definitely still needs the Lord’s divine intervention. We typically look for physicians to figure out problems with our bodies then we expect them to fix it but when every type of medication and/or treatment is unable to get things back in order, we tend to feel discouraged. We sometimes put too much into man and because of that we feel hopeless when the knowledge doctors gained in medical school runs dry. Hold tight to the fact that everything must come into subjection unto Him. As shared in another article, after being in the hospital I talked with a doctor and they had prescribed me medicine for nausea but since I hadn’t experienced any nausea and didn’t want to waste money, I did not fill the prescription. Of course it is the doctor’s duty to cover all bases and with nausea being a symptom, he wanted to offer me treatment for it. However, I wasn’t too worried since I hadn’t had any trouble with it up to that point. Then I went home and went to sleep but not for long. Maybe 2 or 3 in the morning I was awakened by the most painful and urgent feeling of nausea that I have ever experienced in my life. I said to myself, “Now you can cry and you can become angry or you can call on the name of Jesus and have faith that He will answer your call.” I decided that I would take that as an opportunity to exercise my faith so I closed my eyes and said, “Whether this illness be natural or spiritual, I demand you to come into submission unto the name of Jesus. I don’t know where you came from but I am telling you to leave. I have no power of my own but I am demanding you to bow down in the name of Jesus because I will have peace. My Savior died so that I may have peace,” and when I opened my eyes again it was later in the day and I had no discomfort whatsoever.
Luke 13: 11-13 (KJV):“11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.”
The passage above gives us a clear indication that the woman had an infirmity that was spiritually inspired. The passage does not specify which type of infirmity but knowing that there is a such thing as a spirit of infirmity is enough for me to know a spirit of infirmity is worth praying against. When we think of deliverance we often think of deliverance from sexual immorality, drugs, idolatry etc. but apparently Christ can deliver us from illnesses as well. Certainly every illness isn’t spiritually driven but that is a base that should be covered because we would be surprised about things that don’t have to be.
John 9:1-3 (KJV): “And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.“
When someone becomes sick it is often that they question what they did wrong and how they can make it better. Being ill is typically viewed as being punishment, something that only falls upon the wicked and unrighteous. However, this passage above in John illustrates that sometimes what we view as being unfortunate can fall upon someone just so that God can manifest His mighty works in the situation. We can become so consumed with trying to blame someone or throwing a pity party for ourselves that we miss when God could very well be using us to show others (and ourselves) just how much of a loving, powerful, and righteous God He is.We always need to have a healthy perspective so we must pray and ask for His perspective. Psalm 119:71 (KJV):“71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” Sometimes being sick or afflicted in any way can keep us humble, desperately seeking the Lord, and looking to Him for all things. In simple terms, the Lord can put us on our backs just so that we can look up to Him. Even if Satan afflicts a saint, it is still while the Lord’s will be done.
Psalm 30:2 (KJV): “2 O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.”
It is no secret that in everything we do, we must have faith. Health issues will try our faith, especially if we become desperate for “wholeness” and we begin to believe that God has lost His efficiency. It can be a battle if you truly want to believe the report of God but the report of the doctor appears to be more promising but sides with the report of Satan. Living in a natural world we tend to look for natural and instant gratifying answers, especially when it comes to self. God has given us doctors on Earth but He is the top physician, He is our Healer. Setting an appointment with a doctor, getting blood work done, and have annual examinations may seem like exercising every possible avenue known in the medical world but when we get down at the feet of our Father and cry out to Him from the bottom of His throne, that’s when things begin to change. I am not taking away the skill of doctors, I actually admire it, but we must never forget that they only know what they know because of what God shared and that man will forever have limits. Walking in shattered faith will set one up for doom from the very beginning.
Mark 6:5-6 (KJV): “5 And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.”
Though Christ wanted to perform miracles and heal the sick (both physically and spiritually), He could only do but so much because of those who did not believe! We would be surprised to know how many blessings haven’t been released simply because we didn’t believe. God could be ready to give to us but when we reject the power thereof, we could remain without and as a result we can become angry and frustrated at Him. Matthew 15:28 (KJV): “28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.”Having faith in God and His mighty works is enough to even have someone else healed! The unyielding faith of this woman was sufficient enough that Jesus healed her daughter within the same hour. As the Body of Christ we need to make sure that we are playing our part in prayerfully assisting those who are afflicted. Our faith and our prayers extend way beyond ourselves and our family.
Psalm 41:3 (KJV):“3 The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.”
I am not saying that every affliction or health issue can be quenched by our doing. However, I am saying that we must stand strong believing the promises of God while also asking Him to guide our next move. We cannot run from death or disease because it will happen, it is life. One of the only things promised in life is death and for that very reason, we ought to have His perspective on it. But once knowing and accepting all of this we too must be aware and available to pray for ourselves and intercede for others in their time of need. Even if their situation is natural and taking place according to the plans of God, we can at the very least pray for peace. Pray for endurance. Pray for faith. I personally don’t know how someone can go through disparities without knowing God. Health issues can come accompanied with financial stress, infidelity in the home, unrighteous coping mechanisms etc. Life can be challenging for a believer, one with actual power and authority in the name of Jesus, so it is clear that a sinner doesn’t truly have any type of hope.
The last time I was in the hospital the doctor instructed that I receive an ultrasound. Originally I was fine, watching baseball without a worry in the world. But as soon as I saw the sonographer come in to get me, I panicked automatically. During the ultrasound I was tense, as I am sure anyone would have been able to notice. As an attempt to relax me the sonographer began to ask me what I wanted to be when I “grow up.” My only response was, “Okay, this may sound cliché but it is true. I don’t know what I want to do. I am still waiting for God to tell me.” The woman laughed and I said, “Wait, no really. I won’t know until He tells me. I am waiting for His leading.” I had no idea what was funny until this woman walked away from me to grab her Bible study book. In summary, my ultrasound took about 20 minutes longer than usual because we were in the room talking about the goodness of the Lord. Then as the sonographer began to take me out of the room I said, “Will you be honest with me? Does everything look okay?” The woman responded, “Everything looks fine to me but the doctor will take a look as well.” I am sure my face let the woman know that I was still very concerned. She looked at me again and said, “Everything will be fine but even if things appeared to be bad, you have to trust and have faith in God. You have to believe that He will take care of you and that nothing will happen to you that He hasn’t allowed.” I leaned back in the hospital bed and I closed my eyes, asking God to help me believe. Asking God to help me believe Him.
Isaiah 53:4-5 (KJV):“4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
Ephesians 6:16 (KJV):“16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”
For those that read Wilderness Anyone? it was clear that I was nervous, anxious, and a bit fearful about entering the biggest wilderness experience of my life thus far. I can honestly say that a lot of healthy progression took place while I was abroad. The Lord has and is doing a mighty work and though I was hesitant, I thank Him for doing for me what I didn’t have the heart or mind to do for myself.
Acts 15:8-9 (KJV): “8And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; 9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.”
On May 19th, 2012 I flew back to America and on the flight leaving Copenhagen I found myself shedding as many tears as I had when I left America. The important thing is that crying on the plane leaving America in January was only a reflection of me not wanting to do what I knew I was supposed to do. However, the tears on the flight back to America were purely tears that encourages faith. I was crying because as I sat there and thought on how great God is to me, to us, I then realized that I had little faith.
2 Corinthians 4:13-14 (KJV):“13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;14 Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.”
I always said that I would hate for Jesus to say, “Oh you of little faith,” to me. From the first time I read verses about faith I agreed that I would try to have lots of faith so I would never have to hear Him say that, at least to me. Within the past 4 months I have learned that we can sometimes have more faith in and for others than we have for ourselves or in Christ. It almost seems natural to preach it and receive it in your minds than it is to live it and believe it in your hearts, especially when faced with adversity. While riding on a plane that cut through the clouds faster than my eyes could capture I began to understand that doing work for the Kingdom and my walk with Christ as a whole is absolutely nothing without faith. We become void vessels when we do not have faith because all of Christ’s works and miracles were done based on the faith He has in the Father. Matthew 8:26 (KJV):“26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.”I can know and understand the Bible but if I am without faith, that is a series of red flags. If I am going to continue this journey with my Groom, I must believe, obey, and love. I must have faith.
Hebrews 11:6 (KJV):“6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
Many of us make promises but less of us remember that God is the only Promise Keeper. Before going to Europe God didn’t make many promises to me personally but He did tell me to hold on to the promises in His Word, which assured me that in summary, He would take care of me. He never specifically told me what He was going to do but He did tell me to trust and to believe. My wilderness experience (which may not necessarily be over but in a different location) has been an interesting one with many, many trials and tribulations,which was expected. I won’t list them all here because we have to be careful of how we witness about the tests that God brings us through because it can quickly turn into complaining but know that whatever it is that you and I go through, He has control.
James 2:14 (KJV): “14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?”
A couple of days after being in America I was diagnosed with a sickness that we are believing will pass sooner than later. I talked with a doctor and they had prescribed me medicine for nausea but since I hadn’t experienced any nausea and didn’t want to waste money, I did not fill the prescription. Of course it is the doctor’s duty to cover all bases and with nausea being a symptom, he wanted to offer me treatment for it. However, I wasn’t too worried since I hadn’t had any trouble with it up to that point. Then I went home and went to sleep but not for long. Maybe 2 or 3 in the morning I was awakened by the most painful and urgent feeling of nausea that I have ever experienced in my life. I said to myself, “Now you can cry and you can become angry or you can call on the name of Jesus and have faith that He will answer your call.” I decided that I would take that as an opportunity to exercise my faith so I closed my eyes and said, “Whether this illness be natural or spiritual, I demand you to come into submission unto the name of Jesus. I don’t know where you came from but I am telling you to leave. I have no power of my own but I am demanding you to bow down in the name of Jesus because I will have peace. My Savior died so that I may have peace,” and when I opened my eyes again it was later in the day and I had no discomfort whatsoever. Walking in that faith allowed me to rest in perfect peace and I didn’t even know it until it was time for me to go on with my day. All situations in our lives won’t go this way and it isn’t necessarily a matter of medication but more so about stepping out on faith. I could have been super drugged up, full with as many drugs as my body would handle and still remain in pain and shattered. I had to hold on to His promises and though we don’t always know how, when, or why He will do things, we have to believe that He will take care of us.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV):“8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Gaining and maintaining faith isn’t always as easy as it may seem. After reading the mighty works that can be done from simply having faith the size of a mustard seed I ran to google “mustard seed” so I could see the true size. My jaw dropped because I only imagined that it would be easy to have faith bigger than the size of a mustard seed! But again, God uses a mustard seed surely to emphasize how rich faith is yet hard to come by. God could have said faith the size of a watermelon or turkey could move mountains but with Him knowing the struggle we endure to receive, act on, and live by faith He didn’t set the standards low but He does set them realistically. God is a just God and if He only asks for a mustard seed of something then we automatically know that it may not be easy but it is possible and it is rewarding.
Hebrews 11:1 (KJV):“11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
We must keep in mind that we are spiritual beings living in a natural world and because of that we are conditioned to understand things naturally. Faith encourages us to stand on the things that we cannot see or (yet see) with confidence and authority and I want to encourage everyone to make that leap. I am learning myself and I pray that I continue to learn. Faith isn’t an option, it is essential in our relationship with Christ. Again, living in faith may not be the easiest thing but if you have a heart to please God and you believe that without faith it is impossible to please God, it is a goal worth maintaining.
2 Corinthians 5:6-7 (KJV): “6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
Lord, I come to You asking You to simply give me faith. I had no idea how difficult it would be but thanks to Your careful guidance, it is beginning to make more sense. There are a lot of adversities that we will experience in life but we must stand strong in You while allowing faith to be our source of life. If we want to be Your servants, we must operate in Your faith. If we want to perform Your miracles, we must exercise Your faith. If we want to believe Your truth then Father we must receive Your faith. Lord, You know each of us and what we need to fulfill the plans You have for our lives. Please lead us, You know what we don’t know but regardless, we must never let go of our faith. During troubles and during peace. Whether it be concerning health or finances or love or our next step in life, help us believe. Not faith in ourselves but in You, our dear Lord. Amen.
Matthew 17:20 (KJV): “20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”
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