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End times, Eschatology, Second Death, Judgment Seat, Heaven, Milleneum, Second Coming, Rapture, Lake of Fire, Lake of Fire for satan and his angles, fallen angels and nephilm The Second Death & Great White Throne Judgment Article below or click the link for downloadable PDF. PDF The Second Death & Great White Throne Judgment There's More to it than what we think. I. Introduction II. The Books versus The Lamb’s Book of Life III. The Lamb’s Book of Life Jesus Went to Hell Who gets raptured? Will there be those who are left behind of the Body of Christ? The Day of the Lord and God’s Wrath are the same “Day” What About the Mark of the Beast Where are we now? Who’s the Restrainer? IV. The Judgment During the Millennium V. Lake of Fire & Various Thoughts VI. Two Other Scriptures to Address *NOTE: Emphasis in scriptures and notes are added. * I. Introduction I bring before you, for consideration, the Second Death and the Great White Throne Judgment has more to it than what we have been taught - seen in Revelation 20 (below). This is after the millennial reign of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Who is Lord and Savior eternally. Jesus Christ is King of kings, and Lord of lords. Look at the evidence in the Word, comparing scripture with scripture and see how they fit together as the Holy Spirit is in you AND leads you. He is wisdom and revelation knowledge. You can trust He will open your eyes. “Doctrinally” this goes against all we have been taught from “man’s wisdom” - but we are looking at what God has said about it. Keep your heart open to what He shows you. It’s wonderful. He is Wonderful! Revelation 20:12-15 “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them; and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 21:27 - “And nothing impure will ever enter it (heaven), nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” Revelation 17:8 - “…The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come. Ephesians 1:4-6 - “According as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love: 5 having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, where He has made us accepted in the beloved.” Revelation 3:5 - “The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before My Father and His angels.” Zechariah 9:11 - “For You also by the Blood of Your Testament have sent forth Your prisoners out of the pit.” 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 “But as it is written, ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him. But God has revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.“ Out of 2 or 3 witnesses let every word be established 2 Corinthians 13:1 * Read the entire article for the fullness to come to light. At the beginning some details may not be explained right away and some may be hard to grasp at first. As you continue on information will be in more detail. You can always go back and re-read sections. Trust God. He has got you! He will enlighten your eyes. * II. The Books versus The Lamb’s Book of Life So why are there two sets of books at the Final Judgment of Revelation 20:12-15? There must be a reason. God does not do things haphazardly. If there are two sets, they are needed. First: in the opening scripture, Revelation 20:12 “…the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works…” Keep this in mind as you look at the whole passage, recall this is after the millennium: Revelation 20:12-15 “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them; and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. Both sets of books are to be opened for the Final Judgment at God’s Throne after the millennial reign: 1.) The Book of Life and 2.) many books that are opened pertaining to the lives of people who were paying the price of their just punishment in hell because of their sins. They had never received Jesus Christ as the sacrifice He paid for their sins - so they had to pay it! And yet some are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life - of which as Revelation 3:5 states, “(He-Jesus) will never blot out their names from the Book of Life.” Revelation 20 clearly states that those who were written in the Lamb’s Book of Life do not stay eternally in hell and the Lake of Fire!! THAT is good news!!!!! Yes, they were knuckle headed and deceived by the enemy to never receive Jesus while they were alive and consequently had to spend some time in hell paying for their sins…but they belong to God! He is THE FATHER and is not going to eternally loose any of His kids!! There is another scripture that goes with Revelation 20, that is: Malachi 3:16-17 - notice these are both end time scriptures: “Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in His presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored His Name. ‘On the day when I act,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘they will be My treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.’” Let’s take a look at this one in Psalm 139:16 “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; all the days ordained for me were written in Your Book before one of them came to be.” Some think when they see these scriptures that we don’t have a choice in our destinies in this world but that’s not God. He always gives people a choice of “how” to live their lives. The Bible is filled with these examples. We live either according to His will or we live according to ours. For example: Israel with Moses in the desert rebelling against God; Sampson with Delilah; David with Bathsheba; the rich young ruler in the Gospels; and many more. Ephesians 4-5 gets into nitty gritty about this. God always gives us a choice - we can do things His way or ours. He wants you to choose Him. We don’t have to, neither do we have to follow His leadings for the things in our lives. It is up to us what we will choose. All of Deuteronomy 30 talks about this - we will only go to verses 14-20 says: “But the Word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may do it. See, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil; for I command you this day to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God shall bless you in the land where you go to possess it. But if your heart turn away, so that you will not hear, but shall be drawn away and worship other gods, and serve them: I declare to you this day that you will certainly perish, and that you shall not prolong your days upon the land, you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. This day I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your seed may live; that you may love the Lord your God and that you may obey His voice, and that you may cleave unto Him: for He is your life, and the length of your days: that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore unto your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” We can see from all of the passages noted above, taken all together, that our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life from the foundation of the world - Revelation 17:8 , Ephesians 1:4-6 ; our names are never blotted out - Revelation 3:5; all of our days are written before they ever came to be - Psalm 139:16; God keeps books written of us and our conversations about God for those who fear and honor Him - Malachi 3:16-17 and He keeps us from the destruction to come; and God still gives us a choice of how to live on this earth - Deuteronomy 30. We don’t have to abide by what He has written about us in His book(s), but it is in our best interest to follow His leading. And there are rewards in heaven for doing so (See article on Crowns); if we don’t we will not receive rewards. If we do we will live a long robust life because we follow Him and choose Him in this world. To love Him. To obey Him. But some will not. And they will have a tough life and wind up in hell until the Second Death and Great White Throne Judgment. For those who receive Jesus before they die the books that list the sins are wiped away and are not remembered as Psalm 103:12 says. Jesus was the sacrifice for our punishment of all sin, past - present - future - there are many, many scriptures that say this, but we will only go to three: 2 Corinthians 5:21 “He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Hebrews 10:10-13 NLV “Our sins are washed way and we are made clean because Christ gave His own body as a gift to God. His did this once for all time. All Jewish religious leaders stand every day killing animals and giving gifts on the altar. They give the same gifts over and over again. These gifts cannot take away sins. But Christ gave Himself once for sins and that is good forever. After that He sat down at the right side of God.” 1 Peter 1:23 “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring Word of God.” Our records of sin in heaven are expunged by the Blood of Jesus, wiped away, blotted out; and there is no memory of them. As the Lord has said in Psalm 103:12 that He has “removed all our sin from us as far as the east is from the west.” Hebrews 8:12 “For I will forgive their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” And Isaiah 43:25 “I, even I, am He Who blots out your transgressions, for My own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” Bear in mind, we need to repent! Because sin has consequences if we don’t. Cause and effect. Once true repentance is made, not just saying “sorry” but changing the way we think about the situation and asking for forgiveness, then the sins are washed away. This means the books for the born-again believers are records of good things like God’s purpose for our lives and things of which we are rewarded at the “Bema Seat,” the Greek word used in the New Testament for “judgement.” The Greeks used it when speaking of the athletic games where the contestants would compete for the prize of a crown, under careful scrutiny of judges who would make sure rules of the contest were obeyed. They win a prize for following the rules and winning the race. This is what Paul is referring to when he speaks of this Judgment Seat in the Epistles: 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 “For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy.” 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 ESV “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. Revelation 22:12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.” Salvation is a gift and there are rewards given for walking out this life in faith being moved by the Spirit of God, thus bearing fruit. These are things we get crowns for. We see this reward all through this Epistles. Check out, 2 Corinthians 5:9-10 (remember the “bad” has already been forgiven and wiped away. This scripture in 2 Corinthians is alluding to the Second Death. God is multidimensional and so is His Word. He often talks of several things in different timelines within the same scripture), Romans 14:10, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. 2 Corinthians 5:9-10 - “So we make it our goal to please Him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” Romans 14:10 - “…For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 - “24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” * III. The Lamb’s Book of Life 1.) God will never blot out their names. This is important - get ready for this, because this is major revelation from the Holy Spirit: everything in the Bible is truly stated and yet, some things stated are not God’s Truth. For example, when the disciples wanted to call down fire from God to take out the Samaritans who wouldn’t receive Jesus, Jesus rebuked them - Luke 9:53-55 . It was truly stated what James and John said but it wasn’t God’s Truth. This happens throughout the Bible. Such passages like this are about names being blotted out are written by Moses and David. These statements were requests from them to God. It doesn’t say God did it. It’s truly stated but it is not God’s truth. (Exodus 32:32-33; Psalm 69:29; Psalm 109:13 .) It contradicts what Revelation 3:5 says that God will not blot out the names. Whenever we get scripture that appear to contradict other scripture, we need to ask the Lord to show us because there is something we are misunderstanding. He will always show you. One place where the Word does discuss God, not man asking, but God blotting out names is of the “wicked” in Psalm 9:5 . (See Ex. 23:1; 7; Genesis 13:13; 18:23; 38:7 .) The wicked are not of God’s seed (Genesis 3:15 ), His children. In Hebrew the word for “wicked” is: “rasha”. It means: “criminal, evil, evil man/men, guilty offender, ungodly, wicked, wicked man/men, wicked one, wicked ones.” Bear in mind that angels are often called “men” predominantly in the Old Testament but also in the New Testament in Hebrews where we can entertain angles in the likeness of men. If you study out who the wicked are in scripture they are satan and his fallen angels, and their offspring or “seed” (Genesis 3:15 - seed of the serpent) of wicked people. These are who God has blotted out of His book. But what is “this” book? Is this the same book as the Book of Life? No. It is of people that are written to live on earth at a point in time, “under heaven” as in Deuteronomy 29:20 states - “The Lord will not be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the Lord and His jealousy will smoke against that man, and the curses written in this book (of the Law - Deuteronomy 28 ) will settle upon him, and the Lord will blot out his name from under heaven.” And a similar scripture in Deuteronomy 9:14 - “Let Me alone, that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.” It’s not directly stated but by the use of grammar and phrasing it is apparent that there is a book of who is alive on earth at points of time. It is the book of who is alive from under heaven. There are so many books written in heaven - this is yet another one. We can also tell there are more than one book because scriptures referring to the Law that God gave Moses. Both of these books are something completely different than the Lamb’s Book of Life. It does not state “the Lamb’s Book of Life”. God is specific. If He meant “the Lamb’s Book of Life” He would have stated it. There is a revelation here too…you may have to read this a couple of times…if the name of the book is “The Book of Life” how could you put names in it that God would blot out. It’s a Book of Life. Not death. Not destruction. It would no longer be a Book of Life because eternal death would have been done to those whose names were blotted out. It’s a contradiction. God doesn’t do contradictions. God’s plan is perfect for saving all of mankind - 2 Peter 3:9 - “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” God doesn’t want any of His children to perish! And as is God’s personality He repeats this statement again - 1 Timothy 2:4, 6 - “Who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 6. Who gave Himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.” Scripture doesn’t say when the “proper time” is but I suspect it’s at the Great White Throne Judgment. This is when we will find friends and loved ones of whom we have prayed for, sometimes for years, that the Lord will pull them out of hell because they paid their own price for sin - and they didn’t have to but they never received Jesus’ sacrifice for them. They could have received Jesus’ sacrifice but didn’t and had to pay the price of sin: death. “The wages of sin is death” - Romans 6:23. God is NOT going to let the devil steal His kids! God is getting the rest of His kids back! 2.) Mankind’s entire existence on earth has been about a “seed war” as L.A. Marzulli calls it - Genesis 3:15. Seed of the serpent versus Seed of the Woman (God’s Seed). Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil - 1 John 3:8 . When we look at scripture of how God works we can “see” more of the “big picture” of what God had planned before the foundation of the world. Because of what the devil did by stealing mankind with Adam and Eve, God’s perfect plan was on “hold” in order for God to get back His “man” and all that had been stolen from Him in creation. He is taking it back! Matthew 27:51-53 NIV “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many many people.” I’ve never seen a sermon preached on this. I wish someone would. There’s some real nuggets of revelation here. The devil already lost and he never knew it until it was too late for him. As 1 Corinthians 2:8 says “Which none of the princes of this world knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” We don’t know how many were raised from the dead and we don’t know if this was all of God’s seed (not the serpents) at that time who had been raised, globally. I happen to believe it was a global event for those of God’s seed because Jesus preached in hell according to Peter. But we won’t know until we get to heaven. However, it is in God’s personality to get His kids out of danger once they received Jesus when they were in the pit. It’s not like God to make them stay there. God put the devil and his bunch on notice. They lost. Jesus took the keys to death and hell - Revelation 1:18 . It’s Jesus who rules that kingdom. Not the devil or his minions. Jesus is King of kings. Lord of lords. This is massive what happened. I purpose the Second Death and the Great White Throne Judgment is also massive, something we have never “seen” before in Sunday church service. But it is time for things to be unveiled. “…(God does) superabundantly beyond all we could ask or think…” Ephesians 3:20 . This was an epic battle of good and evil, and God won!! Jesus came to destroy all that the devil had done, all that he had stolen from God. God’s man, all of God’s creation from animals, to the planets, to universes. Jesus got it all back!! All!!! We know this…but do we really understand what that means. To us it seems like an “eternity” for which all of this has transpired. Recall a thousand years is as a day with the Lord. It’s only been, approximately, a few days to a couple weeks with God, depending on your view on the age of the earth and the culmination of “time” is at the Second Death and Great White Throne Judgement after the millennium. The new heaven and new earth has no darkness, no night. No “time.” It’s eternity. That’s when all that is God’s is fully returned to Him and all of satan, the beast, false prophet, and critically thinking here, “their seed” because their names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life is cast into the lake of fire - Revelation 20:15. Eternally. And God won’t ever let this kind of treason, anarchy, happen again - Ephesians 1:21 - “(Jesus being raised from the dead) Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:” What Jesus Christ did on the Cross is eternal and supersedes anything created before or afterward. God will never have to put up with another revolt again! 1 Corinthians 15:22 - “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” * Jesus Went to Hell There used to be a “doctrine” that Jesus never went to hell. But that is contrary to scripture. Restating the scripture in 1 Peter 3:18-22 - “18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 19 After being made alive, He went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— 20 to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 Who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to Him.” Colossians 2:13-15 "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, has He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” Take a look at this scripture in the Passion Translation, “Then Jesus made a public spectacle of all the powers and principalities of darkness, stripping away from them every weapon and all their spiritual authority and power to accuse us. And by the power of the Cross, Jesus led them around as prisoners in a procession of triumph. He was not their prisoner, they were His!” There are scholars notes in the Passion Translation on Colossians 2:15 that says “the Aramaic text has a phrase that is not found in the Greek manuscripts. The Aramaic can be translated “‘having put off His body, He stripped principalities and powers and shamed them openly.’ This implies that between the day of crucifixion and the day of resurrection while in the spirit-realm, Jesus destroyed death, the powers of darkness, and every work of the enemy through the Blood of His Cross. All the enemy’s weapons have been stripped away from him and now the church has authority in Christ to enforce this triumph upon the dethroned rulers of this world.” Ephesians 4:9-10 - “(Now this, “He ascended” —what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)” Ezekiel 31:14 - “…For they have all been consigned to death, to the depths of the earth, among the mortals who descend to the Pit.” And Ephesians 4:8 - “Wherefore He said, ‘ When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.’” And check this again with Matthew 27:50-53 - “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He gave up His Spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.” This was after Jesus had preached to them in hell as 1 Peter 3 says. Ecclesiastes 1:9 - “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” This will be done again…after the millennium: Second Death and Great White Throne Judgment when God pulls out His own from the pit. * I want to add one more: 1 Corinthians 15 . Verse 14 through 26 “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead. But He did not raise Him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20. But Christ has indeed been raised form the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21. For since death came through one man, the resurrection of the dead comes through one Man. 22. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23. But each in turn: Christ, the first-fruits; then, when He comes, those who belong to Him. 24. Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He (Jesus) has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25. For He (Jesus) must reign until He (Jesus) has put all His (God and Jesus’) enemies under His (Jesus’) feet. 26.The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” DEATH WILL BE DESTROYED AT THE SECOND DEATH when He puts death and hell into the Lake of Fire. (Re-read Revelation 20:11-15. On first page or your own Bible.) We see the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 15 is about resurrection from the dead. Going on to a subsequent verse 1 Corinthians 15:57 - says: “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Including those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life but did not receive Him while on earth. He will snatch out of eternal hell in the Lake of Fire. They are a part of “all” that Jesus Christ has rescued in His death and resurrection and who are raised from the dead - 1 Corinthians 15:22-23 “22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when He comes, those who belong to Him.” Those who are God’s seed, who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life from the foundation of the world. * Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God was without sin, 2 Corinthians 5:21 , that is why the devil couldn’t hold Him in hell. It was illegal. And by Jesus’ death He nailed all accusations against us from the “accuser” (Revelation 12:10 ) on His Cross! And He did this for ALL men. He took our sin for us - Glory to God! So that He would have all men, God’s seed, to be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth that He has freed us all! (1 Timothy 2:4 ). As 1 Corinthians 2:6-8 says, “Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect (mature): yet not the wisdom of this world, nor the princes of this world, that are coming to nothing: No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” The devil, rulers, principalities, powers, none of them had the legal right hold Jesus, the Son of the Living God, in hell! And by Jesus being our sacrifice He paid the price for us! That’s shoutin’ ground right there!!! Devil couldn’t hold Jesus in hell and the devil can’t hold God’s seed either! Jesus has paid the price! Zechariah 9:11 - “For You also by the Blood of Your Testament have sent forth Your prisoners out of the pit.” 1 Peter 3:18 - “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God” This IS BIG! How does all this occur? Logistically? Mankind when he is disobedient is giving heed to seducing voices, to the god of this world - 2 Corinthians 4:4 - “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, Who is the image of God.” Every voice we hear and every thought we think is not from God. And those seducing voices blind the eyes and can cause people to go to hell if they refuse God and remain blinded and refuse Jesus Christ as the Son of God and as Lord. But if they are God’s seed and written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, then they are God’s seed…God’s kids…and He ain’t going to loose any of them to the devil. Not going to happen. No parent would allow their child to be stolen and God certainly won’t. The Lord will get them back! Nowhere in scripture does it say that only when a person is alive on earth can they receive Jesus as their Lord and Revelation 20 is clear about that. Can you imagine those who are God’s coming face to face with Him without the devil blinding their eyes!! What a glorious Day that will be! * Who gets raptured? Will there be those who are left behind of the Body of Christ? The word “rapture” comes from the latin translation of the Bible called the Vulgate - the latin word is “rapturo”. The Greek word in the New Testament is is “Harpazo” - #726, to seize, catch up, snatch away (as from danger), obtain by robbery, to seize by force, snatch up, suddenly and decisively - like someone seizing a bounty (spoil, a prize), to take by an open display of force (i.e. not covertly or secretly). (See 2 Corinthians 12:2,4; Revelation 12:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:17; Acts 8:39; and put with the typology Elijah 2 Kings 2 and Enoch before the flood Genesis 5:18-24, Hebrews 11:5, Jude 1:14 .) It is typically translated in English: “catching away”. All will see the rapture happen! Matthew 24:30 and Revelation 1:7: “And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” “Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see Him— even those who pierced Him. And all the nations of the world will mourn for Him. Yes! Amen!” There was a witness when Elijah was taken and we can only guess there was at least one witness when Enoch was taken because this incident is mentioned in scripture. God is consistent. What He has done before, He will do again and His is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Ecclesiastes 1:9 & Hebrews 13:8 .) * 1 Peter 1:23 “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which lives and abides for ever.” Being born again we have incorruptible seed in us: God and His word. And we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise Ephesians 1:13 and 2 Corinthians 1:22 . The definition of “seal” means: to make secure, guarantee, assurance. it is like in the Old Testament when a king would seal a document with his signet ring. The document was sealed by the king and it could never be revoked. You being a born again child of God, God has set His signet, His royal seal upon you and it can never be revoked! We are sealed with His Holy Spirit of promise! A father protects His children. And God’s children are His forever because His seed is incorruptible. He will not leave any behind. Symbology of the Holy Spirit is oil: Luke 4:18 , Isaiah 10:27 . We see this all throughout the Old Testament but I will only use one: 1 Samuel 16:13 (1-13 ) “So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him (David) in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David…” Oil = The Holy Spirit. Keep this in mind. Let’s go to THE scripture that has the most of the Body of Christ thinking there will be left behind brothers and sisters: the parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25:7 . Five virgins are without oil. They do not have the Holy Spirit, so they are not actually saved. They are not sealed. As John 3:5 states: “Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.’” Being born-again you have the Holy Spirit. There is no other way to be born-again. So your “lamp” has oil. The Holy Spirit comes into your spirit and recreates your spirit. You cannot be born again without Him. The 5 who did not have oil play the game of being Christian - they may talk a good talk - but never gave their heart to the Lord for whatever reason. Some because of lack of proper teaching and consequently it breeds ignorance. Some because they thought they wouldn't be able to control their lives. Some out of fear. Let’s take a look at another scripture that confirms this: Isaiah 4:1 - “And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by your name, to take away our reproach.” These do not eat the Bread of Life - feeding on the Word, nor do they wear the Robe of Righteousness - this is what true believers in Jesus have, and yet they want to be called by His Name, Christian. There are many people like this sitting in church with “head knowledge” who haven’t truly given their hearts to Jesus. Including pastors. It’s always a matter of the heart with the Lord. He wants your heart, for you to want Him. Those 5 virgins who did not have oil were “Christians” by mental assent only. They are called by the Name but “feed on their own bread” and “wear their own cloak.” They have no “oil.” They do not have the Holy Spirit, they have not been re-created, they are not in union with Jesus, they do not have God’s incorruptible seed within them. They are not born again. John 3:5-8 “Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.” Titus 3:5-6 “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,” Now let’s take a look at 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 “May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The One Who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.” God is the One Who keeps us. It is not by our actions. We don’t have the ability. LET ME BE VERY CLEAR: This doesn’t mean you can just live a sinful life - sin has an effect, always. Unrepentant sin will show its outcome in believers lives. Many believers have illness and death in their lives because of unrepentant sin. Some go by way of the grave at an earlier time than God had planned because of unrepented sin. Disregarding the Lord and His Word, and living any way you want will get you in trouble. We are supposed to live right. We are to try to keep it out of our lives as much as possible, the Lord will lead you. Trust Him. But it is God that has saved us. Gave us a new heart. He has adopted us, He is not going to allow anyone to take away His children for eternity. As He said in John 10:28 that no one can take us out of His hand. Once you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior you are in His hand. It is not in God’s character to abort His own kids. He would never do that. And He is keeping us blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. No flesh is justified in His sight Romans 3:19-23 . It is not us. We cannot do it, we are in a sin-fallen body with a soul (mind) that needs to be renewed. It’s impossible. Thats why our “works” are as dirty rags - Isaiah 64:6; Ephesians 2:8-9 . We trust Him for our salvation, not our “doing”; and we trust Him to keep us for our escape in the rapture. He has made us brand new and reconciled us to Himself permanently because of what Jesus did - 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation, old things are passed away (the old sin fallen nature of our spirit); behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation; that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and has committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” Here’s one more scripture about God preserving us - which states it is all of us - and taking us all for the rapture, (there are more) Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that He which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the Day of Jesus Christ.” God is going to Rapture all! Not part. Notice it doesn’t specify a group of people. (Neither do the other rapture type scriptures.) It’s words like “all” and “you”. And He will bring out the good work in you. Simply trust Him to move through you and in you. Rest in Him. Rely on Him. * The Day of the Lord and God’s Wrath are the same “Day” I mention this here because The Day of the Lord and God’s Wrath are the same “Day” as the Rapture. Let’s take a look: Isaiah 2:(6-12 ) but we will look at verses 10-11 and put it with Revelation 6:15-17 & Isaiah 13:9,13 : Isaiah 2:10-11 “Go into the rocks, hide in the ground from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty! 11 The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled and human pride brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.” Revelation 6:15-17 “15Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16They called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17For the great day of His wrath has come, and who can withstand it?” Isaiah 13:9,13 “9See, the day of the Lord is coming—a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger—to make the land desolate”…”13Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the Lord Almighty, in the day of His burning anger.” I’m not going to go into comparing all of the scriptures but I will list them at the end of this part for you, should you want to see it for yourself. As you can see in the above comparison they are the same “Day”- The Day of the Lord & The Day of God’s/Lord’s Wrath”. It is the same throughout the other scriptures as well. KEY POINT: The Rapture which is spoken of in the New Testament as Jesus coming as a “thief in the night” is the same as The Day of the Lord, The Day of Wrath. Something to bear in mind scripture was not originally written with chapter and verse, so let’s look at 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 in context with chapter 4:13-18 because they go together; and Matthew 24:42-44 which is coming from verses 20-31 the main rapture passage besides 1 Thessalonians 4. It’s about context. In these passages we see the coming of the Lord (Rapture) Who comes as a thief in the night, and when the Lord comes it is also the Day of the Lord, and the Day of Wrath. Look at how it is described in these passages. Oh, and one more that goes with these: Zephaniah 1 - the entire chapter is about the Day of Wrath and in verses 14-16 “14The great day of the Lord is near; it is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter; there the mighty men shall cry out. 15That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16 a day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities, and against the high towers.” As 1 Thessalonians 4 says Jesus comes with a trumpet!! And here in Zephaniah there is also “alarm” because what is the rapture for those who are alive and remain is the same day of destruction for those who are not believers. SCRIPTURES : Isaiah 2; Isaiah 13 and 24:19-23 and 26:16-21; Ezekiel 13:5 ; 30:2-19; Joel 1:15 , 2:1 ,11 ,30-32; 3:14 ; Amos 5:18 -20 ; Obadiah 15; Zephaniah 1; Zechariah 14:1 ; Malachi 4:1,5 and several times in the New Testament like Acts 2:20 ; 1 Corinthians 1:7-9 and 5:5; 2 Corinthians 1:14 ; Philippians 1:6, 9-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:2 ; James 5:1-7 with Revelation 6:12-17; 2 Peter 3:10 . It is also alluded to in other passages like: Revelation 16:14 . Others refer to divine judgments that will take place toward the end of the age which The New Testament commonly calls it a “Day of Wrath,” a “Day of Visitation,” and the “Great Day of God Almighty” and “the Day of Christ” and refers to future fulfillment when God’s wrath is poured out on the unbelieving: Isaiah 22; Jeremiah 30:1-17; Joel 1-2; Amos 5; Ezekiel 38–39 (38:18-20 goes with Matthew 24:29-30; Luke 21:24-37; Revelation 6:12-17; Isaiah 24:19-20); Zechariah 14. The Scriptures indicate that “the day of the Lord” will come quickly, like a thief in the night, which Jesus said His return is like a thief in the night: Zephaniah 1:14-15; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; Matthew 24:43. * God will have all men to be saved as 2 Timothy 2:4 says and God is the One who keeps all believers blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, because faithful is He Who calls us Who also will do it, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 . And there are more passages like this: Philippians 1:6 that we can “be confident that He which began a good work in us”, meaning recreated our spirit when we got born-again, “He will perform it (or continue it) until the day of Jesus Christ.” This is when the Day of the Lord/Rapture/Day of Wrath occur and we get our new bodies as 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-53 says! He will perform it until it is fulfilled and we have our new bodies. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 - “15For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18Therefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Corinthians 15:50-53 - “50Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” Let’s look at more passages: 1 Corinthians 1:5-9 "5 For in Him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— 6 God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will also keep you firm to the end , so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” Colossians 1:21-22 "21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation— “ 1 Thessalonians 3:13 “May He strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all His holy ones.” Not in any scripture, anywhere, does God say only a portion of those saved will be raptured. It is part of God’s mercy upon all “who are alive and remain”. If God were only to rapture, or let’s say it this way, gives us an escape from what’s coming, it certainly is not in God’s character to only rescue a part of the Body of Christ. Consider what He did with Israel in Egypt. There were millions of them and He saved them all. He will rescue ALL that are alive and remain, as 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 says. God is the One Who keeps us and perfects us until the rapture. All of us. And there are more than two or three scriptures that state this. You can take that to the proverbial bank! * What About the Mark of the Beast Revelation 14:9-10 “A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.” Revelation 13:8 “All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him (antichrist), whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear.” Another translation states it this way: “and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.” Here is another translation: “Everyone on earth will worship the wild beast - those whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life of the Lamb who was slain.” That’s another verse to make you shout and praise God! Looking at these two verses together - Revelation 14:9-10 and 13:8 - we see All who take the mark are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life!! And our names are written in it before the foundation of the world! And God doesn’t blot any names out of the Book of Life. It is a Book of Life…not death. I was taught, as I know many of you were, that our names were written when we accepted Jesus. But that’s not accurate according to the scriptures we have gone over. There are 6 places where the Word states that we are written from the foundation of the world. Out of two or three witnesses let every word be established. This is a doctrine set in place by Jehovah God - God’s Truth. Revelation 17:8 “The beast that you saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go in to perdition: and they that dwell on earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.” Only those who are not written in the Book of Life take the mark and worship the beast, the antichrist. Ephesians 1:4-5 “He has chosen us before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy without blame before Him in Love.” 2 Tim 1:9 “Who has saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” Rom. 8:29-30 “For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those He predestined , He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.” Romans 8:29-30 TPT “For He knew all about us before we were born and He destined us from the beginning to share the likeness of His Son. This means the Son is the oldest amongst a vast family of brothers and sisters who will become just like Him. 30 Having determined our destiny ahead of time, He called us to Himself and transferred His perfect righteousness to everyone He called. And those who possess His perfect righteousness, He co-glorifies with His Son!” We were planned and called before the foundation of the world! God predestined us to be His. He knew us before we were born and had a plan for us! (Jeremiah 1:5 .) Psalm 139:16 TPT “Your eyes saw my unformed substance ; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them .” If we were planned and predestined, we were written, and we are not here to receive the mark nor worship the beast. We are predestinated to be with our Lord! He will show us and is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us - Ephesians 3:20 . We see in part and know in part now and see through a glass darkly - 1 Corinthians 13:9-12 . We only have an inkling of what wonderful things He has in store for us! God had us in His mind and in His heart before the foundation of the world. We were “chosen” then. What a great love He has for us. Hallelujah! * Where are we now? Who’s the Restrainer? Going to restate some things in this section that have already been discussed for context. Life as it is, in the time of this writing is 2024 and I can say we are in the end times with all that we see in current events taken in line with Matthew 24 , Mark 13 , and Luke 21 , Daniel , Revelation and many others. I won’t go into much about it except two things: technology and end time scriptures being un-sealed. Technology has to be at a certain place in order for things of Revelation 13 to occur, and if we go much further in time and technological development we will surpass what scripture says. End time scripture has opened! You can tell by so much of it making sense now, when it never used to before! Daniel 12:4 “4But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.” Many going here and there and knowledge increasing is this era. Knowledge has become so accessible like never before - at our finger tips. Travel is common place, to far away destinations. Like never before. And the book of Daniel and Revelation have opened up so dramatically and paralleling other Old Testament books like I have never seen in over 45 years of reading the Bible. Things like this never made sense to me before like they do now and many believers I speak with all say the same thing. There has been what I would call a “panic” with most believers at some point to make sure they do not take the mark. Of course. We know what that means, but as we have seen in the previous section that is not possible. For those who are God’s seed, either death will come first or you will avoid taking it by some means. God knows how it will work for each of us. Trust God. He’s got you. I know many think the mark is here. But when you check scripture you can see it’s not. Not yet. And yes, they are working on it. Have been for decades. The antichrist (ac) has to be on the main stage of the political scene with all nations under his control for the mark to be in place. He’s not yet. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 and Revelation 13 .) And as previously stated about the mark, none who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life take the mark. The remainder of this section is going to be hard to read for those who have held on to 2 Thessalonians 2 “Restrainer” with Daniel 9:24-27 “doctrine” that the Church is raptured before the ac comes on the scene. Let the Holy Spirit reveal it to you. Let’s take a look at what the scriptures say. Overview Originally the word “restrainer” was used in 2 Thessalonians 2:7. It’s been changed in many translations to “let.” “Restrainer” is one of those enigmatic Greek words that means simply means “something that restrains,” it is stopping something from happening for a particular reason. Uh…okay…this means we need to go into more depth in the Word to see exactly what the Lord means. As mentioned before the devil has been trying to get his antichrist (ac) in the limelight for centuries. The “Restrainer” has been holding him back because of what God has said in His Word. God has a timeline for this to occur. Why? This is my take on it, since God has already created people before the foundation of the world and written them down in His Book of Life, they must be born…or let’s say it this way: conceived in this world first. Each person is designated to be on earth in a specific time period, and no devil is going to push to make it happen outside of God’s timing. What God has said in context with His prophetic scripture is a covenant. It is an oath from God Almighty. In context with 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 the Restrainer is stopping the ac from showing up before the time that God has ordained according to His Word - and according to Daniel 9:27 it is God Himself that has made a covenant with many for the 7 year Tribulation to occur, God has it set in a specific timeline and won’t let the devil “jump the gun” or make it last longer. We have thought that Daniel 9:27 the “he” was the ac. It is not the ac. Let’s look at Daniel 9 in more detail: "2 in the first year of his reign (king Xerxes), I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the Word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: ‘Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with those who love Him and keep His commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your Name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.’ 7 'Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. 8 We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against You. 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against Him; 10 we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws He gave us through His servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed Your law and turned away, refusing to obey You.’ ‘Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against You. 12 You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to Your truth. 14 The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything He does; yet we have not obeyed Him.’ 15 'Now, Lord our God, who brought Your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for Yourself a Name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. 16 Lord, in keeping with all Your righteous acts, turn away Your anger and Your wrath from Jerusalem, Your city, Your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and Your people an object of scorn to all those around us.’ 17 'Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of Your servant. For Your sake, Lord, look with favor on Your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open Your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears Your name. We do not make requests of You because we are righteous, but because of Your great mercy. 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For Your sake, my God, do not delay, because Your city and your people bear Your Name.’” The Seventy “Sevens” "20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for His holy hill— 21 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He instructed me and said to me, ‘Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. 23 As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision: 24 Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place. 25 Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.’” Notice the flow of what is spoken:iIt is about God and what He has poured out on Israel because of their sin. The “he” that occurs everywhere except the end - the last sentence - of verse 27 throughout the text is God. We will look at it again with text inflections to see better. There is also the part at Gabriel’s opening statement that lays out an outline in verse 24 - this gives an order to more details within the order that is discussed in subsequent verses. We will start at verse 15. We could go from the beginning but you get the point. Emphasis added and I will stop in places with commentary: 15 “'Now, Lord our God , Who brought Your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and Who made for Yourself a Name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. 16 Lord , in keeping with all Your righteous acts, turn away Your anger and Your wrath from Jerusalem, Your city, Your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and Your people an object of scorn to all those around us. 17 "Now, our God , hear the prayers and petitions of Your servant. For Your sake, Lord , Look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, our God, and Hear; open Your eyes and See the desolation of the city that bears Your Name. We do not make requests of You because we are righteous, but because of Your great mercy. 19 Lord , listen! Lord , forgive! Lord , hear and act! For Your sake, my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people bear Your Name.’” The Seventy “Sevens” 20 "While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for His holy hill — 21 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He instructed me and said to me , “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. [Regarding what you have asked for from God.] 23 As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision: [Verse 24 which we are about to get to is the outline of what Daniel is told and the main themes are numbered. We will get to that in the next paragraph. Verses 25-27 are further details of each numbered item and the events described within each numbered part overlap from one number to the next. #1 was the primary question Daniel raised about how long Israel would remain in captivity under Babylon. #2 is from God’s perspective of His doing away with sin and atoning for wickedness. #3 is also from God’s perspective how God will bring everlasting righteousness because man cannot do it on his own. #4 is what God will do with…get this…THE vision and prophecy that He has given to Daniel - Daniel’s visions that God gave him are ONE vision and prophecy in chapters 2, 7-12. Just like chapter 9 there is further explanation of what verse 24 lays out will happen. This is how God does things all through the Bible, especially in Revelation. Revelation is not linear in happenings. Many chapters are further explanation of other chapters. They overlap. So does Daniel’s visions - they overlap, they are further detail of what he first got in Chapter 2 and chapter 7. And technically what he got in chapter 2 came through someone else - Nebuchadnezzar. Have you ever had the Holy Spirit give you further revelation upon a word that He revealed to someone else? Sure you have. God does that. And God was letting Daniel know that He would seal what He gave Daniel until the time of the end - Daniel 12 . No one will understand it until God opens it. #5 the final part of God’s design of Anointing His Most Holy Place, the New Jerusalem, of which Daniel didn’t realize this was one of the answers he asked for, the rebuilding of Jerusalem - the final one, from God’s perspective. When we ask God questions, most commonly we don’t realize “what” we are asking. And He will answer from His perspective. This is why the Lord said in Isaiah 55:8-9 that His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are higher than man’s ways.] Verse 24 here’s the “overview” of what is spoken in subsequent verses that give more detail. 24 - #1 - Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, #2 to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, #3 to bring in everlasting righteousness, #4 to seal up vision and prophecy #5 and to anoint the Most Holy Place. Further Explanation of verse 24 : we see 70 sevens of years (490) was the time allotted for Israel to pay for their transgression by the rule of Babylon, of which Daniel was praying about and repenting of the nation of Israel’s sin. Putting and end to sin and atone for wickedness permanently could only be done by Jesus and the cross. His resurrection is what brought everlasting righteousness, it could come no other way - 1 Corinthians 5:21 - “you are the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus.” Upon His resurrection He brought in EVERLASTING RIGHTEOUSNESS. Righteousness was not here before His resurrection. Sealing up Daniel’s vision and end time prophecy has been done from the time of Daniel through to the end times. Anointing the most holy place, the New Jerusalem, is what will happen after the millennium. There is a wide timeline of what the Lord was showing Daniel, from his time through to the next dimension on the recreated earth with the New Jerusalem - Revelation 21:1-2 . [Numbered sections in verses 25-27 go into the sections listed in verse 24 - they are further explanations of sections in verse 24, they overlap.] 25 "Know and understand this: #1 From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the Ruler, comes there will be seven ‘sevens’, and sixty-two ‘sevens’” - In this verse there is more detail of #1 that leads into #2 giving a timeline - 490 years plus 434 years until Jesus came from the time of Daniel. #2. There are 70 sevens and another 62 sevens until Jesus comes to put an end to sin and wickedness. The Temple was rebuilt during the time of Nehemiah when the Temple was first rebuilt, after the time of Babylon, under Persia when they defeated Babylon. [Babylon took over Israel in 605 BC. Which makes it 320 AD according to this verse of scripture for when Jesus was around and we know that wasn’t the case. Hear me out - in Church history the most important political ruler was Constantine. 320 AD was the year he was born. His rulership made Christianity acceptable in the world. More than that, they stoped killing and torturing Christians. Something else to figure is the Essene calendar. The way the Essenes figured the timeline was according to scripture, it is God’s calendar not the Gregorian calendar. And there is always an overlap between the two. Each era or what are called “days” - there are 7 and we are currently at the end of the 6th era or day which ends in 2025 - overlaps on the Gregorian calendar. All of them overlap on the Gregorian calendar. [https://www.fivedoves.com/letters/mar2024/luisv310-2.htm ]. So from the Prevoius era “The age of Torah” over laps into the “Age of Grace”. It only does the first portion of that “day”. About 1/3. This is the same as an over lap to what they consider the “Church Age- the Age of Grace”. So what am I saying? It is both. It is the coming of Jesus to take away the sins of the world and bring righteousness and Constantine was a political leader who made Christianity the religion of an empire. It had never happened before. All done by the hand of God.] More detail in verse 25 : #2 25 until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble . - These are overlapping the rebuilding of the Temple and Jesus onto the earth under the occupation of Rome - times of trouble with what it was to be like to the time of His death on the cross. During the time of the rebuilt Temple would be a time of trouble - it wasn’t going to be easy for Israel for well-over millennia. We know what happened, after Babylon was the Persians with king Cyrus, Greeks with Alexander the Great, and then the Romans with the various Caesars, and subsequent to that the great dispersion after the Resurrection of Jesus that lasted until 1948 - all overtook Israel. Israel certainly had times of trouble even though the Temple had been rebuilt from what Daniel had asked. Explanation of verse 26 : 26”After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.” Let’s look at this verse in Hebrew: 26 After the weeks, 60 and 2, Messiah shall be cut off but not for Himself, and the city and the sanctuary shall destroy the people, of the prince (ruler) who is to come, and the end of it shall be with a flood and till the end of the war are determined desolations.” We see Messiah’s death on the cross which is not for Himself, He died for the sins of the whole world. When Rome takes over, at this time under emperor Nero, is the one who destroyed the second Temple. This is all part of #1 for Israel being under the punishment of God. Again, it’s more detail. There is also added the time of the end like Revelation 12:16 where Jerusalem is destroyed by a flood. As verse 26 says, the end comes with a flood. There are scholarly debates as to whether this is literal or figurative. I’m not going to say one way or the other. It could be both knowing how God uses language. There are often 2 meanings at the very least. Explanation of verse 27 : 27 "He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” Now here is part with the “he” or “He” to consider. Let me ask you a question: Did God speak of the antichrist at all in this chapter so far? No. So let’s take a look at it from God’s perspective since He is answering Daniel from His perspective. 27. “He - God - will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven’ “- God is making a promise to those who believe in Jesus, His death, burial, and resurrection, for a limited time: 7 years. And it’s a promise! A covenant! And He has made the covenant, His promise with many…not just Jews but to all who receive Him. God will not allow the devil to run rampant for longer than that. He is putting a parameter on the devil. Why is God even having to do any of this, you might ask? Because people have become so stubborn, hardhearted and deny God. All of God’s punishment no matter when He has done it - Noah’s Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, (the original) Babylon, Tyre, Ai, Nineveh, Jericho - come from lack of repentance and coming back to Him. It’s all over Genesis, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and many more. It is what the entire Bible is about - those who stay with Him and those who do not. God has to allow the punishment to try to turn people back to Him. It is what the entire book of Revelation is about. Look at Revelation 16:11 - “they cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done. ” But God will only allow so much time for this because of those who believe in Him - Mark 13:20 - “If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom He has chosen, He has shortened them. ” Who God has chosen are those in the Lamb’s Book of Life. God’s seed. Those who are alive and remain and are His seed, the days will be shortened because of them! In the next part of this verse “‘He ’ will put an end to sacrifice and offering - what has this whole chapter spoken about? - the sacrifice and offering of Jesus for all of mankind to put an end to sin and wickedness. This is where we get back to what “He” means, right here in this part of verse 27. Let’s look at this with 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 and Isaiah 66:9 . First Isaiah 66:9 “Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?” says the LORD. “Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?” says your God.” As you know it is God that gives children and it is God that closes the womb. He allows or does not allow on the earth. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 “1Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, 2not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. 3Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. [This is the same as the ‘abomination of desolation’ from Daniel 9 and Luke 21. The ac will desecrate Christian churches and houses of worship. We have seen this occur recently when Jihad occurs and Christians are tortured, burned, beheaded, and their churches are set on fire or converted to mosques. I’m not saying the ac is muslim…but he very well could be. From what is written by Daniel especially in chapter 7 and 11 it could very well be. We shall see how this plays out.] This also goes with the “Restrainer” being removed…it’s half-way through the 7 years to allow the ac to have authority over the believers - Revelation 13:7 “it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them:” and Revelation 12:17 which is after the “woman” or those who believe in Jesus go into hiding - verse 17 says, “And the dragon was angry with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” God has to allow the devil to do this because believers who know their place in Christ and the Authority He gave won’t put up with it, unless they have been told by God that they will be a martyr. And let’s face it, most Christians today have no idea about their Authority in Jesus Christ. Once the Lord removes His hand from the devil and allows him to run wild, many of the Christians left won’t have a Spiritual leg to stand on. 2 Thessalonians 2:2-12 (continued) “5Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 6And now you know what is holding him back , so that he may be revealed at the proper time . [“Something” or better to say Someone is holding him - the ac - back for the proper time!!! Not in the devil’s own time, but rather in God’s own time! Which is only for 7 years. The devil thinks he can run the entire show on this planet for eternity. Not going to happen. God is in charge. The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof!] 7For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work [because of sin in the earth and those who have not received Jesus] ; but the one [One] who [Who] now holds it back will continue to do so till he [He] is taken out of the way. [Remember this is why has the sacrifice that Jesus paid have to be removed or “taken out of the way” which is the other way to say it: BECAUSE God gives satan authority OVER ALL mankind for a period of time - the last 3.5 years. This is seen in Daniel 7:25; 9:27 and Revelation 13:5 - Daniel 7:25 - “And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time:” Daniel 9:27 - “He (God) will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ He (God) will put an end to sacrifice and offering.” Revelation 13:5-8 - “5The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. 6It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander His Name and His dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.” We see that God’s holy people have to undergo the ac having authority over them. With Jesus having done His sacrifice we have Authority over the devil - Luke 10:17-19 & Mark 16:17-18 but this time period is different. God is allowing the devil to have authority over His people, those who are His holy people. It is not just Jews. No where does it say that it is only the Jews. It says: His people . There is no difference between Jew or Gentile, male or female, we are all one in God - Galatians 3:28 . God is allowing the devil to have dominion so “Something” needs to be removed to allow the devil to have authority. God is removing His Atoning Sacrifice of sin and wickedness for a short period of time which is what gives believers Authority in order to let the devil free to torment those who are hard hearted, which is the punishment on people who have refused Jesus. Like Sodom and Gomorrah. Believers who are left are able to handle what’s coming. No different than the disciples who all but one was tortured to death. But they knew what was coming. The Lord revealed it to them. He was with them every step of the way. That’s heavy! But God!!! You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you!] 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 “8And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendor of His coming. 9The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, [Just like Revelation 13.] 10and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” - This is an apparent and simple explanation of why God is allowing this. This next statement will be difficult who are still adamant about certain “doctrinal paradigms” but let go of preconceived paradigms of men and allow the Holy Spirit to show you. Notice all of the rapture scriptures - none state that there are 2 comings of Jesus. When Jesus comes in all of them it is at one time - at the end. Read the scriptures above again, notice that believers will be persecuted by the ac. The rapture is not pre-trib. I know some may say mid-trib but by 2 Thessalonians 2 we see it is at the end and this matches with Matthew 24:27-31; Isaiah 26:16-21. It is not at the mid-point either. Matthew 24:27-31 “27For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. 29“Immediately after the distress of those days “ ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 30“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” Isaiah 26:16-21 “16Lord, they came to you in their distress; when you disciplined them, they could barely whisper a prayer. 17As a pregnant woman about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pain, so were we in your presence, Lord. 18We were with child, we writhed in labor, but we gave birth to wind. We have not brought salvation to the earth, and the people of the world have not come to life. 19But your dead will live , Lord; their bodies will rise —let those who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy —your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead. 20Go, My people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until His wrath has passed by. 21See, the Lord is coming out of His dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed on it; the earth will conceal its slain no longer.” [Put that last sentence with Genesis 4:10 “The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.”] * God is just in all that He does. It’s all in God’s timing and His timing is always right, no matter what we perceive. The devil has been attempting to get an ac started for centuries: Nero, Napoleon, Hitler etc. But the “Restrainer” has to be removed before the ac can show up. And who…or Who is in charge of everything? God, the creator of all things. Many Bible scholars believe the Restrainer is the Holy Spirit. That’s understandable but according to scripture there is more depth to the meaning. Since there is persecution of the saints it doesn’t make sense for the Holy Spirit to be removed. It is the Holy Spirit who recreates our spirit when we get born again. If He is removed than He, the Holy Spirit would be removed. If He is removed than He, the Holy Spirit being removed would of course mean all Christian’s. He can’t be because we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise and yet there are believers who are persecuted by the ac. That’s a contradiction. The Restrainer cannot be the Holy Spirit - it goes against other scriptures in the Epistles like 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 “God makes us and you stand firm in Christ. 22He Anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our heart as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” And Ephesians 1:13-14 “13And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of His glory.” We must always go to the Word to define itself. Reasoning for this “doctrine”? This “doctrine” is that the restrainer is to be removed is the Holy Spirit and the Church to be removed - 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 is assumed that is the Holy Spirit and includes the Church because He is in each of us. Looking at it from that point of view we won’t see the antichrist because we will be taken out of the way. And yet, he persecutes those who believe in Jesus. It’s a contradiction. It is put in an incorrect context with Daniel 7:25; 9:24-27; Revelation 12:17 & 13:7,10. We will only look at the first scripture: Daniel 7:25 “he will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.” God is the One Who made the covenant with all those who are alive on earth at this time, that there will only be a 7 year period. It will be a tough period for Jerusalem because there will be a major flood and wars. And these things also go on across the globe. But here is a key point. It is divided into halves. Two 3.5 year parts. Where else do we see that number with the Tribulation? Revelation 11:1-3 - “1 I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. 2 But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. 3 And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” Revelation 12:14-17 - “14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. 15 Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. 16 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.” Revelation 13:5-8,10 - “5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander His Name and His dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7 It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world. 10 'If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed.’ This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.” Daniel 9:27 27He [God] will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he [He] will put an end to sacrifice and offering [because He is removing His restraint from the devil so the ac can show up and this whole thing will be done soon.] And at the temple he [this is finally the ac] will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed [by God and the entirety of Revelation is poured out on him and those who refuse God] is poured out on him.” [the ac who is possessed by the devil per Revelation 13 and 9 - he comes out of the abyss at the half way point, 3.5 years, and then goes to persecute the remaining believers.] Daniel 12:1-2, 5-7, 11 1“At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. 2Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 5Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. 6One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?” 7The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by Him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed. 11“From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. [or 3.5 years] 12Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.” God’s people are delivered into the ac’s hands - meaning the ac has authority because God is no longer restraining him. And with all of the disasters coming many will go by way of the grave. Plus there’s two types of saints at that time: those who will be martyrs and those who will be isolated and trying to survive - both are called “Tribulation Saints.” I think there is another part but I won't get into it much and that is those who are hidden from the a.c. (Revelation 12:14 ) for 3 and a half years - there is a link between the "Mount Zion" in the Old Testament and the refuge of Revelation 12:14. I know this isn’t easy to read but it is what scripture states. Pray. Talk with the Lord and see what He wants you to do. SUMMATION : Okay…this is not easy…and you are seeing how all this fits together: Those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life do not take the mark. The serpent does war with the saints and will overcome them. This will occur for 42 months - 3.5 years. It’s commonly thought this is not until the the last 3.5 years when he is released from the Abyss according to Revelation 11:2,7 but it actually doesn’t says that. It says “the beast that comes out of the pit,” it doesn’t say when. God’s people need to have patient endurance and faithfulness through this. Many will die - 1 Thessalonians 4:17 “…those who are alive and remain.” The Remnant of Israel (there’s neither Jew nor Greek) will hide in the mountains for 3.5 years. It is debated whether this means true Israel or is this a mixture of Jews and Christians. I’m figuring it is both. The two witnesses are around for 1,260 days which is 3.5 years. The Gentiles trample on the outer court of the temple for 3.5 years. We don’t know exactly but I personally believe this is all the same timeline…the same 3.5 years. 1,260 days is an exact amount. Forty-two months and 3.5 years (time, time, and half-time) are “roughly” 3.5 years which mean for some it can be shorter, for some it may be exact, for some a bit longer. The descriptors in all these various scriptures that state this time line. The point I find interesting is Daniel 12:11-12 with the different day count: “1,260 days… blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of 1,335 days.” My thoughts are this remaining 75 days are the “Day of Wrath”/“Day of the Lord”. I could be wrong…but that is how I see it for now. It doesn’t say the believers make it to that point which would make sense for the Rapture to have already occurred at the second 1,260 days. The passage simply says “blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of 1,335 days.” I’m not certain on this. I am still in prayer about this. * Here is why I think the above paragraph with 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 - “Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only He who now restrains it will do so until He is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of His mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” The Day of the Lord cannot happen until the rebellion comes first, from the enemy being fully allowed to do what he does. This makes that “day” at or toward the end of the 3.5 years. Perhaps this leaves the 45 days of wrath to occur. It has been generally thought that the ac would simply be resurrected as a man by satan but scripture explicitly states in Hebrews that men are appointed to die once. When the ac gets the head wound he is “resurrected” by the indwelling of the dragon. Not the spirit man of the ac. There is a set-time that God has ordained for His Day of Wrath to come as the Rapture occurs and His Wrath comes down. ( Joel 2-3; Zephaniah 1 .) As you have heard: “As we go up, it comes down.” It’s a day of Trumpet AND Alarm. Trumpet for last trump (Revelation 8-11 ), the Rapture; and Alarm for those who remain on the earth (Zephaniah 1:16 [14-18]. ) for the final 45 days [1,260 and 1,335 of Daniel 12], especially bearing in mind passages like Isaiah 26:16-21 , if I am interpreting this correctly, this is speculation for now. * IV. The Judgment During the Millennium This is in Revelation 20:4-6 “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands: and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” The judges during the millennial reign are the martyrs. There is a boldness the Lord has created within them and enabled them to live out this calling. They sustained whatever torture and would not give up on Jesus or give up His Name no matter what. When God gives you a calling, which He gives to every believer, and especially a very difficult calling - He gives you what it takes to carry it out. Rely on Him. Consequently, the Lord has made them judges during the millennium. We know from the previous scriptures that the tribulation saints also would not take the mark or worship the beast because their names, like the martyrs, ARE written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Many of the Tribulation saints will go by way of the grave. Many will make it. Whatever He gives you to do, He gives you His strength to do it. * V. Lake of Fire & Various Thoughts This is food for thought… In no way am I saying this is so. Speculative questions only. As with all things in scripture we have to look at it multidimensionally. God is multidimensional and so is His Word, like when He speaks of two timelines in the same passage of scripture, which He does repeatedly throughout the Word, for example Deuteronomy 29:4 “You shall not muzzle the ox while he’s threshing.” In context with 1 Corinthians 9 Paul refers to this scripture in Deuteronomy, as an example of helping ministers who preach the Gospel. They should not do it at their own expense. There’s at least two layers of meaning to scripture. More substance than what is initially learned from the first layer of the text. God is multidimensional and so is His Word. * Lake of Fire: God is a consuming fire - Hebrews 12:29 Where is this Lake of Fire? It eternally burns. Is this Lake of Fire within Him? I don’t know. Is it in another dimension? Very likely. Matthew 10:28 - "Do not be afraid of those (other humans) who kill the body, but do not have power to destroy the life; rather, fear Him Who has the power to destroy both life and body (their entire existence) in Gehenna (lake of fire)” Gehenna: is a valley to the west and south of the city of Jerusalem used as a place to contain the garbage and filth of the city. Easton’s Bible Dictionary states, “Here the dead bodies of animals and of criminals, and all kinds of filth, were cast and consumed by fire kept always burning. This in the passage of time became the image of the place of everlasting destruction.” Jesus mentions Gehenna at least 11 times in the New Testament, and some of the apostles refer to it as well. The word is mostly rendered “hell,” with Gehenna in the margins or footnotes. But from what we have seen in the previous scriptures “hell” and “lake of fire” are two different places. Greek for Gehenna is “geenna,” or “Gehenna,” defined by Strong’s Concordance as “a valley west and south of Jerusalem, also a symbolic name for the final place of punishment of the ungodly.” Jesus always used physical examples when He told parables to people. Especially when He talked of spiritual things, which was most of the time. Strong’s says it’s the “final place of punishment of the ungodly” which means the lake of fire. The scripture in Matthew is a symbol of how we should operate with Godly fear because He is all powerful. Keep in mind God can never go against His Word. He would be going against Himself. He has said we would not be blotted out and that we were written from the foundation of the world. Always keep in mind if there is scripture that you are puzzled over, know that you don’t have the understanding yet. Just ask the Lord and He will reveal it at the correct time for you. I have asked my questions to the Lord and am sharing my thoughts with you. He will show me when the time is right. We don’t know from scripture where this place is…but it’s not out of reach to think it is within God Himself. He is a consuming fire. He created us all - we came out of His heart, His Spirit. And He has the power to do away with whomever He will do away with and power to have mercy on whomever He will have mercy. But not outside of His Word. He will never and can never go against it. It is who He is. He doesn’t wipe out the unholy trinity: beast, antichrist, false prophet. The fire where He puts them burns for eternity. Perhaps as a reminder for Him? Their sin is not forgotten. Jesus didn’t die for them. He died for us, mankind. We are saved by the love, mercy, and compassion of the Father - John 3:16-17 . 1 Kings 18 - Elijah and the situation on Mount Carmel when the Lord tells him he is not the only prophet left, there are 7,000 remnant left. To get to the point, Elijah goes to king of Israel, Ahab, and his “prophets” of Baal. He tells them to get their sacrifices together for their “god” and do their thing for their sacrifice. Nothing happens. Elijah prepared his sacrifice to the Almighty God. He even covers the wood with water three times. He calls on the Lord to show up and show the “prophets” who is truly God. Verse 38, “The fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.” KJV says: “Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.” “Consumed” - Merriam-Webster: to do away with completely; destroy. “Completely” - total; absolute; brought to an end. “Total” - comprising or constituting the whole; entire. God’s fire is consuming. It will eradicate all sin. Exodus 33:18-23 - “Then Moses said, ‘Now show me Your glory.’ And the Lord said, ‘I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim My Name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,‘ He said, ‘you cannot see My face, for no one may see Me and live.’ The Lord said, ‘There is a place near Me where you may stand on a rock, when My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove My hand you will see My back; but My face must not be seen.’” Our God will consume all that are placed in the Lake of Fire. Is this His glory that will consume them? Ezekiel describes Him in His glory as a fire from the loins up and a fire from the loins down. And the Lord says in Revelation 20:10 that the devil, beast, and false prophet will eternally be tormented and burn. Is this in His eternal glory? Perhaps. No evil will be left according to Revelation 21:27 & 22:15 and are not in God’s Realm. It appears from scripture all others besides the unholy trinity: devil, beast, and false prophet, will be consumed. Entirely. From existence. Fallen angels and seed of the serpent. But there seems to be a distinction between the unholy trinity and all others put into the lake of fire. Not sure. Like I said, God doesn’t say specifically. Just pondering. 2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. With John 4:14 The water He gives those who believe shall be in us and well of water springing up unto eternal life.” There is still a remaining bit of God the Father in those in the lake of fire. Because they are alive. Has to be. Life - Who is God makes one alive in existence. John 1:4 “In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.” Is this to keep the remembrance of the rebellion within God? Job 34:14-15 AMP - “If God should determine to do so, If He should gather to Himself [that is, withdraw from man] His [life-giving] spirit and His breath, All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust.” Galatians 5:1 “Christ has given us liberty and we are not entangled again with the yoke of bondage…” which means those in hell and in the lake of fire are entangled with the yoke of bondage. And they are bearing deadly fruit, the fruit of death - which is separation from the Father, for the seed they have sown. The devil (meaning his entire kingdom) is right there with them because they have submitted to the devil whether they know it or not. James 4:7 Revelation 1:18 - “I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. (The realm of the dead.” It’s all God’s!!!! He has all the keys to everything. Colossians 1:13 “For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” For those who did not receive Jesus, simply reverse those particular scriptures for us that give us victory, and you can see their “state” on this earth, like James 4:7 - they have not submitted unto God, nor have they resisted the devil. Therefore he has not fled from them. Rather they and their lives have the right to be filled with the demonic realm. This is why it is important to pray for the unsaved, that God would manifest Himself to them. And Romans 8:2 The law of sin and death is in operation 100% of the time in the lives of the unsaved because of their actions and choices. It has to. It’s a law. It’s God’s law and will not go against His own law. He has set before us life and death, blessing and cursing - therefore choose life that both you and your offspring may live. (Deuteronomy 30 .) Ephesians 1:18 The hope of His calling - God’s calling is for all men to be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth - 1 Timothy 2:4. What is it He is hoping for? “Hope” means Godly expectation. He is expecting for all humanity to be saved and death to be put under His feet. All of whom He has written in the Lamb’s Book of Life before the foundation of the world. God’s expectations will be fulfilled. He has said so in His Word, 1 John 2:2 , Hebrews 2:9, 1 Peter 3:18 and 1 Timothy 2:4 . And next verse of Ephesians 1, verse 19 - “and what is His exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe. Which raised Jesus from the dead.” He will raise up those who went to hell, after His resurrection Matthew 27 - in the second death because they are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. What God has done before, He will do again, as Ecclesiastes 1:9 says. Ephesians 1:22-23 - “And has put all things under His feet and gave Him to be the head over all things to the Church which is His Body, the fulness of Him that fills all in all” - His entire Body is all who have been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and will raise them up and put all of death and hell under their feet. Our feet!!! What an ultimate revelation of the greatness of our King Jesus and Creator of the universe God Almighty!!! That’s BIG!!!! We think of it all being done at the rapture but it can’t be according to His Word. It’s not done yet for Jesus. He doesn’t get His entire Body until the Second Death Judgement has occurred and those who belong to Him have returned. The fulness of His body that fills all in all. Then He is complete!!! He is always perfect but He has been waiting for His completeness. (1 Corinthians 15 .) 1 Corinthians 1:7 …as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed - yes, revealed to people on this earth; yes, at the rapture; AND at the second death to all who were in hell but written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Philippians 1:10 - I am convinced that another layer, a second layer, to “the Day of Christ” is the second death. Here’s why: “Christ” means the Anointed One. It also means the Anointing. The anointing removes burdens and yokes - Isaiah 10:27. The epitome of the Anointing is resurrection from the dead. Let’s look at: Ephesians 1:20 - …which He (The Father) exerted in Christ (The Anointing - the Holy Spirit) when He (The Father) raised Him (Jesus, His son) from the dead. Romans 8:11 - the Spirit of God will give life to your mortal bodies. Hell is death. The Spirit is life. ”Death and Hell are put into the fire.” Colossians 1:12-14 - “and giving joyful thanks to the Father, Who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light. For He has RESCUED us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Ephesians 2:6 - “We are raised up together in Christ and seated with Him in heavenly places.” Christ had gone into hell after the cross. Colossians 2:14-15. Mediate on that. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 - “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him Who died for them and was raised again.” What Jesus did on the cross and going into hell, permanently stamping our sin with His Blood - is eternal. Satan believes he’s got one over on God by stealing some of His kids who were written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, he thinks he has succeeded. Just as he did when he and his cohorts witnessed the death of Jesus on the cross, Psalm 22:12-13,16 and 1 Corinthians 2:8 . But God!! God will retrieve all who are His. The seed of the serpent versus the seed of the woman - Genesis 3:15 . God is taking His seed back from the thief!!! 1 Timothy 2:4 - “He wants all men to be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Peter 3:18-20 - “For Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: But which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison; to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, while the ark was being built.” Matthew 27:51-53 - “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.” 2 Peter 3:9 - “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as men count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Yes, these scriptures are for all mankind who have lived and/or are alive on this earth now; and it also goes to the future of those written in the Lamb’s Book of Life who did not received Him while they were alive. Hallelujah! Above and beyond all we could ask or think! That is our loving God. God is multidimensional and so is His Word. There is no limit to God and there is no limit to His Word. Jesus has the keys to death and hell (Revelation 1:18 ) which means He has dominion there as well. Jesus calls the shots even there. Romans 8:37 Those who are in hell who are His seed will be the ultimate conquerors mentioned in this verse! More than conquerors through His love for them. God so loved the world. And when they are before the Judgement Seat at the Second Death with no devil standing in their way, as the seed of God they will run to Him believing. Phil 4:7 Because those that have not received Jesus in this world and those who have gone to hell, do not have peace. They cannot. God is the God of peace. They have not made Christ Jesus their Lord. His peace transcends all understanding and guards our hearts and minds because we believe Him. There is no peace in hell. Only torment. But those who are the seed of the woman and written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will have the ultimate escape. He always plans for a way of escape as 1 Corinthians 10:13 says “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” When God speaks His Word will come to pass. * VI. Two Other Scriptures to Address Psalm 6:5 “For in death there is no remembrance of You: in the grave who shall give You thanks.” Isaiah 38:18-19 “For the grave cannot praise You, death can not sing your praise; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness. The living, the living - they praise You, as I am doing today; parents tell their children about Your faithfulness.” We see from Psalm and Isaiah that those who are in hell do not know that God has saved them and will ultimately save them. That will be the ultimate shock. They have no memory of Him. What an extraordinary day it will be when they are taken out by the Spirit of God and brought before His Throne at the Second Death and Great White Throne Judgment and find out rather than pain and torment that they will live forever with God in His love and peace for those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life!!! God’s mercy is unfathomable to the natural world’s way of understanding. Ephesians 1:22-23 “And has put all things under His feet and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him that fills all in all.” God’s salvation of mankind through His Son Jesus Christ saved all of mankind, which makes us all His Body - the fulness of which fills all in all.” We fill everything, everywhere. Including those who are in hell and don’t know they have been saved. God still sees them as His children, a part of His body. Like the Prodigal Son, the Father never turned His back on His son, including when he was in the mire with pigs eating slop, which is sometimes how hell is described in some translations. Ephesians 2:6 “We are raised up together with Christ and seated with Him in heavenly places.” Jesus was raised from hell. So are those who are His seed and have gone to hell. A whole other layer to this one! And God’s sheep: He separates the sheep from the goats - Matthew 25:31 . I believe another layer to this one is a separation of His seed and the serpent’s seed at the Great White Throne Judgement. * Epilogue All you have to do is ask Jesus into your heart and tell Him you make Him, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Lord of your life. Ask Jesus to wash you clean of all sin. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you. Those who have accepted the Lord Jesus into their heart and made Him Lord ARE justified BY Him the moment you receive Him! It is through receiving Jesus as our Lord and His sacrifice that He has blotted out all our sin - Colossians 2:14; Galatians 1:4; 1 Corinthians 5:7 . We have obeyed His calling which is to “come to Him”- Ephesians 1:18 and Hebrews 3:1 - and receive the free gift of Jesus Christ through His sacrifice on the cross. None of this ever goes away. - His salvation, His justification, His Word, His seed within us is incorruptible, 1 Peter 1:23 . If we could loose our salvation and all Jesus did for us then His death was useless. But He has taken all the bad for us. HOWEVER, simply because we are justified, which also means “made righteous” by Jesus Christ, AND we ARE new creatures and reconciled to God - 2 Corinthians 5:17 doesn’t give us a “free pass” to do any sinful thing we want. The actions we take have an outcome. Sinful actions that are unrepented of eventually cause death - Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” And these can shorten your life on earth - Deuteronomy 30:19 . BUT you are saved. Just like the Apostle Paul who told the Corinthian church to kick out the man who was having sex with his stepmother. This young man was in sin. “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” Paul told them to kick him out of the church and let satan destroy his flesh so that his spirit may be saved - 1 Corinthians 5. We have eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ no matter what form of sin we allow in our lives - 1 John 5:11 & John 3:15-17 - “eternal” means eternally, forever. And there are over 100 verses about eternal life that we have with Him. Out of two or three witnesses let every Word be established. The fact of allowing sin into someone’s life means there is no revelation about what the Lord has done for you. It doesn’t mean you loose your salvation. There’s simply no revelation. It all depends on what you focus on. Whatever you focus on is what will show up in your life. He paid the price of going to hell so you don’t have to. You don’t loose your salvation. That’s why Jesus paid the price of a brutal, horrific death, and went to hell, so we don’t have to. And He was the first one raised from the dead! Hallelujah! But there is judgment. And we will all go through it. As Peter says, judgment comes first to the house of God. So we keep our hearts right with Him. All we have to do is stay tight with Jesus! We are His sheep and we hear His voice - John 10:27 - and He leads us! John 10:1-5 . *****

Teaching, Faith, Biblical truths, Biblical faith, how to use my faith, how does faith operate, do I have faith Faith Article below. Or click link for downloadable PDF. PDF Faith The substance of all things - Faith For we live by faith, not by sight - 2 Corinthians 5:7. Faith is how we live whether we know it or not. As Hebrews 11:6 says, we know faith pleases God: “But without faith it is impossible to please God, because he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder to those that diligently seek Him.” For we live by faith and not by sight for without faith it is impossible to please God, because we believe that He is and that He is the rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. Since we are to live by faith, how do we get it? Do we already have it? If so, how does it operate? 1. WHAT IS FAITH Scholars call Hebrews 11 the “Faith Chapter.” Some call it the “Icons of Faith Chapter.” Not only does it describe what faith is, it also describes details of how faith works in Biblical examples through these icons of faith. We see “how” faith worked from Abel to Enoch, Noah to Abraham, Sarah to Isaac, Jacob to Joseph, Moses to Joshua and all the warriors at Jericho, Rahab to Gideon, and so much more. If you want to do an in-depth study of faith, look at each of these examples in the Old Testament and study how these people functioned in these crazy and heroic incidents, with Hebrews 11. It gives a bigger picture. Now let’s look at the definition of faith: Hebrews 11:1 and 6: Now faith is the substance of things hope for, the evidence of things not seen…But without faith it is impossible to please God: for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Faith is THE substance. It’s the “substance” of things. In verse 3, it is how the worlds were framed by the Word of God. So this means “faith” and the “Word” go together. (We will get to that in the next chapter.) Faith is the substance. It is the make-up of things. All that we see at its core level is made up of faith. The substance. 2. Faith is THE evidence of what you cannot see. This means if you can see it, it’s not faith, it’s manifestation. You are only operating in faith if you cannot see it. Let’s take a look at Romans 4. I also call this chapter a faith chapter, Romans 4, shows how faith operates. (You will see this in more later.) Romans 4:17-22 “As it is written: ‘I have made you the father of many nations,’ before Him Whom he believed, God, who quickens the dead, and calls those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, ‘So shall thy seed be.’ And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that what He had promised, He was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.” God’s spoken Word IS the evidence! It will come to pass. God spoke His Word regarding creation in Genesis 1-3 and it was so. All the promises of God are evidence! All we have to do is believe like Abraham did and give praise to God for it before we see it take place. Take God at His Word. He is not a man that He should lie, He will do what He has promised - Numbers 23:19 - if He said, it is done. 3. It pleases God for us to use our faith in Him and He rewards us for using our faith. Like any parent, when you’re child says they don’t believe you, it is frustrating to say the least. A good parent wouldn’t lie to their child. It’s no different with God. What He has told us in His Word is so. And in Hebrews 6:13 we see God made the promise to Himself. Since He did that with Abraham, He has done it with all of us. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. What He has done before He does again. By making the promise to Himself, He knows that the promise cannot be broken. He will never break His own promise, unlike the fickleness of mankind in their fallen state. That’s how we know God’s Word will never change. Not in Him nor in heaven. It is His Word and that settles it. 2. WHERE DOES FAITH COME FROM Romans 10:17 - Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. We get faith or better to say “build up” our faith by reading and studying the Word of God, and by making scriptures that “stand out” to us as our daily confessions. We do all of this in our quiet time with the Lord, going wherever He leads us in scripture. This requires getting quiet with Him, using a scripture like Psalm 119:18 - “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things out of Your law,” and speak it back to Him and asking Him where to go. For example: “Father God, in the Name of Jesus, I thank You for Your Word. It is truth, and Father, I ask that You would open my eyes that I would see wonderful things out of Your Word, direction, edifying, and whatever You want to share with me. So where would You like me to go?” Then be still and wait until it comes up from within you. Not outside of you. His Holy Spirit is WITHIN. You may have a thought that floats up from deep within you to your mind. Or you may hear His still, small, quiet voice. You may see the words of the name of the book, like “Colossians” come up in your minds eye. Whatever it is go to that scripture. You know it’s right when an “ah-ha” moment comes from where you are reading. It may be a verse or a couple of verses, or the entire chapter that are speaking of a particular subject directly TO you. When this happens you “see” something that you have never seen before and it answers a question you’ve had or a thought that you’ve pondered. It can even be something you’ve pondered for a very long time. No matter what the case may be, it’s an answer for you and you will have “peace” and “joy” about it. It always puts a “spring to your step.” (Colossians 3:15 AMP.) Always have a notebook handy, write the date and the scriptures He leads you to that day, along with the ones that were the “ah-ha” scriptures and whatever revelation you got from it. These notebooks are good logs of how the Lord is teaching you. You can always refer back to them and when you do it stimulates your faith again. Faith in Greek means “believe.” Everyone believes something. Including atheists. They believe there is no God. Every human on the planet has faith. It is part of our make-up. But how we use it is important to recognize because whether we know it or not, we are using our faith for ourselves or against ourselves. We are believing the best, God’s Word, for ourselves; or believing the worst for ourselves. And whatever we “believe” is what we speak. Speaking it is what brings it to pass - Genesis 1. When we find that we are believing bad things for ourselves it’s time for a faith “build-up” and find out what God has said about us instead of what we think, feel, or have been told. God always shares good news of who you are in Him! * How to know when we need to build up our faith: 1. When you pray, is your automatic thinking going along the lines of - “That would be nice but I don’t know if that will really happen. We’ll see.” *Remember , “I don’t know” is doubt and is the opposite if faith. Technically it is faith being used against ourselves, faith in the worst happening instead of God’s promise; and faith cannot be “seen” so if those words are in your thinking take notice. 2 Corinthians 5:7 - We live by faith, not by sight. If we can see it, it’s not faith. This means you need a faith build-up by a change your thoughts with what God says about you, not by what you can see. 2. Assess where your heart is - do you, deep down, go in line with scripture and you’re excited about the promise of God, or does it feel like “something” is missing. If it feels like something is missing, this means you are praying from “mental assent” rather than “knowing, that you know” that it will come to pass. Mental assent is easy to happen and it’s sneaky. Because you know a particular scripture, like “by His stripes I was healed,” doesn’t mean you’re using your faith. And when you have that hollowed out-empty feeling when you're are praying and declaring your health/healing means you need a faith build-up. 3. If you are afraid that something will happen/not happen. Having “fear” is not of God. 2 Timothy 1:7 - God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. When “fear” shows up, it - the spirit of fear - is trying to get you off your stand on the Word of God. Cast that evil spirit out of your thought life in the Name of Jesus. We are to control what we think, not let our thoughts run rampant, if we do we will get into trouble - 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” * All three of these “thoughts” denote building up our faith is necessary. Faith is like a “spiritual muscle”. It needs to be worked out. We have to build it up. Little by little. Strengthen our faith with the Word that says “who” we are. Like John 17:23 - God the Father loves you as much as He loves Jesus. This is a statement of fact. It has already occurred. Now we simply believe it. Then we build up on these kind of scriptures until we use the Word regarding things that have not “shown up” yet, like healing, as we used in the earlier example. Take time away with the Lord and get into the scriptures regarding that area. Since we are using healing in this example, go to all the healing scriptures. There are hundreds of them. Read them. Speak them. The ones that get you excited, write them down, and make it personal. Like 1 Peter 2:24 - “By His stripes I was healed and I am healed, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He lives in me and there is no sickness in Him and no sickness in me. I refuse the right of illness in my body. My body belongs to Jesus. I am healed. Thank You Jesus.” As you do this there will be an attack. There always is when you’re standing on the Word. It’s the parable of the sower. Immediately when the Word is sown, the devil comes to steal the Word that’s been sown. He does it in a few ways according to Luke 8 and Matthew 13: The devil steals the Word because the person didn’t understand it; or … If you receive it but have “stony” places in your heart, or hard-hearted, typically it is unforgiveness or pride, or both, they will keep the Word from manifesting. The person has no root, meaning the Word hasn’t taken root. They haven’t kept meditating on the Word, speaking that Word, and then when tough times come because of the Word that was sown they let go of it. Or… The cares or worry wipe out the Word, or the lying of money to your head - thoughts that you ponder on about money (whether your rich or poor doesn't matter, it can be either.) These will come up when we are acting on the Word. Guaranteed. Jesus told us twice, in Matthew and Luke. So know it. Stay steady on the Word. Keep feeding your Spirit with the Word and control your thoughts. When you do this you have the victory in Him. * When you write all the scriptures down that get you excited, make them personal like the example I showed for 1 Peter 2:24. These are your “confessions”. Pray them back to the Lord as declarations over your life. The Holy Spirit takes hold with you on the Word and you get excited. That’s how you know you’re on the right track. (Romans 8:26.) There is one more part to add for the faith build-up and that is praying in the Spirit. It builds up our faith by praying in tongues as Jude 1:20 says - “But you, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.” There are times when you are standing in faith for a particular promise to come into manifestation, you’ve been reading the scriptures, confessing them, casting down vain imaginations and replacing them with what the Word says about your situation - but it hasn’t come to pass yet. This is when praying in tongues is imperative. It builds up your faith, and it’s the Holy Spirit Who is strengthening you. All believers have the ability to pray in tongues because all believers have the Holy Spirit. You cannot be born again and not have the Holy Spirit. He is the one Who has planted God’s incorruptible seed in your heart and shed the Love of God in your heart. He is there. And praying in tongues is always God’s will - Romans 8:26-27. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Like everything else with God, you do it by faith, because God said you can. Open your mouth expecting. Isaiah 28:11-12 - “For with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to His people. To whom He said, “This is the rest wherewith You may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing…” 3. HOW DOES FAITH OPERATE Let’s look at what we have learned from the scriptures so far: We all have faith because God has put it within us because He created us and faith is the substance of all He created - it is our substance - Hebrews 11:1. Since we are made in the image of God, this means that is also a part of His substance, faith. God is love and He is faith. When God speaks faith comes out from within Him. We are in His image. What is coming out is from within you. Faith pleases God - Hebrews 11:6, because we believe in Him and know that He rewards us for diligently seeking Him. Faith is the evidence of what we cannot see. If we can’t see it, we have to use our faith. Faith is like a muscle, it can be built up, and that is done with the Word of God through reading and confessing it, and by praying in tongues - Jude 1:20, and casting down vain imaginations and replacing them with what the Word says. We do this by speaking the Word to ourselves and when we cast out thoughts that are not Godly, out loud, we then replace it by confessing the Word once again. * I. In Romans 1:17 - “The just shall live by faith; and Hebrews 10:38 adds - Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” This makes sense because God has told us in His Word that faith is what pleases Him, so if we don’t operate in faith, He’s not happy. We will frustrate Him. In fact, in Galatians 2:21 - “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” We want to please our Father God so we operate in faith, not in works. II. We know faith resides in us and “just” in Romans 1:17 and Hebrews 10:38 is the same word used as “righteous”. We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus - 2 Corinthians 5:21. He is our righteousness. It’s not by anything we have done. Therefore we are just, whether we feel like it or not. It’s not based on our “feelings,” it’s based on THE truth, the Word. And we are to live by faith, believing what God has told us. We do this because it pleases our Father God. A child always wants to make his parents happy, to please them. Galatians 2:16 - “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the Fatih of Christ, not by the works of the law, for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” And this goes with Galatians 4:5-6 - “To redeem them that were under the law, what we might receive the adoption of sons. And Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba, Father.” Look again at the earlier scripture Galatians 2:21 - my own words - if we get caught in works, we are making Christ’s death of no effect and that frustrates God’s grace. Simply believe what God has said. He took care of everything. It’s our Spirit’s that are re-created, incorruptible - 1 Peter 1:23 - “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which lives and abides for ever.” God took care of everything. It is our soul (mind, thinking) that has to be renewed and our bodies that will be transformed into incorruptible at the resurrection. III. We are to call those things that be not as though they were - Romans 4:14 and Genesis 1. We have to speak to situations. Do this in your prayer time. Take out your scriptures, if you wrote them down, or if you mark them in your Bible, get them in front of your eyes and declare God’s Word over situations in your life until they manifest the promises of God. IV. James 2:12 - “So speak and so act as people should who are to be judged under the law of liberty.” We are to not only speak or declare God’s Word over our lives but we are to act like it. Act like it has already taken place. Depending on the situation “acting” like it is merely an “attitude” adjustment. Where you “look ahead” as it’s already happened. For example, getting a new job. See yourself in that new job. What your daily routine is like with it and so on. Yes, you are using your imagination. God gave it to you. This is what the Bible calls “hope”. As Romans 4:18 - “…against hope, Abraham believed in hope…” - means worldly hope is merely “wishing”. There’s no power to it. But when you have a promise from God, it creates a vision in your imagination! That’s what you hold on to! That’s what Abraham did. He kept imagining himself as the father of many nations. Proverbs 4:20-21 - “My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to My Words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;” When you hear words, those words create thoughts. They create images. This is imagination. And when you do this from God’s Word it creates Godly hope. Godly expectation. God will bring it to pass!! That’s what you keep your mind on. V. Romans 14:23 Berean Literal - “But the one doubting has been condemned if he eats, because it is not of faith; and anything that is not of faith is sin.” KJV says, whatsoever is not of faith is sin. That’s a sobering statement from the Lord. 4. CONCLUSION We are to live by faith, God’s way of operating. We don’t have to. God will never make us do something we don’t want to do. But there is so much joy, peace, fulfilling life to be had when you live by faith. Make the choice to live by faith, and not by sight. Here is the list all together: We all have faith because God has put it within us because He created us and faith is the substance of all He created - it is our substance - Hebrews 11:1. Since we are made in the image of God, this means that is also a part of His substance, faith. God is love and He is faith. When God speaks faith come out from within Him. We are in His image. What is coming out from within you? Faith pleases God - Hebrews 11:6, because we believe in Him and know that He rewards us for diligently seeking Him. Faith is the evidence of what we cannot see. If we can’t see it, we have to use our faith. How can we believe for something when we see it?! Faith is like a muscle, it can be built up, and that is done with the Word of God through reading and confessing it, and by praying in tongues - Jude 1:20, and casting down vain imaginations and replacing them with what the Word says. We do this by speaking the Word to ourselves and when we cast out thoughts that are not Godly, out loud, we then replace it by confessing the Word once again. We are the just and we shall live by faith. If we draw back God will not be pleased. Romans 1:17; Hebrews 10:38. We are not justified by works but by the faith of Jesus Christ, Galatians 2:16. We are to call those things that be not as though they were, Romans 4:14 and Genesis 1. We have to speak to situations. Do this in your prayer time. Take out your scriptures, if you wrote them down, or if you mark them in your Bible, get them in front of your eyes and declare God’s Word over situations in your life until they manifest the promises of God. James 2:12 - “So speak and so act as people should who are to be judged under the law of liberty.” We are to not only speak or declare God’s Word over our lives but we are to act like it. Act like it has already taken place. God’s Word creates thoughts! Allow the Word to create imaginations in your mind of what the promises coming to manifestation “looks like” in your life. Whatever is not of faith, is sin - Romans 14:23.

God, Jesus, Is scripture hisotrical, are they real, Isn't the Bible just stories, How do I use the Bible, Is Bible more than stories, How do I do it, God, Jesus, Are they real, How to Use Scripture It's not just for reading Finding Inspiration in Every Turn PDF How to Use Scripture- it’s not only for reading. Proverbs 4:20-27- NIV My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ears to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free from perversity; Keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths of your feet, and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right hand, or to the left; keep your foot from evil. This subject is “How to use the Word.” When we take scriptures in reference to each other on a particular subject matter we see a bigger picture. We will see how to access the Word to change our heart. There are steps to it. Ways of immersing yourself in the Word to get a proper perspective. Have an open heart (mind) to what God is telling you through His Word. Allow Him to correct when needed and to edify, and strengthen. (2 Tim. 3:16.) Recall the last teaching was about the “heart”. It is our soul: mind, will, emotions/ feelings, & personality. It is the un-renewed part of us that is joined with our Spirit. And only the Word can divide between the two (Heb. 4:12). Plus the only way to renew our hearts (the soul) is with the Word. This is how we renew our minds (our soul) (Rom. 12:2). As 2 Tim. 3:16 says, His Word is for instructing us, correcting us, and reproof. It’s to help us. And when we allow the Holy Spirit to direct us (Spirit and Truth John 4:26) you can’t help but “be helped!” He is our Helper! And so is the Word. It’s our Teacher, Helper, Strengthener- it is the Holy Spirit. It is Jesus! It is the Anointing! (The Holy Spirit is truth, the Word Is truth. The Holy Spirit is the Anointing and The Word was made flesh - Jesus! Jesus is the Truth! ) All in all!! 1. Verse 20-21- keep the Word in front of your eyes . As much as you can. We don’t need to get weird about it. Because if we do then we are basing it on “works”. Remember...Jesus gives us rest and His burden is easy and His yoke is light. So don’t allow yourself to get caught in “rules”. Keep your focus throughout the day on the Word. Think it. Ponder it. Jesus is the Word made flesh. Focus on Jesus throughout the day. When we keep our eyes on Him we stop looking at ourselves. Much better option. He’s perfect and will help us. He never fails. Love never fails. If we look at us... well, you get the picture. Like Joshua 1:7-8 basically says the same thing: be courageous, don’t look to yourself, look to the Word and keep it in front of of your eyes (literal and in your imagination! ...in your thinking.) and MOUTH!! Mutter it. During the day, speak the Word to yourself. As you do this you’ll get revelation from the Holy Spirit about it! It’s awesome as He teaches you throughout the day!! “Work” things out with Him- tell Him about the questions you have, ponderings, ideas, upsets, all of it! Don’t allow the excuse of: “But He knows my thoughts, why do I need to do that?” Because as you do that He then opens up what you were unable to “see” before!!! And always brings scripture(s) to your remembrance (John 16:13-15; 14: 26-27!). It will bless you!! Major revelations come this way. 2. Pay attention to the direction the Holy Spirit is giving you through His Word and do it. Keep it in front of your eyes and ears! Eyes and ears are “gateways” to our heart! When you want to know what is in your heart, take a look at the things you typically/usually say. (Matt. 12:34.) There are over 100 scriptures that talk about what comes out of our mouths! That’s what is in our hearts. When we don’t like the words we have been speaking, then we need to change what is in our heart (soul)- this is what needs to be renewed: mind, will, emotions/feelings, personality. And we do that by changing our “automatic thinking” and speaking to that part of us with what the Word says. We take control of what our minds think (2 Cor. 10:3-6). (*verse 5 used to say “vain imaginations”. That’s different than “imagination” which is what God gave us to envision His Word manifesting in our lives. We are to cast down vain imaginations- from our soul.) Things that are contrary to the Word of God. And we do that by putting the Word in our eyes, ears, and mouth! We read it. We listen to it. We speak it. And especially when our heads are telling us something different than what the Word says. 3. James 2:12 we speak and act! We then put the Word into action. Example: the Word says to forgive. So, do it. Doesn’t matter how we feel about it. That’s a “feeling” - soul. We change it by acting on the Word! And it will eventually change our feelings. It changes your heart!!! 4. When you are changing your heart with the Word of God, be sure to pray for a “crop failure”. The words that we have spoken over our lives, good or bad, are seeds. And they will produce a harvest!!!! When the Holy Spirit reminds you of something you’ve spoken that is not good cancel those words out in Jesus Name and pull them up by the root!! Stamp them with the Blood of Jesus to eradicate anything that can grow or has grown from it. When you speak the Word and read the Word it is life to you ! And healing!!! You feel sqeeky clean! (Ephesians 5:26.) Verses 23-25: we are to guard our heart. How do we do that? We guard what comes in the “gates”. Our eye gate- what we look at, books, movies, etc. Ear gate- what we hear through people, podcasts, videos, music, conversations, etc. And what goes out our mouth gate- the words we speak. That’s how we guard our heart. And notice the following verse...verse 24 is about what we speak. What we speak is what we become. As it was in the beginning in Genesis 1, God spoke and the Holy Spirit moved to bring it to pass. It is the same with us. And if we speak something ungodly- not just foul language or lying, but anything that is contrary to the Word of God- we then have activated demonic spirits to bring that word to pass. What we speak either activates the Holy Spirit or activates demons. (That’s an eye-opener!) That’s why praying for a “crop failure” for contrary words that have been spoken is so important. We don’t want to give the devil any fuel. This is why he bombards our mind’s with junk: “As a man thinks in his heart so is he” - Prov. 23:7. Once your mind gets inundated with thoughts you will then speak them. satan is after your thoughts and tongue. That lier attempts to get you to doom your own life by speaking bad things into being. The majority of people allow him to do this to them. But you can stop him in Jesus Name. Don’t let him have your thoughts or your tongue. The remaining verses are about staying focused with this. Keep this as a way of operating. When we first do these things it’s a challenge. A lot of work. But it gets easier day by day! The more you do it the easier it gets. Restate: Use scripture on purpose when praying. Take a scripture, whatever has “unction” on it, speak the scripture back to God expecting. When you speak the Holy Spirit moves, just like God did in the beginning and in Acts when the Apostles spoke the Holy Spirit moved with signs following (Acts 14:3; 2 Cor. 12:12; Acts 5:12 (all through Acts); Romans 15:19). This is praying in faith . Expectant!! Because you can’t “see it”. You can only pray in faith when you can’t see it. Hebrews 11:1. God’s Word that you speak IS the evidence that thing exists!! You keep speaking it with thanksgiving until it shows up!!! Example: Let’s say I’m believing for a friend who has struggled in life. They are saved but have had problems. I can stand in the “gap” interceding for them. I am praying for them because they don’t know to do this. So I do this in their behalf. I will use Philippians 1:6 and I will word it for this person: “Heavenly Father, I bring my friend (______) before you in Jesus Name, according to Philippians 1:6. I am confident that You who has begun a good work in him will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ, and I praise You that is done!” Any other scriptures the Holy Spirit brings to mind, use them! Then whenever this friend comes to mind simply praise God for him being perfected by the Lord and the Lord performing His perfect work in him. You can also do that, speak it with thanksgiving, from the place of having already received it. By saying something like: (Eph. 1:17-23)- “I thank You Father God that You have already given me the Spirit of wisdom and revelation knowledge, You have opened my eyes so that I can see what it is you want to show me...” and so on. Not from “going to” receive it. But already HAVE IT! IMPORTANT. The verbs are IMPORTANT!! If we keep saying “God is going to do this or that (from a promise in the Bible) is putting it in the “future”. Instead, speak as if it has ALREADY occurred! Because it has in the Spirit. Like when Daniel prayed and Gabriel was immediately sent to him when he prayed but the enemy held up Gabriel. So Daniel may have thought God didn’t answer his prayer...but God did. Immediately!!! What you pray for is answered immediately. There are different reasons why something doesn’t show up right away. You have to get the scoop from the Holy Spirit to see what’s up. Sometimes it can be a test of your faith; strengthening you for standing on the Word; enemy is getting in the way; a curse; un-repented sin; bitterness/unforgiveness; all sorts of reasons. Ask Holy Spirit so you know what to do. He will show you. Hold fast!! Hold fast with the Holy Spirit and the Word!! They will always lead you right!! You’ll be left with joy, peace, and washed clean!!!

Who gets raptured, who gets left beind, can I loose my salvation, Jesus, Rapture, Perfect, Jesus Perfects Us to be saved & the rapture Article below or click link for downloadable PDF PDF Definition from Greek of “Perfect ”: complete, wholeness. In James repeatedly faith goes with good works but we are not saved by good works. Good works because of our faith in God deepens our relationship with God. It doesn’t save us nor equip us for the rapture. The only thing we are asked to do for the rapture is to “watch” - Luke 21, Matt. 24, Mark 13. And there is a crown that those who “watch” are given. Those that do not watch are not given a crown. It’s the reward. 2 Tim. 4:8 - in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. Matt. 24:42 - Watch therefore: for you do not know what hour your Lord will come. (Verses 42-51 are about watching.) Mark 13:33-37 - Be on guard! Be alert! It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. 35. Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back- whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If He comes suddenly, do not let Him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: Watch! 1 Corinthians 1:7- So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: Luke 21:34-36 - Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will come upon you suddenly like a trap (because they are not watching). 35 For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man. One of my favorite scriptures that has really helped me is: 1 John 2:28 - Four different translations: New International Version - "And now, dear children, continue in Him, so that when He appears we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming." New Living Translation "And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when He returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from Him in shame." English Standard Version "And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at his coming." Berean Standard Bible "And now, little children, remain in Christ, so that when He appears, we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming." Given that, cross reference other scrip’s: Ephesians 3:12 - In Him and through faith in Him we may enter God's presence with boldness and confidence. The bottom line is to abide, continue our relationship with Him. If we do not, it doesn't mean we aren't saved. What it will mean is we are open to attacks from the enemy, we will be extremely unhappy in this life and there won't be rewards in heaven at the Beama Judgement Seat, 2 Cor. 5:10 - "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." When we are doing what He said to do out of heart because we love Him, not from “works”, we can be bold and confident at His coming and receive a crown of righteousness. If we do not, and are going our own way, for whatever reasoning we have...we will be ashamed at His coming because we knew what He wanted us to do but refused to. Jesus is Truth, (the Way, the Truth, and the Life) and Truth is instantly revealed when He is on the scene. Matthew 16:27 - For the Son of Man will come in His Father's glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done. There are scriptures that refer to the judgment seat or what is called the Baema (Greek) seat at the rapture. This is the reward ceremony for what we did that the Lord gave us to do. We get rewards for following out His plan, His calling on our lives. If we don’t do it we don’t get rewards. We are not “kicked out” of heaven. We are saved for good works, in our calling. We don’t have to do them but when we do it pleases the Father. Here’s another scripture that stings a bit...again, it doesn’t say we will be kicked out of heaven. But it does say the Lord won’t be pleased with what we did if we disobeyed. And if we “didn’t please Him” it means what we did was not in faith, because “faith pleases God”: Mark 8:38 - If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father's glory with the holy angels. Jesus doesn’t come in His own glory, but in His Father’s. Beautiful. Jesus said, in Me I can do nothing. It is the Father in Me that does the work. Same with us! Notice in scriptures never sections out parts of the Body of Christ for the rapture. Never. He speaks of “you”, "we" or “our” - which means “all”. On the other hand for the rewards, yes - what did we do with what we were given. Colossians 3:4 - When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. 1 Thessalonians 2:19 - After all, who is our hope, our joy, our crown of boasting, if it is not you yourselves in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? We see in 1 John we will be transformed just like 1 Cor. 15:51-52 . It’s God who does this in us, not us: 1 John 3:2 - Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. Colossians 3:4 - When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall you also appear with Him in glory. Again, scripture says “our” and “you” - never makes a differentiation between believers. We are theBody of Christ. Jesus wouldn't return for just one or two body parts. But wait...there’s more...I love that the Lord keeps putting these things in His Word for us!! 1 John 3:21 - Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. If our heart condemns us simply ask for forgiveness. It doesn't necessarily mean you will miss the rapture. But it does leave you open to attacks and troubles, and some that can cause death. Get the sin out to keep your relationship right with the Lord. Sin causes us to not hear properly. We want to keep our spiritual ears clean. Why do we have confidence? Because we are made right with Him because of Him. All we had to do is simply receive Him. He has made us in right standing with God the Father!! (2 Cor. 5:21 - “righteousness” means “right staining”. ) All we had to do was receive Him. He took our sin so we could receive His righteousness. We can never be right with God on our own. It takes Jesus!! 1 John 4:17 - Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world. Isaiah 25:9 - And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation. Let’s address the “being holy” issue. Do you think you can do anything to “make yourself holy”? That is what the Pharisees were doing. They thought following the law to the last detail would make them holy before a HOLY God. Never going to happen. We cannot make ourselves holy by our behavior. We are in a sin fallen state on this earth. We have flesh (body) and a soul that needs to be renewed. The body will not be renewed until the transformation (1 Cor 15:51-52; 1 John 4:17; 3:2 ). The Lord has told us to renew our minds. We are to start this here per Romans 12. Holiness comes from the Lord. The more time you spend with Him in the Word and in prayer the more of Him "rubs off" on you. He is holy. Like Moses on Mt. Sinai who spend 40 days and nights with God, he had the holiness of God on him! God is who makes you holy. 1 Thess. 3:13 - May He strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all His holy ones. Definition of Holy : to be set apart or separate from sin and evil. Deep within each of us is the Holy Spirit leading us. When we listen and obey we are living in holiness. But when we do not we are heeding the voice of sin and greivgin the Spirit of God. Get back on track by asking the Lord for forgiveness and changing your thoughts and actions about the thing that has been a problem. Always ask the Holy Spirit to help you. He is our Helper. 1 Peter 1:13-16 with Romans 15:16 Passion Translation: 13 So then, prepare your hearts and minds for action! (*Note: we should prepare our hearts and minds for action. Doesn’t mean all believers will.) Stay alert and fix your hope firmly on the marvelous grace that is coming to you. For when Jesus Christ is unveiled (rapture), a greater measure of grace will be released to you (‘cause our bodies will be transformed). 14. As God’s obedient children, never again shape your lives by the desire that you followed when you didn't know better. 15 Instead, shape your lives to become like the Holy One who called you. 16 For Scripture says: "You are to be holy, because I am holy." *Let’s take a look at the word: “obedient”. In KJV verse 14 says As obedient children, do not be comforted to the passions of your former ignorance. Not all children are obedient. All parents can testify to that. Same with the Lord. We see “knowledge” is a part of “obedience” and what we do with that knowledge. We have a choice. Always. Ignorance means you do not know consciously - not willfully. Let’s look at Romans 1:5 - Through Him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for His Name’s sake. “Obedience” comes from faith. Not by “doing” but by “believing”. When you receive Jesus you automatically want to do what is right. The Holy Spirit is there telling you right from wrong, and when we grieve Him we know it...maybe not instantly but we know something isn’t right. Where do we get faith from? The Word (Romans 10:17 ) and more than that faith comes from the Lord. He put it there from His word. We had nothing to do with it. All we had to do was believe. Ephesians 6:23 Faith from God and 1 Tim 1:14 faith and love are found in Christ Jesus. We are in Him and He is in us. WE have holiness in us because He is in us. But how much do we let His holiness be exhibited in our lives is up to us. It’s like the Eph. 3 prayer - according to the Power at work in you. How much of His power do we allow to work and bubble up from our Spirit through our soul (minds) through our bodies....that is up to us. How much do we cherish the Lord and do what He says? That is what get’s us the reward if we obey. I’m not saying that we don’t have to be obedient. We should. We are told all over 1 John to follow His commands. His commands are not grievous, they are to love the Lord your God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself. Those are His commands. Do we do that? I’m sure you’ve noticed it’s hard to actually “hate” another believer. You don’t have it in you. Because He is in you. We may behave incorrectly because of stupid - soulish ways of thinking but it’s not in our spirit-man because the Holy Spirit is there. We are not the same as we were before we received Jesus. He is who makes us Holy. The Holy Spirit in us. A little leaven.... And the Spirit is called “Holy” - His Holiness is in us. Back to verse 13 So then, prepare your hearts and minds for action! Stay alert snd fix your hope firmly on the marvelous grace that is coming to you. For when Jesus Christ is unveiled, a great measure of grace will be released to you. 14 As God’s obedient children, never again shape your lives by the desires that you followed when you didn’t know better. 15 Instead, shape your lives to become like the Holy One who called you. 16 For scripture says: “You are to be holy, because I am Holy." Let’s add on to verse 17 - Since you call on Him as your Heavenly Father, the impartial Judge who judges according to each one’s word, live each day with holy awe and reverence through your time on earth. This again talks of the Beama Seat judgment. Okay....let’s unpack that. The Aramaic (notes from the Passion) can be translated: “no one will put on a face mask before Him.” Believers in Jesus will not be judged for their sins, since that happened once and for all when Jesus was crucified to redeem us. We will be judged, however, for our works in order to determine the reward (or lack of reward) that God gives to those who believe in Christ. See Isa. 53:4-5; Romans 14:10-12; 1 Cor. 3:12-16; 1 Peter 2:24. You’ll notice Romans and 1 Cor are about this Judgment Seat. Here are other scriptures that are part of all of this: Matt. 24:33 Hebrews 11:6; 10:39; 9:14 Rev. 1:5 Titus 2:13-14 2 Tim. 1:9 2 These. 1:10 - says “His saints”, doesn’t say a certain group. #40 Greek - to be a child by the Holy Spirit; set apart by and for God, holy, sacred. If we are set apart...what are we set apart for? We do know we are saved from wrath. Could be the rapture is before or could be we will be preserved like Israel in Egypt in the land of Goshen during the first Passover. I don't know. We do know the Church gets judged first according to 1 Peter 4:17 . Which is happening now. We are set-apart for God and set apart for the rapture. I'm not speaking to "when" the rapture is. But the rapture is a catching away, escape, set apart - harpazo in Greek. (Rev. 12:5 .) Whether that means a pre-trib rapture, or kept safe like Israel in Egypt, or like Noah and kept in safety, I don't know. I do know that no matter what, God has us! If God be for us, who can be against us!

How to use your faith for your family, believing for a baby, children, family, husband, wife, Christain, God, Jesus, Scripture, Bible, Teaching, Believing for a Baby Article below. For downloadable PDF click link. PDF Believing for a Baby All good things come from the Lord Has not the One God made you? You belong to Him in body and spirit. And what does the One God seek? Godly offspring. - Malachi 2:15. Having children is a blessing from the Lord. It’s all over Scripture. But when a couple struggles to have a child it can mean two things: a curse that typically comes from a generational curse; or it’s not the timing of the Lord. Ask the Lord what your situation is and respond accordingly. In this article we will deal with the curse and how to pray regarding it. First we will look at only a few scriptures about how the Lord blesses people with children. Until you are sure that this is God’s choice to bless you with, you will not think correctly about it. Deuteronomy 7:14 - “You shall be blessed above all peoples; there will be no male or female barren among you or among your cattle.” Exodus 23:26 - “There shall be no one miscarrying or barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.” Genesis 30:22-23 - “Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb. So she conceived and bore a son and said, "God has taken away my reproach.” There are many other Scriptures like these. And there are many Scriptures about barrenness that show it is always a curse. Let’s take a look at where the curse comes from. Genesis 20:17-18 - 17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelek, his wife and his female slaves so they could have children again, 18 for the Lord had kept all the women in Abimelek’s household from conceiving because of Abraham’s wife Sarah.” All of Genesis 20 describes what happened. Remember this is before Moses. The Lord hadn’t given Moses His Word on the “do’s” and “don’t’s” , particularly Leviticus 18 about sexual relations (see chapters 16-20) — what is sinful and what is not. By giving his wife to Abimelek, (which you think he would have learned after what happened with Pharaoh in Genesis 12:10-20), it created a curse upon Abimelek and all in his household. Now before anyone gets hung up on the “do’s” and “don’t’s” - it’s not about the Law. Jesus took care of all of that. Our “doing” is to stay tight with the Lord and do whatever He tells us to do, and stay in love. Love with Him and love for others. That’s the “doing”. One more note about Genesis 20 - notice it wasn’t just the women who were barren. Abimelek also had the curse. It can do down the male side or the female side of families. Back to what creates a curse of barrenness. As Genesis 20:17-18 states, taking another man’s wife/another woman’s husband causes barrenness. In Leviticus 20:20-21 says if there is incest in the family it causes barrenness and if someone marries their bother-in-law or sister-in-law there will be barrenness. In Deuteronomy 28:15, 18, 45, 47 - says that if you do not obey the Lord when He tells you to do something - like in your prayer time and study time (not about the “do’s” and “don’t’s”of the Law) and if you do not serve Him with joyfulness and gladness of heart, that a curse can come upon the womb: "15 “But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you…18 Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb..45 “All these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that he commanded you…47 Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things,” Sins of the forefather/foremothers get passed down from generation to generation - Numbers 14:18-20 - “18 ‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’ 19 In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.” 20 The Lord replied, “I have forgiven them, as you asked. What to do about these things in prayer: Verbally repent of the sins of your forefathers/foremothers, and of your own sin. Receive forgiveness for your entire family, including yourself. Renounce and Break the curse in the all powerful Name of Jesus. Break all cords to the curse and family members, including you and your spouse. Release forgiveness of anyone who comes to mind. Renew your mind by replacing thoughts, attitudes, and action (what you think, say, and do) with what God’s Word says regarding these things. When an old thought or attitude comes up - cast it down in the Name of Jesus and replace it by verbally quoting the scripture regarding it. You don’t need to memorize scripture. As you keep the Scripture(s) in front of your eyes, over time they will come pouring out of your heart and mouth. Resist old patterns of behavior. Don’t allow yourself to go there, in Jesus Name. Again, speak the Scripture out loud to yourself regarding the situation. STAY IN PRAISE and THANKSGIVING TO GOD until the manifestation comes to pass! Until your little one is in your arms! You don’t need to repeat repentance for your forefathers etc. It’s done! Go to praise instead!

How to pray, How do I talk to God, How do I hear God, Can I hear God, What if I hear other voices Prayer Basics How to build your prayer life or add on to what you have. Article below or click link for downloadable PDF. PDF Prayer Basics How to build your prayer life or add on to what you have. TABLE OF CONTENTS Part One: How It Works Part Two: Types of Prayer Part One: How It Works I. Although I had been saved for many years I didn’t have a clue “how” to pray. No one taught it. I knew the Lord’s prayer and to pray in tongues but that was it. Truthfully, I didn’t even “get” the Lord’s prayer until recently. (I’ve been saved since I was 5 and 5 decades have since passed since the time of this writing.) I desired to be closer to God but had no clue how to do it. I didn’t know it was done through prayer. I also didn’t know there were different types and depths to each prayer. It is vast, deep, and wonderful! The basic daily prayer is simply spending time with the Lord in the Word and following His leading. (*See article on “Intimacy with the Lord”.) The base of all prayer is to pray to the Father in Jesus Name: John 16:23, 26; 14:13, 26; 15:16. I’m grateful to the Lord for bringing people across my path to teach me how to pray and spend time with God. I praise God for it! God wants closeness with you and it’s done in prayer. You are trusting Him and He is speaking with you and leading you for that day, and then you do what He gives you. Somedays He gives you the gentle nudge of what to do for that day, or even that week, or the situation you are concerned with; somedays He gives you His gentle peace in your heart, and even at times when everything is crazy around you He definitely instills peace. You know He has got you. Other times He moves BIG. He may show you a vision, or talk to you from within your inner man about a circumstance. God never speaks to you outside of your head! Just because you hear a distinct voice doesn’t mean it’s God. Test the spirits - all those that deny Jesus Christ is the Son of God and deny He came in the flesh are not of God. These voices come “outside” of your head. NOT from within your inner man. 1 John 4:1-6. The Holy Spirit is within you! In your heart. And when He speaks it always gives you “peace”. Peace is how you judge things - Colossians 3:15 Amplified, “And let the peace, soul harmony, which comes from Christ rule, act as umpire continually, in your hearts deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in the peaceful state to which as members of Christ’s one body you were also called to live. And be thankful, appreciative, giving praise to God always.” We are to judge what we are “getting” by whether or not we have peace about it in our inner man (John 14:26-27). If there’s “uncertainty” or something seems “off” like it doesn’t settle within you - stay away from it. Ask the Lord if you are to stay away from it entirely or do you have to shift how you handle it. He will reveal it. In my experience, most of the time it was to stay away from it completely. There have been occasions where He wanted me to handle it differently. The “sense” had a different “weight” to it. It was still an “unsettled” weight, I could tell something was “off” but it was of a lesser degree than something He wanted me to stay completely away from. He than revealed “how” I needed to operate - sometimes it was changing how I thought about the situation or needed to just let go of the way I thought about it. ALL PRAYER STARTS WITH THE WORD OF GOD. BEGIN BY PRAYING A SCRIPTURE BACK TO GOD AND SEE HOW THE HOLY SPIRIT LEADS YOU. ACTS 10:44 - “WHILE PETER YET SPOKE THESE WORDS, THE HOLY SPIRIT FELL ON ALL OF THEM WHICH HEARD THE WORD.” As you are speaking scripture you can hear the words coming out of your mouth. (Proverbs 4:20-27.) The Holy Spirit moves on the Word. Sometimes it’s not right away. He is waiting until your faith gets hooked up with what you speak from the the Word of God. He is often waiting to see what you will do. How will you respond? “1. Draw close to God and 2. He will draw close to you” - James 4:8. He is waiting to see what you do. He will move as you move, on purpose putting Him first. Follow what He tells you to do. It may be a gentle hunch; or a thought “comes up”; or whatever the insight, follow it out. If you don’t follow the Holy Spirit’s promptings you will, at first, get gentle “nudges” regarding it and if your keep ignoring it you will notice a “dryness”. Almost like a staleness in your prayer time and you can’t hear from Him. Go back to what He last told you. Repent for not doing it. Mean it. You don’t want anything getting in the way of your relationship with God. It is the most important thing to your life. And ask what He wants you to do. Sometimes the timing is now off and there’s nothing you can do. Sometimes you can. Whatever it is, do it. He has to be able to trust you; and trust you will do what you said about “following Him”, and that you will follow His leading. The Word is always your “guard rail”. Just like John 4:23-24 all of our time spent with God is to be done in Spirit (Holy Spirit) and Truth. As John 17:17 says, His Word is truth. So it is done by spending time with the Holy Spirit and the Word. Start by telling the Holy Spirit that He can have His way with you in prayer and then go to a scripture if there’s a scripture you have been thinking of, or ask Him where you should go to in the Word. Get quiet and wait for His prompting - it may be a “hunch” or you’ll hear His still, small, quiet voice from within you telling you where to go, or you may see the words from deep inside you that come up to your mind. Go there. Then speak that scripture out to the Lord as you read it, you can pray it back to Him if you are led to. If you are led to pray it, go as far as you can with what you know in that scripture giving Him thanks for it working in you and then other scriptures will start to “come up” from within you. THAT is the Holy Spirit bringing things to your remembrance (John 14:26-27), see where He takes you. Speak them out loud as they are coming up. He will bring words and phrases to you; you can sense “something” - unction - on a part of scripture, follow the unction; He will bring other scriptures to your remembrance; or remind you of a vision or dream He gave you; or remind you of something you saw, or someone you know, however He leads you, follow Him. If a person comes up, ask the Lord how to pray for that person. He may have you stand in faith for that person in their situation. Sometimes you may simply pray: “ (For this person) Your will be done for them in the Name of Jesus. Whatever You are praying for them Lord (Romans 8:27) I put my agreement with you.” You can intercede for someone without them even knowing. Someone I know calls this “sneaky prayer”. It’s a good thing. The Lord will have you pray about things for this person to help them and they never need to know! I know I’m hammering this again…use scripture as guard rails. You will know what is appropriate to pray for and what is not. Scripture will keep you on track. I say this because prayer is supernatural. Let’s be real about this…we don’t know how to operate supernaturally. We exist in the natural realm and God has placed a barrier between the natural and supernatural realm on purpose. That is a part of what the Word and the Holy Spirit are for. To keep us on track and not get off in the proverbial ditch somewhere. We can’t base our prayer on anything in this world: what we see, hear, smell, taste, touch, emotions (including pride- it is an emotion), and thinking. Prayer is not governed by them. In fact, emotions and our thinking (sometimes it shows up as “justifying”) will get you off in a ditch every time! I know…I have experienced this myself and it wasn’t good. I had my focus on something my thoughts told me rather than basing it on the Word of God, of which I knew what the Word said but I was still leaning to my thinking rather than the Word. This is always how believers get “off” track. Yes, God gave us our thinking mind and our emotions - our emotions will get stirred by Him but don’t base your prayers on emotions or on what you think - ever. God’s Word takes priority and He is always right, regardless of how you think or feel. If your getting moved by your emotions or your thinking, things will “feel” off, stuck, heavy, and you won’t have peace. You can tell that something isn’t right. Beware you don’t make an excuse for things being off. That is a means of “justifying” which is linked to the emotion of “pride”. It always goes off the rails. That is how to tell when you are going off on emotions or thoughts, thoughts or emotions. One is linked to the other. Thus, not following the Word and Holy Spirit. We all experience it but you have to know how to get out of it and back on track. Go back to the Word that you know. Sometimes it may be the simplest of things, like you know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and died for you and you’re saved. Maybe it’s a scripture you’ve been standing on, or one you have used for prayer, whatever it is keep speaking it out. Speak it out to stir up your faith. Speak in different rhythms. Like emphasizing the first word as you speak the scripture out. The second time repeating the same scripture, emphasize the second word; third time - third word, and so on. THIS will give you revelation - which means the Holy Spirit takes hold on that part of the Word and starts showing you things. You’ll be reminded of other scriptures, how it all fits together, and fits and cleans up your life. This starts the water of the Holy Spirit to deluge you from the dry spell of disobedience. It’s a wonderful way of getting back on track AND staying on track. We all make mistakes. No big deal. Forgive yourself. Learn from them. We operate in a physical world, we don’t know how to operate spiritually. You will make mistakes somewhere along the line. It’s okay to do that but don’t stay there. Allow the Holy Spirit to teach you. His is our Teacher and Comforter. That’s why we have the Holy Spirit and the Word to keep us on track in the realm of the Spirit. That’s what God’s Word is for, helping you to operate Spiritually in a physical world. The Spirit realm changes what is in the physical realm. In all things and in prayer, no matter the type, allow yourself to be led by the Holy Spirit and the Word. There is a “flow” back and forth in prayer: Spirit and Word; Word and Spirit; sometimes you are spending more time in the Word before the Holy Spirit grabs hold together with you - when He does flow, follow Him, do what He leads you to do. Go as far as you can, then when He “lifts” - the unction is gone - go back to scripture. This is the root of everything, of how to follow the Holy Spirit moves with the Word and it deepens your understanding and relationship with the Lord. Ephesians 4:17-24 (NKJV and NIV) So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do; in the futility of their thinking, they are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality (the fives sense realm) so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in Him in accordance with the Truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds. (Be renewed in the Spirit of your mind.) and put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. We see in this scripture that this is a choice we have to make once we are born again. Someone can still be born again and never do this. They are still saved but their life will be difficult because they won’t follow the Word and the Holy Spirit. We have to choose to put on the new self. We do this by making a commitment to the Lord and ourselves to do this, to follow the Holy Spirit and the Word, the Word and the Holy Spirit. Always flowing from one to the other. They are not separate. If you are noticing a separation, then something is off. Ask the Lord for correction. He will show you. * II. The Holy Spirit IS the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation Knowledge (Ephesians 1:17-18). You can’t be around Him, giving Him the priority and obeying His voice without having Wisdom and Revelation Knowledge. That is “Who” He is. He is power. He is love. He is life. He is water - the washing of water by the Word (Ephesians 5:26. (That’s why when we don’t do what the Lord says things feel stale and dry.) He is the Word. He is truth. He is IN you! Lean into Him to lead your prayer. Always. He will guide you. Yes, you have to learn how He flows. Sometimes He will do something for a while like nudging you to stay in scripture for a longer period with shorter times in actual prayer; then He changes it up and it’s longer times in prayer and shorter times in the Word. Sometimes He may have you do confessions (from the Word) as your prayer time after reading the Word. Although He shifts things He never goes contrary to the Word. Whatever He has you do is the season you are in. * III. Most of the time prayer is done alone but don’t neglect praying with the brethren. There are a great many things you can learn in group prayer, or it is often termed “corporate prayer”. There is greater power of God in manifestation, greater anointing, greater moves of the Spirit, thus greater revelation from God, and miracles as God deems necessary, along with the other gifts of the Holy Spirit in manifestation with corporate prayer: word of wisdom; word of knowledge; discerning of spirits; tongues and interpretation of tongues in a corporate setting; prophecy; and healing. * IV. Our God is powerful. It’s staggering to me that the God that controls everything, the universes, all matter, all creatures, it’s all His…He can reach out to us through His Word and through prayer. He wants intimacy with His kids. That’s us. Crave a closeness with Him. All parents want a closeness, a trust with their own children. It’s like any Godly parent who is teaching their child, they do not lie to them, and they would be very frustrated if their child does not believe them. Same with the Lord. We can believe Him. He can’t lie. What He speaks is truth. Trust goes both ways, on both sides: the parent and the child - the child trusts the parent and the parent has to know they can trust their child. That takes time at first. Another example to think about: a parent will not trust their two year old to drive a car. This shows there are stages of development. Don’t neglect the stage you are in. There are important lessons in each one. In Strong’s Concordance "prayer" is #4335 - PROSEUCHOMAI - “properly, to exchange, to wish, pray, literally to interact with the Lord by switching human wishes (ideas) for His wishes as He imparts faith.” With the proper definition in mind you can see that prayer is most likely different than what you had previously thought. In prayer we are interacting with the Lord. We exchange our ideas and thinking for the Lord’s thoughts and thinking. His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9). What He says on the matter through His Word is His direction for us. We have to humble ourselves and let go of our pride and worldly way of thinking and think the way He thinks. He created everything, He knows how things truly work. And He gives us the faith to do it! He does this while He is showing us how to handle a particular situation and with what actions to take. Even if He gives you a vision, it will go with scripture. It always goes with scripture when He gives you things. He never leads or speaks apart from scripture. As you’re reading a particular scripture, a certain verse seems to “jump off the page.” This is the Holy Spirit highlighting something to you. It’s a scripture you get curious about or excited about. Write it down in your notebook. You may not get the answer right away but the Lord will show it in His time. All of this is the Holy Spirit helping you! He is the Teacher and this is one of the ways He teaches. Stay supple to Him, with Him, to His leading and promptings. And keep a prayer journal. Date each day, and put down the scripture the Lord gives you and what was revealed to you, and anything else for that time in prayer. It’s good to have it to look back on. * V. Devote yourselves to prayer… NIV Colossians 4:2; Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit…KJV Ephesians 6:20; …always wrestling in prayer. For you, that you may stand firm in all the will (Word) of God, mature and fully assured. Col.4:12. “Devote; praying always; always wrestling (with our flesh); standing firm in His Word”: this seems like an impossible task but it’s simple. It’s staying in an open conversation with the Lord all throughout your day, allowing Him to lead you in everything: driving to work - maybe He leads you to go a different way, could be because of traffic, or seeing someone you know and are to talk with, or avoid an accident, or simply enjoying the drive going in a different way; or going to the store - He may lead you to pick something up you didn’t know you needed, but you obeyed the unction and when you get home you find out it was something you needed; going to a coffee stand you don’t usually go to but again you see someone that the Lord is leading you to speak with. These are the types of things that will happen as you keep your “Spiritual antenna” up and be led by the Lord throughout your day. “Prayer” is simply conversation with the Lord all day and doing whatever He tells you to do. One last bit before we get into the different types of prayer: allow God to help change the way you do things. You do this by taking His revealed thoughts to you from His Word and make them your thoughts, and then follow them up with subsequent action. Don’t base anything on “how you feel.” You can’t trust feelings. But you can trust the Word. When a thought comes up that is contrary to His Word and what He has shown you, cast down that thought in Jesus Name and replace it with the scripture that speaks on that subject matter. As you are speaking with Him, you know He hears you because you are His sheep and you hear His voice (2 Corinthians 10:3-6; John 10:27; 1 John 5:14-15; John 9:31; 1 Peter 3:12). Yes, prayer is done by faith, like all things, to please God. We know what His Word says and we act on it, no matter what we “feel” like or what we “think.” As our Lord Jesus Christ said in the Garden of Gethsemane, “If it be Your will take this cup from Me. Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours be done.” As we submit our will, our “thinking and feelings” to God and His Word God imparts faith to us to accomplish what is needed. It is an “interaction.” He will let you know what He wants and then you are to follow it out. But it is up to you to allow Him to mold and shape you in your prayer time with Him. He gives you the faith, boldness, and strength to carry it out, just like He did with Jesus. God truly does love you and wants to help. Let the Helper help you. Part Two: Types of Prayer Basic prayer is conversation with God but there are particular types of prayer. It’s kinda like life. For specifics in prayer, like life, there are certain rules for things. Like opening a bank account - there is a way it has to be done, you have to bring in your ID, sign papers, deposit money. It is different than buying groceries - there is a particular way that is done. Or obtaining a drivers license. All have different protocols. Prayer is the same way. And like all things with God, no matter what it is, it all takes faith…which God has imparted to you! And faith comes from hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Yes, you already have faith but you have to build it up by spending time in the Word and then acting on it. This is how to activate it. We believe the Word and act on it. It’s that simple. These types of prayers help you on your journey with God and continue building and growing your relationship with Him. And there’s such a joy from the Lord as you are standing on His Word knowing it will come to pass just as He has said. And as you see your prayers answered it is exciting. For you are His sheep and you hear His voice! John 10:27. And whatever you ask in Jesus Name it is given to you (John 16:23). All types of prayer require faith. This means we believe His Word because God spoke it and He is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19). That’s what faith is and God put it in us. “Faith” means: believe. We all believe something. Including atheists. They believe there is no God (Romans 1:18-32). We use faith whether we know it or not. Everyone believes something. So faith, believing what God said, pleases God and when we approach His throne room in prayer, which is what we do when we close our eyes focused on Him, we do it with praise and thanksgiving from faith knowing we have our requests asked in Jesus Name (James 5:15-16; Hebrews 4:16; John 14:13-14, 15:23-24). All prayer is with the Holy Spirit’s leading - Romans 8:26. He will help you pray even when you don’t know what to pray. When you are praying using scripture the prayer doesn’t need to be long. It needs to be in faith on His Word. We don’t do the work. He does. We simply do the “believing”. God has already given the answer in His Word, and you are putting your agreement with Him. Now that’s a winning team! I view God as both my father and my best friend. He knows what is best for me. I would not have the same exact conversation with my father or best friend every day. I would instead have a variety of conversations - different lengths, different reasons for conversation, and more. Just keep in mind- God always knows best so His timing is best. Therefore the answer to your prayer is in His timing. * Here are the types of prayer. They are not in any special order. Use as seems appropriate. All prayer starts with a scripture - pray it back to God for the given circumstance then follow the type of prayer below. Agreement - Matthew 18:19-20. An agreement prayer is when two or more people pray together in agreement over a situation. When the Bible says, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” It is no joke. Mountains move when people come together in prayer. It is a prayer of faith, using the Word that you are agreeing on over a situation. It can also be done as a group petition prayer - corporate prayer. This is when people come together, agree on what they are asking God for from His Word, and then pray about the subject in agreement with the Word you are basing it on. Agreement prayers are powerful. You simply have to agree. That’s it. That is a powerful thing. When the brethren come together to pray for each other like James 5:14-16 and Acts 13:1-3, and Acts 2 were all powerful times of agreement prayers of the brethren. It’s interesting to think that our Lord Jesus was able to send His Holy Spirit down to earth after His resurrection, in Acts 2, because of their unity (agreement) in faith on the Words that Jesus spoke -“And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”” Acts 1:4-5. They were in unity, agreement in the upper room which I believe was necessary for the Holy Spirit to come upon all who were there. This was corporate. A group. Never happened before. Plus as people are in a group they can keep each other in check. Previously the Holy Spirit was on individuals in the Old Testament. This is what fellowship is for. Sometimes we need one another when things get tough or start to get weird. God is not weird, neither is His Holy Spirit. He is not the Holy Spirit of weirdness. He’s the Holy Spirit of POWER! Of Love. And of a Sound Mind. Even Jesus asked for His brethren Peter, James and John to pray with Him in Gethsemane. Jesus needed the prayer support. It is not a light matter. Know that when you are praying by yourself you can put your agreement with Jesus - He is ever making intercession for the saints and He is always leading us in triumph (Romans 8:34; 1 Corinthians 2:14). This is also agreement! You and Jesus, a winning team! 2. Faith - James 5:16 “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” “Fervent” means: mighty, effectual at work. We know our prayers are effectual and fervent. Don’t get stuck in wrote prayers. Be real with God. He will always lead you, and your prayer will “avail much.” And Mark 11:22-26 “So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” The prayer of faith is using the Word and believing what it says over your situation and be sure you don’t have any unforgiveness. That easy. Technically, you don’t really have to pray, rather “say” to the situation. Speak to the situation what God has already said about it in His Word. And as often you think of the situation, speak the scripture you are using regarding it. That’s what is referred to as the “scripture you are standing on.” Since God has already said it in His Word so you don’t have to ask. for it. It is already given. Now simply speak to the situation in your life and be sure to watch your words after you’ve prayed, that you don’t contradict your prayer. That is being “double-minded” as James 1:5-8. If you notice you said or did something that was contradictory to what you prayed, ask for forgiveness and cancel those words out in Jesus Name, and restate the scripture your standing on over the situation. Keep speaking over the situation until the situation changes. And be sure you don’t have any u unforgiveness. God cannot answer your prayer as long as there is unforgiveness. Unforgiveness acts like a wall blocking the answer from manifesting. Remember Hebrews 11:1, 6 says - “Now faith is the confidence in what we hope for and the assurance about what we do not see...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.” 3. Praise and Worship - Praise and Worship is some of the most powerful prayer when you dip into your Spirit by the Holy Spirit. Allow Him to lead you. John 4:23-24 “God is a Spirit, and those that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.” This means when you come to God do so in honesty of heart, praising Him with His Word that has “stood” out to you; and/or has come to pass for you. As He gives you thoughts that come up deep within you, speak them out as praise. There is usually a scripture He brings up and a memory of something…speak it out in Praise to the Father for bringing it to pass. At times Psalm 100 - “I will enter into His courts with thanksgiving, and I will enter into His courts with praise.” You can begin your prayer this way. With Praise and Worshiping the Father. There is no one like Him! And Hebrews 13:15 - “Through Him (Jesus) then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name.” Do a study on the Names of God. Worship Him with His amazing Names. Then see how the Holy Spirit directs you in this. Follow Him. Gifts of the Spirit will always flow when you pray this way. Don’t get “stuck” in emotionalism. That will ALWAYS get you off track. Keep the Word on the forefront of your mind and if things are getting off and weird, go back to that particular scripture and speak it out loud. Repeat it. Other scriptures may come up from within you, speak them out. This is the flow of the Holy Spirit and follow it, Him, as He leads you. Follow the Holy Spirit when you can sense His flow; then when it seems to get “dry” go back to scripture. As you speak those scriptures out the Holy Spirit will take hold together with you on those scriptures and then you’ll sense His flow again. He works like this, back and forth. Spirit and the Word, just like Scripture says. 4. Corporate Prayer - is known as praying together, like the prayer of agreement, or praise and worship. Can be done with 2 people or many more like an entire church. The flow of the Holy Spirit is different depending on the number of people. This is all over the Book of Acts where brethren got together for prayer. Read these to see what happens in corporate prayer: Acts 1:14; chapter 2; 4:23-31; 11:27-29; 12:5, 12-17; 13:1-4; 16:25-26, 21:4-14. It is group prayer in tongues like Acts 2 describes. Just in case someone was taught “this has passed away” - that phrase is not scriptural. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Besides all the above scripture and 1 Corinthians 14:18 (Paul was telling them how to hold a church service in chapters 12-14 and flowing with all the giftings of the Holy Spirit and not only emphasizing praying in tongues.) As with ALL prayer, you begin with a scripture. *For example: Whoever is leading the prayer read out loud Jude 20, Isaiah 28:11-12, with Romans 8:26-27 and Ephesians 1:17-23 - “Heavenly Father, we come to You today in the mighty Name of Jesus. We thank You for Your Word for Your Word is truth. As we are gathered together in unity to pray whatever you want us to pray in tongues corporately, we know as You have said in Jude 20 that this will build up our faith for what we are believing for in our personal lives by praying in tongues; and as Isaiah 28:11-12 that You have given us tongues for which You are to speak to this people and it’s a rest! We don’t struggle. We rely on You Holy Spirit. Have Your way. We simply open our mouths and release the Holy Spirit language that is within us in Jesus Name. We know as Romans 8 says that the Holy Spirit will only speak what the Father wants spoken, He quickens us as we pray, He bears witness that we are children of God, and the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness when we don’t know what to pray so we roll over our tongues to the Holy Spirit as He leads our mouths. Thank You Holy Spirit for making intercession for us according to the will of God. And we also are expecting Ephesians 1:17-23 for our eyes to be enlightened to what You want us to know. Giving us insight, wisdom and revelation knowledge in the knowledge of You!! We give You all the praise for it, in Jesus Name.” - The prayer leader and the corporate body begins in tongues and if the Holy Spirit is reminding you of other scriptures, pray them out loud, then when you go as far as you can in English, you start praying in tongues. Be cognizant of one another. Don’t ignore each other or “steam roller” over (“run over”) each other as you are praying together. Being “loud” is not better and can interfere with the move of the Holy Spirit. You can be just as effective if your more subdued. But there are times when the Holy Spirit may want you to do something in particular, like shout out a word like “NO!” And then words in English will start to flow out. Speak them as they come up. He usually gives a word at a time. A word. Then another word. Eventually a sentence will come out. Defer to one another. Meaning when you can tell the Holy Spirit is really moving on someone, pray quietly next to them. Hook up your Spirit with their Spirit intentionally. By choice. We each have a river of living water flowing inside each of us by the Holy Spirit. When you intentionally “hook up” with them, you are bringing your two rivers together into one. There is more power. More anointing. Follow the flow. You’ll notice the prayer becomes like a conversation. Agreement may come out of your mouth. Like you will respond to something he or she says, like “yes!” Or “that’s right.” You may even find yourself repeating words that they are speaking. Even in tongues. In general whether you are praying alone or corporately, slow down your enunciation. Words that come our of your mouth may be the same as the person you are listening to; or words that sound “odd” - write them down; words may come out in your birth language (if it’s other than English) or in another language you know. Write them down. You may be a person whom the Lord works through with visions. He may give you a vision as you are praying. Write it down. You may get scriptures with it. Whatever you get, even if it seems silly, write it down. One time when I was in corporate prayer, many years ago, with my church the words: “kitty, kitty, kitty” kept coming out. Then other people were getting it on occasion. (That’s corporate prayer.) None of us knew what it was about. Didn’t matter. We had all written it down. Then one day I was watching a documentary of something ( I won’t get into it all) but that word was used by the government to describe Iran. This made sense to me because the Lord aways brings up nations when I pray. It didn’t make a lot of sense to others because the Holy Spirit works differently with them. And there was another layer to it: “kiddie, kiddie, kiddie”. We all know what that means now. However the Holy Spirit works through you, you will find out as you pray in tongues. Some folks get things about people groups; others about states; others about individuals. How ever the Holy Spirit leads, follow. If you get a heavy unction with sobbing, follow it out, BUT don’t stay there! Keep going until you hit JOY! In His presence is fullness of Joy! Never stay in the heaviness and sadness. Yes, at times it’s appropriate because the Holy Spirit is grieved about a certain matter but He doesn't stay there and neither should you. It’s common in corporate settings for prophecy to come up. It may be spoken over the gathering of people praying, over your state, or nation. If someone is praying prophecy over you, keep in mind the source of where this is coming from. Is this person in tune with the Holy Spirit? Are they in God’s Word often? Is it a bold prayer, or does it line up with more of a “doctrine of men” type of preaching? If it doesn’t make sense to you - through it out. If :it’s important to you the Lord will bring it up again. This is where 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 is super important: “Do not quench the Spirit, Do not treat prophecies with contempt BUT test them all; hold on to what is good reject every king of evil.” Overall don’t lean to your own thinking. You have to dip into your inner man, into the Holy Spirit and follow His lead. He may have you do something that is not in your comfort zone, like hook up with another believer for a time in prayer. So important to keep Proverbs 3:5-6 in mind, “I trust in the Lord with all my heart and I lean not to my own understanding. In all my ways I acknowledge Him and He directs my paths.” Then when it seems like the unction has lifted on the corporate prayer and it gets quiet. Stay quiet. Sometimes the Lord likes this - “Be still and know that I am God.” When the time is right and you can tell that the prayer time is ended, everyone compare your notes with each other. We all see in part and know in part, so when we compare notes we get a bigger piece to the picture. If you have never prayed this way I encourage you to! There is nothing like it!! 5. Petition - A.) Petition prayer is when you ask God for something. Like the prayer of faith, you get a scripture that the Holy Spirit seems to be highlighting to you regarding your situation, and pray it back to God in faith, and believe you receive. Then praise Him for the answered prayer until it manifests. B.) There is another type of petition prayer. It is when you are not sure what the Word says about your situation OR you do know but you are struggling to get your will in alignment with God the Father’s - like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane asking for the Father to take this cup from Him…”nevertheless not My will but Yours be done.” We need to humble ourselves to the answer God gives us even when we don’t like it and be obedient to do what He says to do. C). There is another type of petition, it is Habakkuk 2:1-3 (NKJV and NIV) - “I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what He will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. And the Lord answered me, and said, ’Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables (or upon a notepad), that he may run that reads it (a herald may run with it). For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie; though it tarry (linger), wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.’” If the Lord has given you a dream or vision of something, take that dream back to Him and pray over it, questioning what needs to be done with the information He has given you. There may be one of three ways He will have you pray: 1. to stop the dream or vision from coming to pass; or 2. He will have you pray to decrease the intensity of what you saw in the dream or the vision; or 3. He will have you pray in order to prepare people for what is coming. With this last one He may give you additional information about it. With dreams and visions, most of the time the person will have the interpretation right away but sometimes they don’t and need to ask the Lord for interpretation. He knows what it means and will tell you in the right time, it His timing anyway. Sometimes it’s not right away. Sometimes it may be a while. Other times if you are in corporate prayer the Holy Spirit may remind you of it - mention it at the appropriate time because we all have slightly different anointings and someone may have the interpretation of it. Or several people may have different parts the Lord will give them to interpret. 6. Deliverance - This may be done for yourself or someone else. Simply understanding your Authority in Christ Jesus and knowing what He did at the cross takes care of any mess the devil tries to throw at you (Luke 10:17-19; Genesis 1:26-28; Colossians 2:13-15; Ephesians 1:20-23; 1 Corinthians 2:5-8). Yes, there are specifics: 1. What “doorway” did you open to allow the demon access; Is it a family curse (shows up as cycles that keep repeating in your life); Is there unrepented sin; Is there unforgiveness; is it a curse that came from an item you bought or received from someone (yes, Romans 8:2 but if there is unrepented sin the curse has access). Whatever the doorway is, close it, in Jesus Name, and get rid of the item if it’s attached to an item in your possession. It may be from a movie you saw, or music you listened to, or a book you read. Whatever the doorway, repent of opening it and close it in the Name of Jesus; then loose all demons that entered through it in Jesus Name; then cast them out/off of you in Jesus Name, AND very important: cut all cords to the sin (Isaiah 5:18; 5:21-23). (Yes, being born again you can have a demon in your flesh. It’s not saved. Your Spirit is. And the demon can dwell in your flesh. Depending on the situation it can be in your body, in your thinking, tied up in your emotions. Especially if it’s a driving force and you can’t control the situation like addictions (demon of addiction, linked to unforgiveness and sometimes to a family curse) - that is telling you it’s demonic. The devil forces. And he has come to steal, kill, and destroy. You can always tell by what is showing up in your life. 1. Repent of the sin, whether it’s from you or generational family curse; 2. Cut all cords to the sin; 3. Loose and cast out and off all demons; 4. All done in Jesus Name, the Name ABOVE all names, and receive your deliverance in Jesus Name. *Don’t get caught up in this. People have become heavily involved in this, even as a ministry and yet, it’s not an official ministry from the Word (Ephesians 4:11-12 ”—apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastors, and teachers for the perfecting of the saints (maturing) for the the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ.” And 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 doesn't say anything about deliverance as a ministry. Yes, deliverance is a part of the basic ministries of Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 12, but it is not a stand alone ministry. I am saying this because many of the brethren have gotten hurt. Some, severely. There can be many reasons why. You have to know that you know your Authority that was given to you by Jesus Christ and you are coming from a place of victory because the devil is under your feet (1 John 4:4; Ephesians 1:20-23). REMEMBER: don’t make the devil out to be bigger than God. Never will be. Never was. Ain’t going to happen. He is under God’s feet. God has already defeated Him so don’t put up with any of his mess. Many believers are too focused on his shenanigans rather than on God. If that’s you, change your focus. Put your focus on Jesus - like Peter on the water- Peter got his eyes off Jesus and on his circumstances and that’s why he began to sink…he wasn’t really walking on the water per se…Peter was walking on the Word - Jesus said, “Come” - That’s what Peter walked on. The Word and eyes on Jesus! 7. Intercession - Intercessory prayer means praying on behalf of someone (1 Kings 13:6; Isaiah 59:15-16). This type of prayer is powerful because you are praying in behalf of someone and petitioning God for them. It may start in English praying a specific scripture for their circumstance, then you may roll it over into tongues to see where the Holy Spirit leads. Follow the Holy Spirit. You may simply get “peace” about the situation; or He may have you pray a scripture over them and receive it for them. Sometimes He may have you pray in tongues over the person for a while. Maybe even several months. Whatever it is, do it. Tremendous power is made available through the Holy Spirit to change things that may not happen any other way. 8. News prayers - This one may sound odd but there is a point. It’s a type of intercessory prayer. Again, if the Holy Spirit leads you to do this. You can look at your news feed or something that you saw during the day - something that “strikes you” or maybe it just bugs you, take it to the Lord in prayer. Ask Him about situation. You are interceding on behalf of the situation and people involved. You may be praying for an industry - like the medical industry; or space industry; or other businesses; or maybe for the dealings of countries with a war; or individuals in a circumstance that was reported like a building that blew up or a tornado. Whatever it is see the Holy Spirit leads you. He will bring up things regarding the situation to you. He may have you stand on certain scriptures to pray in behalf of the situation and people. Sometimes it can be intense. Nevertheless, always go until you hit victory. Joy. Even if it’s “on purpose” because you are praying from faith that He has the situation in hand. 9. Tongues - (See “Corporate Prayer" also.) In your private prayer time when you are by yourself it is a good idea to pray in tongues. At the very least because of what Jude 20 says, “But you, beloved, build up yourself in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.” Sometimes you simply need a Spiritual vitamin shot! It builds you up. If you're feeling worn down, it’s a good thing to do. As with all prayer, begin with scripture. I like Jude 20 and Isaiah 28:11-12. Speak them back to the Father in Jesus Name expecting to be built up in faith and having rest (meaning “don’t struggle”. You can’t do anything anyway - just open your mouth in tongues). Pray in tongues for as long as you are led to or have time to. Then when you end the prayer, thank the Lord for the answered prayer. You don’t have to know what you prayed. After all Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:14 that when you pray in tongues your mind is unfruitful. Since we know our minds are unfruitful we can then keep our minds focused on scripture while tongues is coming out. Then listen to the sounds of the words coming out of your mouth. Slow down the words. Write down any that capture your attention. Especially a word or words that repeat. I find that if I do an internet search of those words that they mean something very specific. You’ll figure out the spelling, follow the unction of the Holy Spirit. What “seems” right. You will eventually learn “how” the Lord has you pray. For me, I pray for nations, sometimes political things that are going on; someone I know prays for the lost; another prays for Israel. Whatever it is, that is what you are called to do. Just follow the Holy Spirit. Sometimes words in English will come out, sometimes prophetic - depending on how someone grew up or what you have been exposed to, this type of prayer is sometimes misinterpreted, misused, or misunderstood. Whatever comes out, write down what you get. If you don’t remember that’s fine. Simply trust the Lord. He will do what needs to be done. There are some people that I know that when they pray in tongues they get “down loads” of teachings the Lord is giving to them, to the Body of Christ. There is no private interpretation of scripture (2 Peter 1:20-21). There are all sorts of things the Lord can do through tongues. All we have to do is let Him. And they are all important because the devil doesn’t know what you are saying and you are putting God’s Word into the atmosphere to bring to pass whatever He needs. A note on prophetic prayer : this simply tuning into the Holy Spirit at a particular moment in time and then giving it a voice and action but it is only when you are truly tuning in to the Holy Spirit and what God wants said or done and speaking it out loud. Notice in 1 Corinthians 12 it is a “word” of wisdom and a “word” of knowledge. It often starts that you get a single English word. Speak it. It will probably repeat. If it does, ask the Lord out loud what the word means. He will begin to show you with either a “knowing” in your Spirit, or remind of you of a scripture, or show you a vision, or prophecy will start flowing out of your mouth. Of course, this can be misused. You have to be “knuckling down” in your Spirit to get out what He wants said and not what you want. You won’t remember most of it. Guaranteed. Whatever you do remember, write it down. If the Lord wants you to remember, He will bring it to your remembrance (John 14:26). Since we are human and we are prone to sin, many times people try to pray prophetic prayers over what they want, or what they believe a person wants, instead of what God is telling them to say or do. You can tell by the “feel” of it (I hate using that word: “feel” but you get my point.) Something is “off.” Stop. Go back to the scripture you are standing on for this time of prayer, repent, and ask the Holy Spirit to instruct you. Be teachable. Find the way God wants to handle it rather than your own ideas. It’s about submitting your thoughts to His. There is one more element to praying in tongues : if you are obedient to moving as the Lord leads you. There can be a time, it’s a little hard to describe it properly but you will understand my meaning, where you are “unsettled”. It can be as if your “on edge”. Something is “not right”. You may even sense a “heat” coming from within your very depths. You have been following His leading. Reading the Word and praying. And yet there is this “unsettled-ness” or “uneasy” within you. This means the Holy Spirit is putting a “burden of prayer” upon you. Get alone and pray in tongues!!! Remember Romans 8:26 “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” Trust the Holy Spirit’s leading and just let the tongues flow! Sometimes it may be for 10 minutes, sometimes it may be for a few hours. Keep at it until the burden lifts. You’ll be left with peace or laughter in the the Holy Spirit (anytime praying in tongues, pray until you hit “peace” or laughter, sometimes the Holy Spirit will really put a laughing bit on ya! Go with Him! It removes “junk” that may have been sitting on you). Times like this are crucial. There is something urgent the Lord wants prayed over. The Holy Spirit will reveal some aspect of what you are praying over. You may not know the whole thing because He doesn’t reveal it entirely. But you will get the idea of what you are praying over. Simply follow His lead. When I have experienced this, and it’s only been a few times that it’s happened in my life, each time I was praying for a person who was in danger. One time, I knew the person, and praise God nothing ever happened to them because the apparent prayer enabled the event to be stopped. Thank You Jesus for making tremendous power available! On another occasion, the event happened. I didn’t understand at the time and was deeply concerned about it. In time the Lord showed me that there are three reasons why He has us pray. When the Lord gives you things, whether it’s in prayer, dream, or vision, there are one of three ways to pray about it: 1. To stop the event; 2. Decrease how serious the event will be; 3. Can’t stop the event nor can it be decreased but you can prepare the person(s) heart(s) for it. Whatever it is pray over it. The Lord has it worked out with how He wants it handled and He is leading you to do it. How amazing is it that the Lord is including us in these types of things! Yes, it is a type of intercession and it’s the Lord doing it in another way. 10. Confession - A confession prayer is taking something from the Word of God and putting yourself in that scripture changing pronouns and word to make it personal and speaking it out over your life. For example: 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself in Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation; that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing (not counting people’s sins against them) their trespasses unto them; and has committed unto us the word (the message) of reconciliation.” Now, take that word and put yourself in it by changing a few of the words to make it personal. Then speak it out to the Lord over yourself and your life: “Therefore, since I am in Christ, I am a new creature: old things have gone away and all things have become new, and all things are of God in me, Who has reconciled me to His very self, hallelujah! And all these things are of God - He has reconciled me to Himself by Christ Jesus and has given me the ministry of reconciliation not counting my sins against me and has committed unto me the Word of reconciliation. Thank You Jesus for Your astounding love for me!” 11. Guidance - A guidance prayer is type of prayer that asks God for both wisdom and direction. This is based on James 1:5 and Ephesians 1:17-18. If we seek God for both of them, not separate from each other, we can use His Word and His direction to make sure we are walking the righteous path to do His will. This is a prayer of faith. Simply speak the scripture in James and/or Ephesians and thank the Lord for giving it to you. Then wait quietly. He may tell you right then, or He may take a while. Stay in expectancy. He will show you. 12. The Lord’s Prayer - For me this was hard to fully understand because in my youth I was raised Catholic. So it didn't "mean anything" - it was something you said to appease the priests or nuns. But I have since studied it and it is helpful in learning the proper things to pray for when you are new to prayer or don't know what to pray. The Lord’s Prayer is an example of prayer that was prayed by Jesus in Matthew 6:9. I like it in The Scripture translation of the Bible (it's a word for word translation. It is below). In this prayer, Jesus gives specific step-by-step guidance on how we can talk to God. This doesn’t mean this is the only way we pray, but if you are wondering what type of prayer is best for you, this is a great place to start. Sometimes when you don’t know what to pray, go to this prayer. It starts with worship: “Hallowed by Your Name.” Because holy is the Name of the Father (*See study on the Names of the Father). His Kingdom HAS come on earth and remind the enemy of this, pray that His will be done (for the situation) on earth as His will is of course done in heaven. Ask that He give you direction in His Word (Jesus is the Bread of Life, Jesus is the Word) as well as food for the day; and ask for the Lord to forgive you of your sins and you forgive those who have done wrong against you; and ask that He not lead into trial, meaning not test you but deliver you from the evil one. For His is the Kingdom, the Power, and Glory, Forever!!. Matthew 6:9-13 "This, then, is the way you should pray: 'Our Father who is in the heavens, let Your Name be set-apart, 10. let Your reign come, let Your desire be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11. Give us today our daily bread. 12. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13. And do not lead us into trial, but deliver us from the wicked one - because Yours is the reign and the power and the esteem, forever. Amen.' 13. Praying the Bible - (*See “Foundation of Prayer” article.) Where there is God’s word, there is an ability to turn it into a prayer. I like using as a foundation all the prayers in the Epistles. These cover everything. But you can use any scripture, Old Testament or New. 14. Dedication - A dedication prayer is to dedicate a specific thing to God. Most often when we pray a dedication prayer, we are praying our dedication to God. A dedication prayer is a type of prayer that enables me to get back into focus and truly give it all to God. As John 3:30 says, “He must increase but I must decrease.” There have been times I haven’t kept on track and realize I haven’t spent my usual time with the Lord in prayer, or didn’t do what I said I would do (dedication) of praying if He wakes me up in the middle of the night. I got lazy and wanted to sleep. I had to repent. Then I asked Him what He wanted me to do. Rather than what I thought. Always ask the Lord if He wants you to make that dedication. It may be something that you think is important but God doesn’t. 15. Blessing - A blessing prayer is to ask for God’s favor, or blessing, over a specific part of your life or someone else’s life. A popular blessing prayer from the Bible is from Numbers 6:24-26: “The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” When we ask God to bless a specific part of our lives or upon someone else, may we remember that we do it to further enhance His kingdom, not our kingdom on Earth. Take a look at Luke 6:31, Matthew 7:12 and Proverbs 11:25. And another part is when you are visiting someone you can pronounce a blessing upon there home Matthew 10:12-13. There's also another blessing prayer in the Book of Jubilees. It was prayed by Abraham's father over him, Jubilees 12:29 - "Deliver him (me) from the hands of evil spirits who have sway over men's hearts. And let them not lead him (me) astray from You (Father God) And I pray that he (I) does not walk in the deceitfulness of his (my) heart, (in Jesus' Name)." 16. Breath prayers and Emphasis prayers - A breath prayer is a type of prayer that breaks down a Bible verse into breaths. It can help us when we are frazzled or stressed to bring it back to God and rely on God’s inner peace rather than our own. For example, Psalm 23: [Breathe in.] The Lord is my shepherd; [Breathe out] I shall not want. etc. Doing this with a short Bible verse can help us re-orient ourselves to the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and Savior when our emotions and/or our thoughts try to beat us (2 Peter 3:18.). Emphasis prayers - similar to the breath prayers, these re-orient ourselves and connect us directly to the Holy Spirit. Like the breath prayers, this is good to do with short verses because you will speak out the entire verse each time. Take the first word of the scripture and emphasize it on the first speaking of it. Then take the second word and repeat…etc. For example, (part) 1 John 1:5: (word in Bold is emphasized) GOD is light and in Him is no darkness at all. God IS light and in Him is no darkness at all. God is LIGHT and in Him is no darkness at all. God is light AND in Him is no darkness at all. God is light and IN Him is no darkness at all. God is light and in HIM is no darkness at all. God is light and in Him IS no darkness at all. God is light and in Him is NO darkness at all. God is light and in Him is no DARKNESS at all. God is light and in Him is no darkness AT all. God is light and in Him is no darkness at ALL. This can be done with any verse of scripture and restores you with the fire of God and His revelation about that verse. 17. Listening - This is something I saw someone post that I liked. I do this in my prayer time but I never gave it a name. It simply was my quiet time with God. What the woman said who posted this was: “It may be my favorite (prayer) because I avoided it for so long. For so much of my life, I constantly prayed to God like a genie and forgot to actually listen for His responses.” For me, this is all part of “Be still and know that I am God” - Psalm 46:10. Prayer is a conversation. Not just “you” talking. Listen to what He has to say. As always follow the peace in your heart - Colossians 3:15. “No peace” - stay away from it. “Peace”- then your good to go. Another note from the woman who has written about this: “I was praying over a tough situation for months one time, not knowing which decision to make. Finally, I felt a nudge from God that said, Hey, would you like my opinion? (God probably isn’t sarcastic like I am, but that is what the nudge felt like to me.) So I stopped and tried my best to still my mind. Every time I would lose focus, I would pray a breath prayer and redirect myself. It turns out that God didn’t want me to make a decision yet. I felt peace after listening to God. More than anything, I encourage listening prayers to be just as often as all the other types of prayer combined.” I concur about listening for what the Lord has to say, and not making a move until you know. I listen to God every time I pray. I ask the Lord how He wants me to pray. It may be different than what my thinking is or my understanding. He knows what’s best and He will direct your steps if you allow Him to. Conclusion Prayer is a constant, ever-evolving relationship with God. Like any relationship. Just because you can’t see Him doesn’t mean it’s not happening. You will find it is more real that any relationship you could ever have. Some of these ways of praying may feel weird and awkward at first, but sometimes it takes a bit of awkwardness to break through. Trust Him. As you use these new ways of being closer to God you will learn how to follow Him. If you want to see results in your prayer life, changing the way you pray can be a huge help. Just as you would not expect to see results in your physical fitness if you never changed your workout routine, you will not see results in your prayer life if you never change your prayer routine. There’s a phrase: “You are where you are because of the things you’ve done.” So change it up. Find a new way to connect with God and step out of your “comfort zone.” You’ll never be the same.

Soul ties, attachments to partners, cords, attached, curses, cycles, bad habits, how can I stop thinking about my partner Soul Ties Prayer for Release from Soul Ties Article below or click link for downloadable PDF PDF Soul Ties PRAYER FOR RELEASE FROM SOUL TIES (Also see N.R. Prayer) Soul ties occur from all sexual encounters. It is a very real tie to that person. Especially if it was a relationship that ended and you can't stop thinking about the person. Your life is a wreck because they are gone. THAT is an example of a soul tie. When this occurs outside of marriage or from a violent situation this can be a very dangerous thing. Whatever spirit is attached to the person now has rights to you and whatever spirit that is attached to you now has rights to the other person. It is because of fornication and abuse that emotional trauma comes. Always. Below is the prayer to release yourself and others from the soul ties that occur. PRAYER: Father, I repent for every ungodly soul tie that I have made through sexual union. I apply the blood of Yahshua to the soul tie that I made with ____________. I ask You to sever the cord connecting me to this person with the Sword of the Spirit. I bind any demonic attachments that came to me, and I command them to leave me, in Yahshua’s name. I loose the power of the Kingdom of Yahuah within me and around me to restore what was damaged by this soul tie. I ask You to seal the severed cord with the blood of Yahshua, so it can never be connected again, and I ask You to remove any foreign DNA from my body, in Yahshua’s name. Father, I ask You to deliver every person from any spirits that were transferred to them from me, in Yahshua’s name.

Who is the Holy Spirit, How to follow the Holy Spirit, How does He lead, Is tongues really from the Holy Spirit, Gifts of the Holy Spirit, God, Jesus, Are they real, Isn't the Bible just stories Holy Spirit He is in you and He is a person, He is the Spirit of God. Article below is long. Take your time. For downloadable PDF use link. PDF Holy Spirit He is in you and He is a person, He is the Spirit of God. Areas of discussion: 1. Who is the Holy Spirit 2. When do we receive the Holy Spirit? 3. How do we recognize Him? 4. Leading and Revealing by the Holy Spirit 5. Specifics: Let’s look at specifics of “Who” He is 6. The Holy Spirit Is the Spirit of God Almighty 7. He Counsels Us at Night While We Sleep 8. He Is The Spirit of Power and Spirit of Love 9. The Holy Spirit Guides Into All of the Truth, and He Speaks 10. The Holy Spirit Is Also Called “Water” 11. The Holy Spirit is your Comforter, Helper, Teacher 12. The Holy Spirit can be grieved: 13. Praying in Tongues 14. Spiritual Gifts 15. Spiritual Fruit: 16. Having “Utterance” and “Revelation Knowledge” Go Together 17. Spend time in reading Romans 8. 18. Test the spirits 19. The Holy Spirit is the Anointing 20. How to “Hear” 21. He Gives You Strength Other Scriptures to Note: 1 Corinthians 2 Romans 8 - ESV ...and so much more. 1. Who is the Holy Spirit Teaching on the Holy Spirit is sparse unfortunately and the Church as a whole doesn’t exactly know “Who” He is, how He operates, and how we are to work with the Holy Spirit. And yet there are over 800 scriptures that speak of Him. If we look to see how Jesus operated with Him we get a clear idea: He was always in prayer and obeyed what was given Him. It’s that simple. Here are some details that will help answer questions and build your relationship with the Holy Spirit. We need to know Him because as born again believers He now lives in us and He gives us rights and privileges we did not have before. Since there are over 800 verses in the Bible about the Holy Spirit we will only go into small portion of course. God wants us to know about Him, we need to know about Him. He is a Spirit. He is the Spirit of God. He is a “person” - if that is the correct term…maybe not…but you get my point. The Holy Spirit is God and He lives within you, the born again believer. Now how do we operate accordingly? He is Wisdom. He is Understanding. He is Might. He is Council. We will get into more of this later in “How do we recognize Him?”. 2. When do we receive the Holy Spirit? Ezekiel 36:26-27 - “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes and be careful to obey My rules.” When we received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and as the sacrifice for our sins, God put in us a NEW heart and He put His Holy Spirit in our new heart. This is how we are born again. Our mind (soul) needs to be renewed and our flesh is corrupted. It will not change until the Lord resurrects our bodies and changes those who go in the rapture. Don’t we receive the Holy Spirit when hands are laid on us? I know many believe that you have to have hands laid on you and have a second prayer for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. I used to think so too, but what I see is this is not clearly stated in scripture consistently. When you look at what happened in Acts you see that Peter took the one time God told him to lay hands on people to receive the Holy Spirit and he interpreted that as “do it every time.” Even Peter was shocked in Acts 11:15-17 - “15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered the Word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?” and Acts 10:44-46 - “44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the Word. 45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.” No hands laid on them. And particularly in the Epistles laying on of hands to receive the Holy Spirit is not mentioned. When there are scriptures that appear to “contradict” that means there is not enough understanding. Missing something. Because all of God’s Word is “yes” and “amen” and there are no contradictions. There are not two or three scriptures that say you have to have hands laid upon you to receive the Holy Spirit. It’s actually a “doctrine” of men that was taught from a misunderstanding. Peter and John, and the other apostles believed hands had to be laid upon people to receive the Holy Spirit as it says in Acts 8. In verses 14-17 - “14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the Word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” There “seems” to be a contradiction. But it is not. It was the apostles understanding. So many other scriptures talk of believing in Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit falls upon them. In the book of Acts it is clearly telling what the early church did. Like a journal. It’s not carried on into the Epistles, there’s not even one scripture there that says that is necessary. It is the book of Acts where doctrines have been built around this. But Acts simply states “what” occurred. Like I’ve said before in another article, all of God’s Word is truth. It is truly stated. Not all that is in the Bible is God’s Truth…meaning, some things are explaining what transpired. Just because something transpired doesn’t mean it was God’s will. Case in point, Adam and Eve. It was not God’s will for them to fall. Another is Samson and Delilah; David and Bathsheba; Peter denying Jesus, and many more. None of those were God’s will. But they are in the Bible. They are lessons for us to learn by. There’s one scripture where Jesus stated to ask for the Holy Spirit, in Luke 11:13 - “ 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Yes, we can absolutely do this. Jesus said so. But this should not be a doctrine in the Church because it is the only time in the Gospels where Jesus said this. And out of two or three witnesses let every word be established. (2 Corinthians 13:1; Deuteronomy 18:15; Matthew 18:16.) Meaning, we can’t make it a “doctrine” of the Lord unless it is stated more than 2 or 3 times. So what does scripture say? Above Ezekiel 36:26-27 - when we get born again we get the Holy Spirit. AND a second scripture: Ephesians 1:13 - “In Him you also, when you heard the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,” If you don’t give credence to the Old Testament, then look at John 3! In verses 1-21 shows Jesus speaking with Nicodemus and telling him that we must all be “born again” - and that this happens only by the Holy Spirit coming in and changing the “flesh heart” to a “God-heart”: verses 5-8 - “5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. (Word and Spirit.) 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at My saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” 1 John 4:15-18 - “15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 1 Corinthians 3:16 “Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you” and we have Him because we believe. We have accepted Jesus and made Jesus Christ the Lord of our lives. The Holy Spirit IS the Spirit of God Almighty. God is omnipresent - everywhere at the same time. This is far-out trippy stuff to think about because yes, God the Father is in heaven, Jesus is in heaven, and Jesus said He would not leave us alone and would send the Holy Spirit to us once He (Jesus) was resurrected, that the Holy Spirit is our down payment of what is to come: Jesus Christ in the rapture and our new immortal bodies. And He’s everywhere at once. Hard to wrap our minds around but it’s pretty cool. 1 John 4:15-18 - “15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.” When we are born again we are Born of the Spirit. Can’t have one without the other. God is the Author of the entire Bible. Not just the New Testament. It all matters. Just ask Him. 3. How do we recognize Him? Isaiah 11:2-3 - “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him— the Spirit of Wisdom and of Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and of Might, the Spirit of the Knowledge and Fear of the LORD—3 and He will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what He sees with His eyes, or decide by what He hears with His ears;” The Holy Spirit is: Wisdom The Holy Spirit is: Understanding The Holy Spirit is: Counsel The Holy Spirit is: Might The Holy Spirit is: Knowledge The Holy Spirit is: Fear of the Lord WE have this within us because the Holy Spirit is within us!! This is “Who” He is. He is in Jesus and He is in us. He is love. God is love. Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. Always check your motivations. Should always be love. Proverbs 3:5-6 - “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” With Proverbs in mind, always acknowledge the Holy Spirit. Talk with Him. He is in you!! It’s like being an adult and living with your parents. You are in the same house with them. But never talk with them. You ignore them. How does that make them feel? It’s the same thing. You and the Holy Spirit are living in the same place, within you. Don’t ignore Him. Talk with Him. All throughout your day. Acknowledge Him. Tell Him “thank You” when He leads you throughout the day. Those great ideas you get during the day, that help…that’s Him. Let Him know you appreciate it. As you acknowledge Him, He will lead you more, and more. And of course, let Him know you love Him. For He certainly loves you! God leads God reveals God stirs He gives light He gives life He is love These are part of how we judge what we are “getting.” As Isaiah said (scripture above) Jesus did not judge by His body - by what He saw or what He heard. He judged by the Holy Spirit deep within Him. We are to do the same. “Where” are you hearing from? By judging by what you see? By what you hear someone say? None of this is necessarily accurate. What is the Lord saying on the “inside” of you. These things are crucial to know when you want precision in following the Holy Spirit. He gives wisdom. He gives understanding. He gives counsel. He gives might. He gives knowledge. He gives fear of the Lord. All from deep within you. If you’re not seeing one or more of these then spend time in looking up scripture about the subject matter and take them personally. Because they are in you. This is ‘Who” the Holy Spirit is; how He operates; and these are things we can expect from the Holy Spirit within us. When we need God’s knowledge on a matter in our lives, ask the Holy Spirit. He will reveal it to you. When you need Godly counsel - ask Holy Spirit. He will reveal what needs to be done. When you need might, ask Him. He will do it. And if we want to continue hearing from Him we must act on whatever He reveals to us. What He reveals will leave us with light, insight, love, & joy. A good tree produces good fruit…fruit of the Holy Spirit. These things will be the result. This is how you can tell what is happening in your life by what is showing up. If there’s a sudden “thought” and it’s accompanied by “light” and “joy” That’s the Holy Spirit. God is light and in Him there is no darkness - 1 John 1:5. In God’s presence is fullness of joy - Psalm 16:11. God’s Words are life - John 6:63. This is how you judge the revelation you are getting. Does it bring light? Does it bring joy? Does it show you something you couldn’t have known any other way? Does it bring life? If it’s yes to all of these questions, it’s from the Holy Spirit. If only one of these questions has a “yes” throw it out. 4. Leading and Revealing by the Holy Spirit Definition of Reveal: to make known through divine inspiration; to make something secret or hidden known. Definition of Lead: to guide on a way especially by going in advance; to direct on a course or in a direction; to go through; to direct the operations, activity, or performance of; to have charge of; to go at the head of. Ask yourself this: “Do I allow the Holy Spirit to reveal and lead me? To direct me? Do I follow what He says?” Being brutally honest with yourself will help you tremendously and lead you to your next step. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 - “However, as it is written: ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’ — the things God has prepared for those who love Him, 10 these are the things God has revealed to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.” Isaiah 11:2-3 (listed above) is how Jesus operated here on earth, by being led by the Holy Spirit. Matthew 4:1 - Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to go into the desert to fast and pray. This particular “leading” by the Holy Spirit involved a test for Jesus. Read Matthew 4 and Luke 4. The devil was allowed to tempt Jesus. It was a test. It was a temptation for Him. Otherwise it wouldn’t be called the “temptation in the wilderness.” Even Jesus got tested by the Father. The trying of your faith produces patience - James 1:3 - written by Jesus’ brother James. Jesus’ faith was refined by fire. God has to allow this because Jesus had to go through every trial and temptation that man has to go through in order to pay the price completely for us. The Holy Spirit leads us too if we follow His leadings from deep within our inner man. Not from the outside. And Not from our emotions. (See article on “Spirit, Soul, & Body”) He is wisdom. He is understanding. He is counsel. He is might. He is knowledge. He is the fear of the Lord. And He is in us. If you’ve read many of my articles the Lord has had me write, you see often I talk about the emotions. This is a big subject matter that causes the most trouble for people. Everywhere and in everything. We think we are our emotions. No, we are not. Emotions are something we have . Not something we are. We are so easily swayed by our emotions, and if they can sway you, they can stop you. Case in point, if you “feel” depressed, you then think you’re depressed. No. Depression is darkness. You are light. You are in God and He is in you. Cast off that depression in the Name of Jesus, and ask the Holy Spirit what are the “doorways” you opened to let that thing in. Yes, it can be biological, chemical imbalance. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal it and to help you with it. It is not who you are. If there is a chemical imbalance, pray over your med’s. Just like you do your food. Expect God’s blessing upon it to help you. (See article on “Healing.”) Pray about how He wants you to handle the situation. Don’t go on automatic pilot. Follow His leading. Same deal with all other negative emotions. Guilt. Bitterness. Lying/Deception. You name it. It’s not you. Ask the Lord what the deal is. Most of the time it is a spirit that has attached itself to you and is making you “feel” a certain way. Because if you are swayed by your feelings, it is likely you won’t fight it because you think it is “who you are” and the spirit can burrow in and make your life miserable. Take your Authority in Jesus Name and loose that thing and cast it off permanently in Jesus Name. (See article on “Taking Authority.”) There is likely a stronghold, an embedded way of thinking that needs to be changed by the Word of God. Ask the Lord how to handle it. Usually there is some unrepented sin, so repent of it, truly. Close the doorway in the Name of Jesus. Cut all cords to the sin in Jesus Name. And praise God for your deliverance. Then ask Him what scriptures to renew your mind with. This means every time an “old” thought shows up, cast it down in the Name of Jesus, and speak the scripture out loud to yourself to replace the old thought with the Word of God. Do this each time the old thought comes up. The first day is the roughest. The second day is easier. The third day it will only happen a couple of times. By day 4 it’s gone. This is how you renew your mind. When we need wisdom on a situation, ask Him. When He reveals it, I call these moments “ah-ha” moments. That’s because it’s like the “light” was turned on. Perfect phrase we have in our language. God is light. And when you get a “bright” idea…and it makes you smile…it’s revelation…that’s Him. The Holy Spirit. Haggai 1:14 - “So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God,” I know this is Old Testament but God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8; Malachi 3:6, John 8:58, & Hebrews 1:12) - The Lord stirs our spirit’s within us!! A “stirring” to do something. This comes deep down within our being. Not outside. You have to discern where the “stirring” is coming from: outside of your physical body; or within, deep within your physical body, within something you can’t quite figure it out where because it’s deep within you. This is your spirit. It’s imperative to recognize. Many fellow brethren I have encountered are “moved” from the outside and they interpret it as the Holy Spirit. It is not. And if you don’t know what the Lord has said in scripture well enough you will be deceived. Deep within your inner man is where the Holy Spirit is. It is where leadings will come from. A hunch. A deep-down knowing. Sometimes they percolate from deep within your inner man to your mind and a thought will come up that way. Pay attention to those. That is the Holy Spirit. Psalm 16:7 says, “I will praise the LORD, Who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.” God counsels us, the Holy Spirit Who is our Counselor, teaches us as night if we allow Him to. Deep within our inner being. Not outside of our body. When you feel as if you are “forced” or “can’t help” but do a certain thing…that is never the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a Gentleman. He never forces. Only the devil forces. Ask the Lord how to handle it. An evil spirit most likely needs to be loosed, sin repented of, cords burned, and ask the Holy Spirit for direction in the matter. (See article on Spiritual Warfare.) 5 . Specifics: Let’s look at specifics of “Who” He is: The Holy Spirit Is the Spirit of God Almighty 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 - “16 Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” 2 Chronicles 24:20 - “20 Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood up before the people and said to them, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He has forsaken you.’ ” 1 Corinthians 2:12-13 - “12 We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit Who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.” Genesis 1:2 - “2 Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.” 6. He counsels us at night when we sleep. Psalms 16:7 - “I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.” 7. He Is The Spirit of Power and Spirit of Love Acts 1:8 - “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” 2 Timothy 1:7 - He is the Spirit of Love. He is the Spirit of Power, and a Sound Mind: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” As we pursue walking with the Holy Spirit, we pursue Him moving in us in these ways. Because these things are in us. They are Him. Romans 5:5 - The Holy Spirit has shed the love of God within our hearts; and God is love - 1 John 4:16. 1 John 4:15-18 - “15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 8. The Holy Spirit Guides Into All of the Truth, and He Speaks John 16:13 -“When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all the Truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you.” And John 17:17 says “Your Word is Truth.” - The Holy Spirit will guide you in the Word if you let Him. And John 16:13- God’s Spirit is the Spirit of Truth: “But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the Truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.” The Holy Spirit will guide you in the Word if you ask Him and let Him. The Holy Spirit “leads”: Luke 4:1 - ““Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,” Romans 8:14 - ““For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” Galatians 5:14 - ““But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” The definition of “lead” or “leading” - to go before or with to show the way; conduct or escort; to conduct by holding and guiding; to influence or induce; cause; to guide in direction, course, action, opinion; to bring; to take; to command or direct; to go at the head of or in advance of. All of these are ways to expect the Holy Spirit to “lead” you! The Holy Spirit will give leadings that are in line with the Word of God always. That is how you can check the leading or prompting within you. Sometimes it comes as a “hunch”. Sometimes it comes as a “thought” from deep within. Always test it by scripture. If you don’t know the scripture then ask the Lord. If you don’t get a scripture than let it go. Recall Paul in Acts 16 with the servant girl who was demonized with a spirit of divination. Paul didn’t do anything about it for weeks. Not until he was so bothered in his spirit by the Holy Spirit that he acted on how the Holy Spirit led him which was to cast the thing out of her. See also Ephesians 1:17-19 & 1 John 2:20,27. The Spirit and the Word, they go together ALWAYS! - John 4:23-24. Never one or the other by itself. And as the Holy Spirit leads you there are results: Peace - 1 Corinthians 14:33, Colossians 3:15; Light - 1 John 1:5; Joy - Psalm 16:11. When the Holy Spirit is leading you always look at what you are left with? If it’s heaviness, questioning, confusion = FORGET IT! It’s not the Holy Spirit. God is peace, light, love, joy. This is what you are left with when the Holy Spirit is leading you. 9. The Holy Spirit Is Also Called “Water” John 7:37-39 - “37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.” And John 4:13, - “13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The Holy Spirit and the Word are equated to “water”. Ephesians 5:26 - “(That He would) make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word.” Need a bath? Get into the Word! The world is dirty. Too much time in it you can tell you need to go for a “swim”. 1 Corinthians 12:13 - “For we were all baptized by One Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the One Spirit to drink.” Holy Spirit = Word = Water = Truth. You can also put “love” in this mix. God is love. His Spirit is love. Want to knock your socks off sometime with revelation from the Holy Spirit: substitute one of those words for the one of the others in your study time. Like every time you see “Word” - substitute Holy Spirit. Or every time you see Holy Spirit - put in “love.” And so on. Major revelation!!!! The Word = Spirit. The Spirit is the Word. The Word is Spirit. Like John 4:23-24 that we are to worship God in Spirit and Truth. They always go together. If you try to do one more than the other, things will go off kilter. Too much “spirit” can get one off into “spiritualism” which will be effected by the devil and his angels - you have to balance “spirit” with the Word. Always. And rightly dividing the Word. I say that because I have seen fellow believers who get off track because of wrong doctrine and then when they “hear” a voice, or a so-called “prompting”, this false voice and false “prompting” uses scripture incorrectly the way the person believes it and it throws them way off base. (Think of Jesus when He was tempted. The devil used the 91st Psalm incorrectly. Jesus responded with how to correctly use the Word in that situation. Luke 4.) The Word, rightly seeing through revelation knowledge by the Holy Spirit what God has said, is your guard rail. Out of two or three witnesses - complete witnesses, complete understanding of the scripture (2 Corinthians 13:1) let every Word be established. Meaning, when you have a prompting or leading, or “hear” a voice - Check all of Scripture and what God has said about it on that subject matter and see if it goes with it or against it. Nothing contradicting. Pay attention to the contradictions if they are there. That means something is off. The Holy Spirit will NEVER lead you contrary to the Word. Never. That’s how you judge what you “heard” or “saw”. Not every vision, dream, or word is from God. What does it leave you with? There is also the pendulum going the other way and you can get too heavy in the Word and it will be “dry” and intellectual. No Spirit. Word without the Holy Spirit is simply written intellectualism. The Spirit isn’t in it. Just Rules. No Spirit. Just like the Pharisees. The two go together - Spirit and Word; Word and Spirit. Always. And where the Spirit is there is wisdom and revelation knowledge so that your eyes are enlightened to what He wants you to do. (Ephesians 1:17-18.) God IS wisdom! He IS revelation! He will enlighten your eyes as to what needs to be done. If there’s no “light” happening for you, ask the Lord what’s the deal. Have Him show you where you missed it. We all miss it. The important thing is to have a willing heart to be corrected. We can’t do life successfully without Him. If you’re around “Christians” or a church where there is no revelation and Godly wisdom, get out! Quick. Because He’s not there. And there won’t be any “joy,” “light” or “peace” - in God’s presence is fullness of joy , Psalm 16:11; God is light - 1 John 1:5; and God is the God of Peace , He keeps us separated unto Him wholly - spirit, soul, and body, and His peace settles our minds - guarding them . (1 Thessalonians 5:23; 2 Thessalonians 3:16; Philippians 4:7.). Jesus is the God of Peace . These are the markers. These are what you “look” for. These are what you are left with when He is present! Not bondage. Galatians 5:1 - “1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” 10. The Holy Spirit is your Comforter, Helper, Teacher John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” One translation says: Helper, Comforter, Advocate, and Standby. He is all of these things for you. He is there, within you, to help you. He is there, within you, to comfort you. He is there, within you, to be your advocate…most often to yourself. Because we always tear ourselves down. Once you are saved, the Blood of Jesus covers you. If you get off into sin, then He will let you know you shouldn’t be doing that particular thing. If you keep on doing it and ignoring Him, He will just stay quiet and let you deal with whatever outcome will come upon you because of your actions. He will never leave you or forsake you even to the end of the world. (Hebrews 13:5) If someone is led to intercede for you, then you will be given grace. The ultimate of it, sin, will be the death of your physical body so that your Spirit may live with the Lord (1 Corinthians 5:1-5). God never turns His back on a prodigal son or daughter. Ever. 11. The Holy Spirit can be grieved: Ephesians 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by Whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” You are sealed by the Holy Spirit. Sealed means sealed. The seal cannot be broken. But you can grieve the Holy Spirit by not obeying Him. That scratchy, uncomfortable feeling you have on the inside of you when you are about to do that “thing” that you want to do. That is grieving the Holy Spirit. Sometimes there can be a “heaviness”. Heaviness can also be demonic oppression. Whatever the situation, get on your knees and repent of it and ask the Holy Spirit how to clean this up. He will lead you. If you have repeatedly disobeyed the Holy Spirit’s leading your heart gets hardened. You won’t be able to “hear” Him. There needs to be repentance if your heart has gotten hard. Talk with the Lord about it and follow His lead. 12. Praying in Tongues: Let’s clear up some questions about this subject because there are many. All believers can pray in tongues, whether they do or not is up to them. It is part of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that we received when we got born again. And for those who do not they will only have a certain depth in their relationship with the Lord because they are relating to the Lord in physical terms and not by means of the Spirit. God is Spirit. Those that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and Truth. (John 4:23-24.) Let’s look at a few Scriptures: Mark 16:17 - “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My Name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;” We see signs accompany ALL those who believe - speaking in tongues is one of the signs. It’s the Holy Spirit that gives us utterance to speak: Acts 2:4 -“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” You have to enable the Holy Spirit to speak through you, you are using your voice with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It may be done in your known language, or in wordless groans, or most often it is in another language. Sometimes in God’s heavenly language, sometimes in another known language that will minister to someone who hears you, just like Acts 2. But you have to allow it. You have to release it. You are the one speaking, the Holy Spirit is giving you the utterance. He is enabling you. Ephesians 6:19-20 - (Paul asking for the Ephesians church to pray for him) “And for me that utterance may be given to me so that I will fearlessly make known (in boldness) the mystery of the Gospel….Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” We can pray to access utterance and boldness through the Holy Spirit. But if you want to go a step further…simply expect it. He’s already in you. You have all of the Holy Spirit within and all His giftings. Your expectation creates God’s manifestation in your life!! And we see this in Mark 13:11 - “11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given to you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit inspires the words we speak! How can you tell? What is your “joy” level and “peace” level? He will always leave you with joy and peace. And you’ll tend not to know what you are saying until you say it. Always check your joy and peace level. 1 Corinthians 1:5, 7 - “5 For in Him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge—7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.” You don’t lack any spiritual gift. He’s given you everything. Now what are you doing with it? Are you using what He has given you? Isaiah 56:6-7 - “And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to minster to Him, to love the Name of the Lord, and to be His servants, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to My Covenant—7. These I will bring to My holy mountain and give them joy in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. Romans 8:26-27 - “26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And He Who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” Notice the Holy Spirit has a “mind”. He is a person. Not an enigma. And He is a Spirit. We are physical. We have to learn how He operates and work with Him. Sometimes we don’t know what to pray regarding a situation. Let’s face it, we don’t know everything. We don’t have all the facts. But God does! That’s the perfect time to pray in tongues!! Talk with Him about the situation in your natural language just like you would with a friend. Then begin speaking in tongues and by faith trusting the Holy Spirit will give you what needs to be prayed in tongues according to God’s will, as He has said in Romans. Sometimes we wind up praying for something completely different than what we started out. Case in point: One time I was concerned regarding a personal matter, so I spoke to the Lord about all my concerns - I know He knows my concerns but when I speak them out loud often He gives me revelation about the situation. Sometimes I don’t even need to pray in tongues over it when that occurs. Sometimes He reveals scriptures to stand on for the situation. So that is what I will pray, using those scriptures and by faith receive it. But there are other times I don’t get anything as I’m talking with Him. So I kick it over into tongues. In this situation I was praying along and suddenly the word “Puerto Rico” comes out. (Often the Lord has me pray over nations/geographical regions, so this isn’t unusual for me.) This wasn’t what I was intending to pray over. Never crossed my mind to pray for that island. But I don’t know what is important and what should be prayed as Romans 8:26-27 says. I know the Holy Spirit does. I trust Him and keep praying. The Holy Spirit often reveals something of importance and gives me direction regarding something entirely different than the thing I had started praying. And the entire notion of the original request simply goes away and I know He’s got it handled. The situation resolves as the Lord simply takes care of it without me messing with it. I love that. I simply trust He has “got my back” so to speak. And so, the Lord had me pray for Puerto Rico instead. In this prayer the Holy Spirit showed me a vision. He does that often with me while praying in tongues. The vision comes from deep inside me. I saw the area, looked like rural areas, covered in water. Things floating in it. I saw bodies floating in it. And I saw heavy rain falling. I was led to pray for the island for people’s protection. Within a few months the island had the most sever hurricane it has ever encountered in recorded history. Not blowing smoke up my skirt. It was all the Holy Spirit. He knows what’s what. We just simply follow Him. I shared this as an example of how to trust Him and what He gives you. Just do what He gives you to do. We trust whatever He gives because we know it is according to God’s will that the Holy Spirit leads us to pray. It is what He sees as important, not necessarily what we “think” is important. You can trust the Holy Spirit will give you capability to pray in another language and it is always in line with the will of God according to Romans 8:27, Mark 16:17, Acts 2:1-14. He’s got the facts and He knows how to lead you in praying what is needed and bring scriptures to your remembrance to use for praying over them in English, (or whatever is your natural tongue) using your faith that He has given you. It’s nothing you have to muster from within yourself. Simply trust He will do what He has said He will do. He is not a man that He should lie - Numbers 23:19. This is a “dimensional” thing and Authority thing. Meaning God gave us Authority on this planet. What we say, goes. In this dimension God gave us this Authority. He will not interfere or intervene in this dimension unless asked by a person. He can’t. Legally. That’s how He set it up, that man has dominion on the earth. That is why God is looking for people who will pray in tongues, to intercede for people, nations, people groups, families because we have Authority to ask Him. God is looking for prayers to intercede, stand in the gap for those who can’t or don’t know how to pray. Ezekiel 22:30-31 - “30 “‘I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall (in prayer) and stand before Me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. 31 So I will pour out My wrath on them and consume them with My fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done’, declares the Sovereign Lord.” Very important: when the Lord gives you something in prayer, whether it comes out in the words you speak (prophecy), or a vision - He gives it to you to pray about! There are one of three possible reasons why: 1. Through prayer you can stop it from happening; 2. Through prayer you can’t stop it but you can decrease how bad the event will be and how many it will effect; 3. Through prayer you cannot stop the event or decrease it but you can prepare people for what’s coming. As you are praying over the event the Holy Spirit will give you the impression of which one of the three it is. And if you are to prepare for what’s coming, He will tell you. He will give you details of what needs to be done, just like He did with Noah, and Joseph in Egypt with the famine. One more part. Sometimes you will be so excited as you pray you’ll sense the “excitement” and you want to move. Like jump, run, or dance. DO IT!! Sometimes the Holy Spirit expresses Himself that way through people, through you. You know it’s correct when your joy goes even higher. And you feel like a huge weight got lifted. That is all a result of the Holy Spirit breaking stuff off of you. And yes…even this in scripture: 2 Samuel 6:16-23 - “16 As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul (David’s wife) watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart. 17 They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord. 18 After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the Name of the Lord Almighty. 19 Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes. 20 When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, ‘How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!’ 21 David said to Michal, ‘It was before the Lord, Who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when He appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord. 22 I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.” 23 And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.” * So many times I have experienced people going off the rails and getting WAY WEIRD!!! The Holy Spirit is not weird! Inspired - yes! Doing things that are not normal - yes. But you won’t have this weird feeling, like you just feel like you jumped into dirt and need a bath. You can sense something is “off.” Trust that! That’s Holy Spirit letting you know you got off track. It happens to all of us. But we have to learn how all of this works. Praying in the Spirit is …well, Spiritual. We are not. Not yet. We are physical. We cannot naturally see into the Spirit realm. We do not know how it operates. This is why we have to rely on the Holy Spirit. He will lead and guide us in the way that we should go. Psalm 32:8 - “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My loving eye on you.” When things start to go off the rails, prayer will get hard. Tough. Like you gotta push through something heavy. Can even seem like there’s “nothing” there. Dry. This shows the Holy Spirit has lifted! If there’s dryness, that’s a sign, a warning. That’s not being led by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit and the Word are water!! You need to “take a bath” in the Word. How you get back on track is get to scripture once again. Use the ones you started your prayer with, or whatever the Holy Spirit is leading you to. Speak it out. Repeat it. Knuckle down into your spirit and pull out words out of your heart by using the Scripture itself. Go as far as you can in your native language, then roll it over again into tongues. Order of praying in tongues: — Use a scripture to start with , can be any that you will go back to during your prayer time if and/or when you need it. Personally I tend to go to: Jude 20-21 (part) - “20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God,”; and Isaiah 28:11-12 - “'11 For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people’, 12 To whom He said, ‘This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,’ And, ‘This is the refreshing’;” Ephesians 1:17-19 - “17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power” As I pray I go into prayer praying one or all of these, and any others the Holy Spirit is reminding me of, and praying them back to God and then I add something like this: “Father God, in the Name of Jesus, I thank You for Who You are and Who You are within me. I trust YOU with every ounce of my being. And I thank You that as I pray in tongues in the Holy Spirit, that I am edified. I am built up on my most holy faith on things I am standing for from Your Word in my life, my family, my situations, as I pray in tongues. I thank You Father God that You will reveal answers to me as I pray in tongues and I keep myself focused on Your love. For that is Who You are and Your love strengthens me and gives me insight. I am standing on what these scriptures say that praying in tongues is a “rest” - means I don’t have to work hard at it and you cause me to rest and not to stress; and I have wisdom and revelation from the Holy Spirit regarding stuff that I’m praying and regarding situations in my life, or anything else the Holy Spirit wants to show me, and I thank You for it.” Then I open my mouth and utter the strange sounds that come out of my mouth. — Slow down your words so you can hear them . Pronounce them. Speak clearly. Write down any that catch your attention. Sometimes a word or phrase will repeat. Write it down as best you can - because it’s in tongues you won’t know exactly how to spell words but the Holy Spirit will reveal it to you. Words in your own language may start coming out. Write them down. Sometimes a scripture comes up. Write it down. You can look it up when the time is right. If a word or phrase “bugs” you, ask the Lord right then and there, out loud, about that phrase or word and then roll it back over into tongues. Sometimes the Lord will reveal it to you right then. Write it down. (Sometimes He reveals it later.) You can look up some of the words with an internet search later. This is showing your faith. Acting on the Words He is giving you. He will then give you more when you pray. Be watchful of pride. It likes to seep in. The only reason you can pray in tongues is the Holy Spirit, it has nothing to do with you. You are simply being obedient to His leading. — Keep your focus on your words as you continue to pray. And when you don’t, no worries. Sometimes our minds drift off into random stuff like, what you need to do that day; what you need to pick up at the grocery store…you get my point. This is why we used scripture to start with. Go back to that scripture, speak it out loud again. You will now, on purpose, be focused once again on the Holy Spirit and see what Holy Spirit gives you to say in addition to it. Maybe repeating that scripture. Maybe adding other scriptures that come up out of your heart. There may be other things He gives you directly out of your heart. Phrases. Words. Keep hitting them. Repeating them. You’ll find a flow of the Holy Spirit. This is typically when prophecy comes out. You go as far as you can in English, then kick it over into tongues again. Often this gets “deeper” in Him. Trust the Holy Spirit is speaking into the atmosphere whatever He needs spoken into this reality. It’s that “dimensional” thing I spoke of earlier. — Groanings: As Romans 8:26 says. Sometimes groanings come out. Deep. Guttural. Follow it out BUT don’t be moved by your emotions! You may even wind up sobbing, uncontrollably. DON’T GET WRAPPED IN THE EMOTION!!! EVER!!! I REPEAT - DON’T GET WRAPPED UP IN THE EMOTION! E V E R!! PRESS THROUGH IT UNTIL you wind up laughing!!! THIS is vital! In His presence is fullness of Joy! There’s joy in the house of prayer!!! DON’T stay stuck in sadness, or heaviness, or grief, or sorrow. PUSH THROUGH until you hit the flow of the Holy Spirit in laughter and Joy!! I say this because I’ve seen so many prayers get off track because they “like” the emotion. The heaviness. The sadness. They “feel” like they are really doing something. No. They are not. They are getting pulled off by their emotions and ultimately getting hoodwinked by the devil. If they continue in this ultimately their life will be in torment. It never has a good outcome. Push through until you hit joy in the Spirit. Tears will turn to smiles. Then chuckles. You will start laughing. As you keep “following” it, you will wind up laughing in hysterics. No burden. And lightness of heart will come and you will absolutely know the presence of the Lord is with you. — Always date your prayer journal each time you pray . Sometimes when we pray we are able to stop things. Sometimes we can’t stop them but we can decrease how bad they will be - like that Puerto Rico prayer. I knew it was going to happen but I also “knew” that I could decrease how bad it would be for some people. That is what is called “standing in the gap.” (Ez. 22:30.) In your prayer journal you can always go back to see what the Lord has given you. Be sure to write down any “impressions” you get from the Holy Spirit. — Burdens of prayer. When the Holy Spirit knows He can trust you to pray, there will be times when you get a “burden” to pray. Sometimes it may start where you just “know” something is up, and you gotta pray. Do it! Sometimes it shows by you being “restless.” An uneasiness that you can’t shake off. All of this means something big is about to happen to you or someone you love; perhaps to your town, city, or state. And as you pray about it, you may not be able to get a “release” from the Holy Spirit about it. Means it’s not prayed through until you hit “joy” and you get the release. Keep staying with it until you do get the release. You know that you know in your spirit by the Holy Spirit that it’s done. For example: At one point in my life I had told the Lord that if He wanted me to get up in the middle of night to pray, that I would. So as I was sleeping one night He woke me up! He said, “Get up and pray. Now.” So I got out of bed. Went to the living room. I was about to sit on the couch but the Lord said, “Get on your face on the floor.” “Yes, Sir.” I replied. I could sense the urgency with this. As I began praying in tongues deep groans came out. I was quiet about it. I didn’t want to wake up my husband. It was like a silent movie. My mouth was moving but no sound. Spiritually it was intense. Deep weeping came out. And at the same time I was thinking, “Wow, this is strange. I wonder what’s up.” I stayed with it. And then the Lord showed me a vision. I knew it was the person I was praying for. I didn’t know who they were. I saw the face. They were engulfed in flames and screaming a blood curdling scream. As I was watching this I too was as if I was screaming her scream. Then it all STOPPED. Suddenly. Nothing after it. The burden was gone. The vision gone. The tears gone. I got up to my knees and asked the Lord “Was that it? Is that all. Am I done now?” He said, “Yes. Go to bed now.” So I did. The next day on the news I saw a report of someone who had died horribly from something that had burned. (I won’t disclose the detail of it.) I was shocked. I was very upset because I didn’t think I had done enough. (Notice “my thoughts” verses what the Lord had said. This is why you can’t trust in only your thinking.) The Lord said that prayer was enough. I trust Him. I knew by the Holy Spirit that the Lord wanted her to receive Him before she died. I knew that in the prayer. I didn’t have to figure it out. And I knew at the time of praying that the event was going to happen. I didn’t think it was anything I would ever know about. I didn’t need to. I simply trust Him. He got done what He needed. I’m sure He had others besides me praying for her and the others involved. It is only an example of how the Lord will use you, if you allow Him. He will do this with you too. 13. Spiritual Gifts Yes, they are for today, they did not “die away.” The teaching about spiritual gifts no longer a part of the Church is no where in scripture . Try to find two or three scriptures that say so. Spiritual gifts come from the Holy Spirit. You cannot have the Holy Spirit and not have His giftings. It’s not possible. They are the result of Him within you. The more you spend time with the Holy Spirit and being obedient to His leadings, the more the giftings will manifest. Spiritual gifts are in 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14. And as you read the New Testament you can see the giftings of the Holy Spirit in operation through people. God puts these things in His Word to teach us how they operate so we know when they are operating in us. Giftings are for other people. They are not for yourself. And they should operate by love . All the spiritual gifts when in operation correctly will be operating by love. If you don’t, then the gifting(s) that the Lord has created you with can be used incorrectly out of ego and deception. Ultimately be twisted by the devil. All people have at least one gifting. It’s how the Lord created us. And when someone is not born again and has Word of Wisdom and Word of Knowledge operating in their life and they never turn to the Lord, the devil will use that gifting his way. The person will be deceived by deceptive spirits and be a “clairvoyant” or “fortune teller” and such like. It’s simply the gift the God gave that person being used in the wrong way. How you reflect on what your gifting is, ask the Lord. And reflect on your life. Especially as a child. The things you liked and wanted to do, what you're good at and are usually related to that gifting. Go to 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 and see how that “job” fits into the gifting(s). Every job does. 14. Spiritual Fruit: Comes from spending time with Him. Not simply a “Sunday Christian.” You have to put what you know to work. The result of the fruit is from spending time with Him, giving heed to Him and doing what He says to do. Galatians 5:16-26 - “16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Notice in verse 16 we have a choice. We can walk by the Spirit or not. When someone does not walk by the Spirit they are automatically walking by the flesh. And there are the outcomes listed of each. Again…look what is showing up in your life. When we see something we don’t like we have to ask the Lord where are we off track and make any corrections He gives us. 15. Having “Utterance” and “Revelation Knowledge” Go Together Acts 4:23-25 - "23 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, Who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 Who through the mouth of our father David, Your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,” then the Holy Spirit gave them a scripture that Peter and spoke….continue on to verse 31 - “31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the Word of God with boldness.” The Holy Spirit gives you words to speak from the Word of God, whether it be in your known language or in tongues; and He gives you boldness and revelation about what the Holy Spirit is talking about! This is what He does. It is light. He is light. He is the light of the world. This is a result of having Him within your spirit. Utterance, revelation knowledge, light! - this is what you look for to see if the Holy Spirit is present. 1 Timothy 4:1 - “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” In 1 Timothy we can see that Paul was given utterance and revelation knowledge by the Holy Spirit. I say that because there’s no clear Old Testament scripture that states what Paul says. This was direct revelation from the Holy Spirit. And this most likely happened through prayer. Revelation from the Holy Spirit most often comes through prayer and studying Scripture as He leads. It is not the only way but it is the most frequent. It can come through teaching of the Word, or dreams, or visions, but the biggest way the Holy Spirit gives you revelation knowledge is through prayer and the Word. And as you are praying in tongues, He will at some point give you utterance in a known language. Write down whatever He gives you if you can. He will also give Scriptures along with it. If you didn’t get Scripture with it, ask Him. Sometimes He may want you to look up a subject matter in the Word. Another place where we see the Holy Spirit revealed something to someone is Luke 2:26 - “It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.” The revelation corresponded to action and to speaking. This was Simeon, the priest in the Temple that year. The Holy Spirit was upon Simeon and revealed this to him. Most likely this was done while Simeon was in prayer. He had “gotten” that he was waiting for the “consolation of Israel.” He knew…by the Holy Spirit. There are so many places in the Word about when God revealed things to people, including Jesus. Recall how Jesus would suddenly “know” what people were thinking. Jesus would then respond with speaking. Speaking the revelation from the Holy Spirit sometimes. Everything the Holy Spirit reveals is not necessarily to be shared. Many times it is to pray about for someone else. It’s part of Word of Wisdom and Word of Knowledge (1 Corinthians 12.) 16. Spend time in reading Romans 8. (Printed at the end of the article.) And then re-read it. Read it in different translations. You’ll get more insight. And then do the same with John 10, 14-17. And then re-read it again. There is a wealth of Spiritual knowledge about the inner dwelling of the Holy Spirit within you and how to follow Him. Another really interesting thing Paul says so many times is to “follow your conscience.” Don’t violate it. When you do, you step out of faith. Romans 14:22-23 - “22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.” See about the conscience: 1 Corinthians 10:25, 27-29; 1 Timothy 1:19; 1 Peter 3:16; Hebrews 13:8; 1 Corinthians 8: 7, 10, 12; Acts 24:16; 2 Corinthians 1:12; 1 Timothy 4:2; Romans 9:1; 1 Timothy 3:9; 2 Timothy 1:3; Titus 1:15; Hebrews 9:9, 14; Romans 2:15; 1 Timothy 1:5; Hebrews 10:22; 1 Peter 3:21; 2 Corinthians 4:2. 17. Test the spirits Not all spirits are of God and they always have a con game going to “seem” like they are from God, looking like an angel of light 2 Corinthians 11:14. 1 John 4:1-6 Any spirit that does not say Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not a spirit of God. 18. The Holy Spirit is the Anointing Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He has Anointed Me… This was after Jesus’ baptism with John the Baptist and the Holy Spirit came upon Him and within Him. The Holy Spirit IS the Anointing! Isaiah 10:27 The Anointing removes burdens and destroys yokes. The Anointing is a person. The Anointing is the Holy Spirit. “Christ” is the Greek word for the Hebrew word “Messiah”. “Messiah” means “The Anointed One”. So the term “Christ Jesus” or “Jesus Christ” refers to different aspects of the Holy Spirit Anointing on Jesus and how He is working in a particular manner. For example: “Christ Jesus” means The Anointed Jesus - scriptures with this term are specifically showing how the Anointing works. “Christ Jesus” is usually about the Anointing of Jesus in operation while He was in His earthly ministry, of which we have access to because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It is how the Holy Spirit works on Jesus - thus how He can work on you if you stay in repentance (because not doing so hardens one’s heart and clogs up the “hearing.”); and stay in prayer and the Word and follow Him. It’s simple. The second usage: “Jesus Christ” - has to do with the Resurrection. The epitome of the Anointing is the Resurrection with the changed mortal body. We see this in Romans 8:11 -“But if the Spirit of Him that raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He Who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit Who lives in you.” And Ephesians 1:19-20 - “19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,” “Jesus Christ” is talking about something that has been given to us in the Anointing by Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead. “Christ” means the Anointing which is the Holy Spirit. So if we word that passage like this: “and what is the exceeding greatness of His power, because His power is the Holy Spirit, toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power through the Holy Spirit which He worked in the Anointing when He raised Jesus from the dead by His power through the Holy Spirit in the Anointing and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.” We see more to that passage than we did before. Every time you see the word “Christ” by itself it means all of what it can mean: The Anointed Jesus; the Anointing—the Holy Spirit; and it can mean the ultimate of Resurrection Power. You have to pay attention to the inward leading of the Holy Spirit about a passage to see what He specifically wants to show you. I have found that “Christ” when it’s by itself usually means the Anointing (through the Holy Spirit) and how it works. Ephesians 3:16-19 AMP - “16 May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality], 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, 18 be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love]; 19 and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself]. Notice the words “Christ” - The Anointing, and “His Spirit” are grammatically used interchangeably. They are the same. The Holy Spirit is the Anointing, and they are love within you. And God wants you to know about this, His Power…WITHIN you! Now look at these scriptures with the word “Christ” interchanged with “Holy Spirit”: 1 Corinthians 15:22 - In the Holy Spirit I am made alive. Colossians 1:27 - the Holy Spirit is in me and is the hope of glory. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 - Now it is God Who makes both us and you stand firm in the Holy Spirit. He Anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 2 Corinthians 2:14 - Now thanks be unto God Who always causes me to triumph in the Holy Spirit, and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of Him everywhere. Galatians 5:1 - I stand fast in the liberty where the Holy Spirit has made me free and I am not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through the Holy Spirit Who strengthens me. Romans 6:7-8 - For he that is dead is freed from sin. I am dead to sin and alive with the Holy Spirit. *There is a difference in these two passages: Galatians 2:20 - I am crucified with the Anointed One; and I no longer live, but the Holy Spirit lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me. Ephesians 2:5-6 - Even though I was dead in sins, God has quickened me together with the Anointed One through the Holy Spirit. By grace am I saved; and made me sit with Him in heavenly places. Now the next time your in the Epistles keep this in mind and see what deeper revelations you get from the Holy Spirit by reading them like this! 19. How to “Hear” Like previously stated you are to judge what you heard or the prompting you got by several factors: “Where” did the voice come from? Outside of your head. Inside of your head: if it’s inside, did it come up from deep within your inner being; or did it just “pop” in. From outside of your head is NOT the Holy Spirit but another spirit. Sometimes it may seem like someone is speaking into your ear. If it’s inside your head it is either from a spirit or your own thinking. When it comes from deep down within you, like it’s bubbling up from the depth of you into your head, it’s the Holy Spirit. Does it go in line with all of scripture; or does it contradict some? The more you know of the Word the greater the tests. And the devil is sneaky. There are times he will use scripture to attempt to deceive you. Don’t go against any inner warning. It’s like this gut feeling like you got punched. Sometimes it shows up as a subtle warning. Quieter. Like this uneasiness about what you heard and it ALWAYS brings questions up to your mind. “Questions” always show that you DO NOT have peace in your conscience. So let go of what you heard cause it’s not God. What does that “word” leave you with: joy, peace, knowing what to do - insight, light, does it strengthen you. Or does it leave you with questions, confusion, not understanding, fear, uneasiness, consternation: Psalm 16:11 ESV - “You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” 1 Corinthians 14:33 AMP- “33 for God is not a God of confusion and disorder but of peace and order.” Colossians 3:15 AMP - “15 Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds]. To this peaceful state indeed you were called as members in one body [of believers]. And be thankful [to God always].” Romans 15:13 - “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” 1 Timothy 4:1 - “Now the Spirit expressly says …” - in this passage when you look for any other passages like this about what people will be like in the last days, there are none. This one speaks of “how” the Holy Spirit can communicate something: “The Spirit expressly says”. Restating: He speaks from deep within you. Not outside of you, your body. Visitations can happen but they are not common. If a visitation from the Lord occurs, always test the spirits as 1 John 4:1-4 says, ask the Spirit/spirit: “Did Jesus Christ come in the flesh?” The reason why you want to ask this question is evil spirits do not acknowledge that they have lost the eternal battle. They still think they can win. Seriously delusional. As 1 Corinthians 2:7-8 - “7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” God had us on His mind before we were born! Before God created “time” - this was when we were written in the Lamb’s Book of Life - Revelation 17:8 - “The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come.” And a second passage, out of 2 or 3 witnesses - Revelation 13:8 Berean Standard - “And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” And Psalm 139:16 - “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” 20. He Gives You Strength Ephesians 3:16-17 - “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened with might by HIs Spirit in the inner man; that Christ…” John 14:16-17 AMP - “16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor--Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever-- 17 the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive [and take to its heart] because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He (the Holy Spirit) remains with you continually and will be in you.” Here’s another verse of scripture that shows the Holy Spirit is not taken away. He remains within us — forever!! He is the Spirit of Truth. He is our strength. The Joy of the Lord is our strength…Nehemiah 8:10. How to judge what you have happening in your life: questions, confusion, unhappy, killing, stealing, destroying; or is it joy, peace, strength, life, love…these are markers of “Who” or “who” is active in your life - John 10:10. Other Scriptures to Note 2 Corinthians 5:14 (TPT, TMT, KJV, NIV)- “14 For Christ’s love compels us…” He compels us; He constrains us - doing so with urgency, a pressing necessity; He fuels our passion and motivates us; He moves us to extremes. 1 Corinthians 14:15 - “So what shall I do? l’ll pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding.” - As a statement of faith. Focus on scripture as you are praying in tongues. That is praying with your understanding. Then the Holy Spirit will give you tidbits of insight. And then you simply trust Him by faith that He has it handled. 1 Corinthians 14:4 - He that speaks in an unknown tongue edifies himself …. 1 Corinthians 14 - verse 19, Pauls said he spoke in tongues more than the Corinthian church. And they were prolific in it and got off track because there was no order to it. They were undisciplined and only leaned in to that part of the Spiritual gifts. That’s why Paul wrote 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14. Back to 1 Corinthians 14:14 - “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prays but by understanding is unfruitful.” We make our understanding fruitful by using scripture to start the prayer with and go back to it if things go off , you get distracted, or if there is a lull. Speak the Scriptures out loud to the Lord and keep going as far as you can until you can’t go any further in your language, then go into tongues. Numbers 11:24-27 - So Moses went out and told the people what the LORD had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and He took some of the power of the Spirit that was on Him and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied —but did not do so again. 26 However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. 27 A young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” I love this scripture in Numbers!! The Lord came down and took some of His power of the Spirit that He had put on Moses and put it on the 70 elders, including the dudes who were back in camp! And they all prophesied. It sure is interesting that when the Spirit is on people, He talks. And He’s got a lot to say. He is a person! Nowadays it’s tough because there are so many false prophets BUT the Lord told us there would be in the end times chapters of the Gospels; and in 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 He told us to weigh prophecies and throw out what is not right and hold on to what is good: “19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil. ” And we test them by what the Word says: are we left with joy? - Psalm 16:11; are we left with peace? - John 14:28; are we left with light, revelation? - 1 John 1:5 and Isaiah 11:2. Ephesians 3:19 - God the Father wants us to know the love of Christ, the love of the Anointing, the love of the Holy Spirit which passes knowledge so that we will be filled with all of God’s fullness. The Love of God gives knowledge. We can’t have Godly knowledge unless we allow the love of God to flow and glow in our lives!!! Love and knowledge go together! ! Philippians 1:9 that our love would abound (because we choose to) more and more in knowledge and in all judgement. We can’t judge things correctly unless we are operating in the Love of God. Verses 10-12 we will then be able to approve things that are excellent, Godly, and sincere without offense and filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ and all of it is to the paise and glory of God!! 1 John 2:20, 27 - AMP “20 But you have an Anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the Truth. 27 As for you, the Anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His Anointing teaches you about all things and as that Anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it (He) has taught you, remain in Him.” “Remain” - #3306 meno - abide, wait, remain. It’s the same word as abide and wait. Wait on the Holy Spirit’s leading, on His teaching you; abide - live with Him by obeying what He leads you to do. When we don’t we grieve Him. When we do grieve Him we won't have any peace. Just repent. Clean it up. Do whatever He is leading you to do. He never leaves us even if we don’t repent but He’s not happy. So make it right with Him. God said He would be with us even to the end of the earth! He would never leave us nor forsake us. So…yeah…once you have received Him, you are His! Now that we understand more of “Who” the Holy Spirit is, how He operates, and that He is in us, we can understand more depth in scripture - the Holy Spirit IS love, He has poured it out in our hearts, love is what teaches us, and He is this power within us, the power to raise mortal bodies and create universes!!! Let’s look at the Ephesians 3 prayer: Ephesians 3:16-20 - “16 I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him Who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,” The part of the sentence in bold - Paul is praying that we would grasp ALL the dimensions (length, height, depth) of the love of the Holy Spirit-His Anointing that is WITHIN us!!! And the more we allow the Holy Spirit to reveal it to us, the more that is activated within us!!! What we don’t know, we won’t have. What we have revelation about is what we will have! 2 Timothy 1:7 - “7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” John 14:26-27 - “But the Advocate, the Helper, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My Name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” 1 Corinthians. 2:3-16 - “3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. 6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit Who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. We have the mind of the Anointing. We have the mind of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 6:11 - “…But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” John 14:16 - “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—” This is another very important verse to those who have thought you can loose your salvation. If you have thought that, read John 14:16 again. And put it with other scriptures like: John 10:28-30; Ephesians 1:13; & 2 Corinthians 1:20-22, listed below. Out of 2 or 3 witnesses let every Word be established: “28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are One.” “When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,” “20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He Anointed us, 22 set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” If you still don’t believe that salvation is eternal, you need to allow the Holy Spirit to show you in way you can receive it. God’s promises are “yes” and “amen”. You will either believe what He has said, or you won’t. Not believing something God has clearly stated will make your life miserable. “Choose you this day Life or death; blessing or cursing.” What will you choose? John 6:63 - “It is the Spirit Who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The Words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 - “17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 12:13 - “For we were all baptized by One Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the One Spirit to drink.” John 4:14 - “but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Philippians 1:19 - Supply of the Spirit - "19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,” We serve God by His Spirit, Philippians 3:3 - “3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—“ 2 Timothy 1:13-14 Keep the Word which is in you by the Holy Spirit - “13 Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 By the Holy Spirit Who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.” 2 Corinthians 3:17 - “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” John 10:30 - “30 I and the Father are one.” 1 John 4:6 - “We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of falsehood.” Titus 3:5-7 - “5 He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope (absolute expectancy) of eternal life.” Galatians 5:4-6 - ‘4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Galatians 5:17 - “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.” 2 Corinthians 3:17 - “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” John 6:63 - “It is the Spirit Who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The Words that I speak to you are Spirit, and they are Life.” Matthew 12:28 - “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Ephesians 1:13 - “In Him you also, when you heard the Word of Truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,” Acts 4:31 - “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the Word of God with boldness.” Matthew 28:19 - “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” Mark 12:36 - “David himself said in the Holy Spirit, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Until I put Your enemies beneath Your feet.”’ Mark 13:11 - “When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit.” John 15:26 - ““When the Helper comes, Whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,” The word: "proceed" - means to come from the source. Romans 8:9 - “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.” 1 John 4:1-2 - “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,” 1 Corinthians 2 “1 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. God’s Wisdom Revealed by the Spirit 6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love Him— 10 these are the things God has revealed to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. Romans 8 - ESV 1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Heirs with Christ 12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. Future Glory 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. 26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified. *(If this gives rise to questions for you read the article on “God’s Calling.” God’s seed He foreknew and wrote our names in the Lamb’s Book of Life, we are who He has called, justified by the Blood of Jesus, and will glorify upon death and resurrection.) God’s Everlasting Love 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He Who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God Who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the One Who died—more than that, Who was raised—Who is at the right hand of God, Who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For Your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Spiritual Warfare, Rules of engagement, is there a right way to do it, is there a wrong way to do it, Jesus is my savior, cross, Authority over all the power of the enemy including fallen angels and nephilim What is Spiritual Warfare What is Spiritual Warfare - (for PDF click link) PDF TABLE OF CONTENTS: 1. What is Spiritual Warfare 2. Authority 3. Recognize the enemy 4. As the Lord leads you 5. Motivation 6. The “How” and Scriptures 7. How you can tell the demonic is involved 8. Deliverance - prayers in this section cover entirety of deliverance including dreams 9. Basics prayers in dealing with attacks 10. Demons listed in Scripture 1. What is Spiritual Warfare Ephesians 6:12 - “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” ALWAYS PRAY ABOUT ALL THESE THINGS before you launch a Spiritual attack in prayer. You need to get the Lord’s battle plan first because the situation may not be how it seems. To get started - first - don’t go out and look for a fight. Spiritually speaking. You can get in serious trouble. Spiritual warfare is not a singled out ministry. Meaning, ministries that solely focus on spiritual warfare are not part of the 5-fold ministry giftings according to scripture, which are: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Ephesians 4:11-13 states, “11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying (building up) of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect (mature) person, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him Who is the Head—Christ— 16 from Whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the Body for the edifying of itself in love.” No where in that scripture or in 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14 does the Word speak of spiritual warfare as a ministry. However, it is a part of every believer’s life. We live in a sin-fallen world, with the devil and his bunch roaming and seeking whom they can devour - 1 Peter 5:8 . And we know the devil’s devices - 2 Corinthians 2:11 . I know some may ask, “What about John Ramirez?”. I’m glad you asked. He is an evangelist and teacher first! And teaches on Spiritual Authority. Thank God!!! The Body of Christ needs it because so little has been taught about it. And when “young” in the faith believers or unsaved have questions about this kind of stuff, most Christians don’t have the answers because it hasn’t been taught. Consequently, they go to the new age “world” to try to get answers. This always leads to more spiritual problems. I speak from personal experience and part of the result I had was a massive stroke in 1995. * In Mark 16:17-18 we are given by our Lord Jesus Christ the great commission: 17“And these signs shall follow them that believe: In My Name they shall cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues. 18They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” In order to do these things as the Lord leads - always - it is important to REMEMBER, JESUS did not go out on His own and do this. He spent entire evenings in prayer prior and then did what our God and Father Jehovah told Him to do. And You must know the Authority that Jesus gave you and how to use it in spiritual warfare. Always refresh what you know by looking at the Scriptures in the Gospels with how Jesus handled it. Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom in all things, and especially in this subject. The Holy Spirit will show you - and we “judge” it by assessing our joy level and peace. No joy or peace - stay out of it. I say this because dealing with spiritual stuff can get weird… fast. You can’t operate in it successfully without following the promptings of the Holy Spirit. * 2. Authority Luke 10:17-20 - “17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your Name!’ 18 And He said to them, ‘I saw satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you Authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over ALL the power of the enemy, and NOTHING shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” The demons are subject to us in His Name - Jesus’ Name!! “Demons” are the offspring of the fallen angels that do not have bodies because of the flood - the nephilim! (First Enoch and Genesis 6-9 .) I don’t care how fierce and big they are, 7 feet, 12 feet, 30 feet, or 200 feet. Who cares. Jesus gave us Authority. This is all evil spirits! Including the devil! Jesus said we have Authority over ALL of them! And we have Authority over ALL the power of the enemy (including their witchcraft and all of their actual weapons) - including the fallen angels no matter how grotesque or beautiful they look. This includes “aliens” (demonic hybrids), monsters (are also hybrids), and all giants (nephilim). Jesus has already beat them all, they are under His feet and we stand in the victory that He has already won! Greater is He that is in us than he who is in the world! (1 John 4. ) In Colossians 2:15 - "Then Jesus made a public spectacle of all the powers and principalities of darkness, stripping away from them every weapon and all their spiritual authority and power to accuse us. And by the power of the cross, Jesus led them around as prisoners in a procession of triumph. He was not their prisoner, they were His!" This is a part of what Jesus died for on the Cross! To give us Authority over the devil. In 1 John 3:8 He came to destroy the works of the devil. And in Genesis 1:26,28 God the Father gave us Authority over every creature that moves upon the earth. God didn’t say only the creatures we can see. And God said to have dominion (Authority) and to subdue! Dominion means: to tread down, subjugate, to crumble off. Subdue means: assault; brought them into subjection; forced into bondage; forcing; trample; tread under foot. When you take Authority over the devil you are “forcing” him into submission to the Word of God by using the Name of Jesus and standing in what Christ Jesus has already done and what He says is yours! Because you are redeemed from the curse of the law! Galatians 3:13-14. But sometimes you have to stand for the victory in a battle. The victory is already won by Christ Jesus! So STAND in what He has given you. 1 John 4:4 & 5:4-5 - “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world;…For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith. Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” Hallelujah!!! God Almighty spoke of Spiritual Authority! Genesis 1:26, 28 is one of the scriptures Jesus Christ stood on to cast out devils and heal the sick! Everything Jesus did was based on scripture!! He had to do it that way, otherwise if He operated according to His personal Authority as the Son of God, then we couldn’t operate that way. Christ Jesus had to operate within the confines that we operate in, He did this so we can operate the same way as Jesus did!! And not put up with the devil’s mess. Christ Jesus showed us how! In fact, even His Name, “Christ Jesus” means the Anointed Jesus. The Anointing removes burdens and destroys yokes! Isaiah 10:27 KJV. Burdens and yokes of bondage, illness, demons, lack, and so on. He operated in the Anointing of God, which is how we operate - Colossians 1:27 “To them (us) God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Praise God! We have that Anointing WHICH IS the Holy Spirit, within us! Jesus was baptized and received the Holy Spirit and spoke about what that Anointing was to do in Luke 4:18-19 - to preach to the poor (in spirit, soul, and body - wherever the poverty has shown itself), to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance, and healing, and to set us free! And as 1 John 2:20,27 says the Holy Spirit is the Anointing and it/He Teaches us. The Holy Spirit is called our Teacher! John 14:26 and 16:13 . We have the very same Anointing Who is the Holy Spirit that Jesus has! The Spirit of God Himself!!! The devil and his mess is under our feet because of what Jesus did, and we are the Body of Christ but it doesn’t mean he won’t try to get out from under our foot. That’s what scoundrels do. The 2 ways the enemy gets involved in someone’s life: either the person opens a “doorway” through sin by things they say, watch, or do; or it is the time for a test like Abraham with the sacrifice of Isaac, Hebrews 11:17-18 - “By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He (Abraham) who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham had to “see” in the Spirit that God would raise his son from the dead in order to make the promise that God spoke come to pass. It was this vision that God gave Abraham that was the root, the seed, that caused Jesus to be raised from the dead! This test was vital to God’s plan of Redemption! There is always a reason for the test. Zechariah 13:9 ESV - “And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon My Name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’” John 6:6 NLT - “He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.” In Berean Literal in James 1:3 - “knowing that testing of your faith produces endurance.” You can read more on Authority by reading the article: Taking Authority. * 3. Recognize the enemy As Ephesians 6:12 states there is a spiritual hierarchy. It’s like the military. There are different ranks and files; and there are “gangs” or “special op’s” teams, so to speak. One is in charge - a strongman, who is a “power” as Ephesians 6:12 mentions - while there are others in operation underneath that leader. Many times you may only have to deal with “strongman”. When you take out the strongman, all those in his team are cast out too. Look at Matthew 12:29 ESV - “Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.” A strong man is a “power”. Ephesians 6:12 - principality, power… Powers are to be “bound” as we see Christ Jesus stating in Matthew 12:29. When you bind the strong man, all of its cohorts cannot do a thing. There are other times, in fact many times, of dealing with specific spirits. Depending on the situation you may have to deal with the particular spirit only; other times you will also have to deal with the strongman. Follow the Holy Spirit’s leading. * 4. As the Lord leads you Joshua 7-8 (I recommend you read it to build your faith), Joshua went into battle BEFORE he got the strategy from the Lord. This caused 36 of his warriors to die and Joshua’s army of 3,000 lost face in the battle. When he saw what happened, he pulled away and got before the Lord, asked for forgiveness, and asked what the Lord wanted to do. (This is the basic of all prayer. Be humble. Ask for forgiveness. Then ask the Lord what to do.) Consequently, in chapter 8 we see that Joshua and his army, through Almighty God, defeat the army of giants at Ai. WHENEVER you know there is something that has to be dealt with spiritually ALWAYS get God’s battle plan for it, before you jump in. Always ask for forgiveness if you’ve opened any doorways through sin; close the doors in Jesus Name; and cut the cords to the sin in the Name of Jesus and burn them up with the Fire of the Holy Spirit. God is a consuming fire! Hebrews 12:29 . People can get hurt if this isn’t handled correctly in prayer first. Ask the Lord how He wants to deal with the situation. It’s about strategy. Not flying off the handle simply because you know what the Scriptures say. There may be a particular way the Lord wants it fought. The strategy of the Lord is key. Case in point, Acts 16:16-18 ESV - “16 As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18 And this she kept doing this for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the Name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.” Paul didn’t cast out the demon immediately. He waited. We don’t know exactly what happened according to Scripture but by the statement, “Paul, having become greatly annoyed…” is likely the Holy Spirit within him had enough. And it was after “many days” of the same behavior. It was very likely Paul had been praying about it before he acted by leading of the Holy Spirit. Notice when he cast it out of the young woman it didn’t leave immediately. It came out that very hour. When you cast a demon out the result may not be evident right away. Don’t let that sway you. Once you’ve cast it out, move on. Don’t keep repeating the prayer. That shows you don’t believe and then the demon will start to argue with you. Don’t play that game. Even if it writhes and throws the person around, move on to something else. It's trying to make you back down. The Word was spoken, it’s done. * 5. Motivation Every person is motivated by one of three persons: God; devil (any in the demonic realm); or themselves. When you are in a situation that doesn’t “set right” within you, pay attention! The Holy Spirit is letting you know something is up. Don’t make a move until you “know”. Ask Him what you need to do. Much of the time it may be binding the demon that is motivating that person while you are around them, so that it cannot be in operation while you are there. Other times it may be you need to completely disassociate from that person; maybe it is to cast it out. Whatever is needed the Lord will show you. Be aware that you don’t want to be casting a demon out of someone unless the Lord tells you to, or you have a direct leading from the Holy Spirit to do so. Sounds weird but sometimes people like what is happening. They are comfortable with it. And if you do cast it out their latter position will be worse than their former as Matthew 12:43-45 says, 43 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.” The person of whom you are casting the demon out of may do things to invite it in again with its 7 other spirits who are worse. Be sure the person receives Jesus Christ in their heart and makes Him Lord. This way the demon can’t get back into their spirit. BUT…NOW PAY ATTENTION TO THIS…THIS COMES FROM EXPERIENCE: when a person is saved they can still have a demon in their flesh or attached to their soul! It cannot be in their spirit because the Holy Spirit is there, BUT it can be in their flesh or attached to their mind, will-power, emotions, and/or personality. Yes, this can happen. I have personally experienced it and underwent my own deliverance. And I used to think there was no way a believer in Jesus could have one, or many. Little did I know that one was one of the spirits I had to get rid of in the Name of Jesus. It’s the spirit of pride. This can happen. It’s called “demonization”. They can attach to your thoughts. Create behavior patterns. Make life miserable. So if the Lord tells you to cast a devil out of yourself, do it. Or if the Lord tells you to cast a devil out of someone else be sure they get saved if they are not. At least it won’t return to their spirit. Their spirit will be in union with God, with the Holy Spirit, Who cleanses it and makes them brand new on the inside, spiritually. Keeping any from returning requires cutting cords to the sin that allowed it in, burning it up with the Fire of God and staying away from the sinful behavior by renewing your mind with the Word of God. (See article: Taking Scripture Personally.) * 6. The “How” and Scriptures Much of the time “binding” is what needs to be done. Matthew 18:18 - “18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” When the Lord leads you to bind a demon that’s influencing someone or a situation, what happens in the realm of the spirit is you are literally arresting it in the Name of Jesus. It is tied up and cannot move. It’s tied up spiritually, It doesn’t usually talk either. Unless it “sees” you waiver. Then you can tell it to “be quiet” in the Name of Jesus. Sometimes they do try to talk initially before you even speak, to get you distracted. Tell them to be quiet in the Name of Jesus and then take care of business. Much of the time if I’m going into a situation meeting with people or family who I know are demonized, before we meet I pray and bind those demons in Jesus Name for as long as I am with those people. It makes things go much more smoothly. I also ask the Holy Spirit to reveal Himself to the people in any way He needs to. Super important to pray over situations, like job interviews, meetings with family members, going on vacations, any type of thing where you want to inhibit the devil’s actions. Now this doesn’t need to be done all the time. ONLY do it if the Lord is leading you!!! I say this from the point of understanding “who” you are in Christ Jesus and what He has done for you. If you’re not aware of Psalm 121 that you are always under God’s protection, when your relationship is right with Him, then you will struggle with this and be praying about these things 24/7. Psalm 121 - “1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot slip—He who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand;6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—He will watch over your life; 8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” If you’re taking Authority over everything everyday that’s exhausting. It means your faith is weak and you don’t know what’s yours. Every place you set your foot you have dominion (Joshua 1; 1John 4:4 ). If this is an area of difficulty for you spend time in Scriptures about how much He loves you. Read the articles on the The Depth of the Crucifixion ; God is Love and So Are You ; Taking Authority , and anything else the Holy Spirit leads you to do. You judge what the Lord is leading you to by whether or not you have joy and peace. That’s how you judge it. There are other ways to pray over situations and speak the Word of God over them to change how they operate, like praying Colossians 4:3-4 - “…that God may open to us a door for the Word, to declare the mystery of Christ…that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.” Always go to God first, and see how He wants it handled. It’s not always casting out demons, binding and/or loosening. Sometimes it is simply speaking the Word of God over situations. Next part of Matthew 18:18 is to “loose” a demon. Take a look at Psalm 10:10 AMP - “he crushes [his prey] and crouches; And the unfortunate fall by his mighty claws.” And another in Psalm 22:20 in AMP and in the Aramaic - “Rescue my life from the sword, My only life from the paw of the dog (the executioner)” AND “And save my soul from the sword, and also My Only One from the hand of dogs!” In Genesis 15:11 where Abraham had to shoe-away the vultures…which have claws. Some demons have claws. With them they pierce into a person. This happens often with illness, where the infirmity is lodged. The spirit of infirmity has its claws in the region of the problem and it needs to be loosed in Jesus Name. Loosing can also be done from cords of a demon - a bondage for the person - they have been wrapped in cords, or we would say ropes. Sometimes it shows physically like being bent over - Luke 13:16 . Any bondage is preventing the person from being free. See Psalm 140:5 . They need to be loosed from the evil spirit and all cords cut. Many times this goes with generational curses/family curses - these are things that repeat in a family line. Repent of the sins of your forefathers and foremothers, cancel out all oaths and contracts, and cancel all family curses in Jesus Name, and sever all cords to the sin and curse; and burn them up with the Fire of God. Taking Authority in the Name of Jesus is not allowing the devil to have his way in situations and in your life. Whether the Lord leads you to bind, or to loosen, or break family curses, or the Lord may have you cast the devil(s) into outer darkness to await their judgment - Jude 1:6 ; He may even have you forbid them to ever return. All is shown in scripture. Whatever God gives you to do, do. * 7. How you can tell the demonic is involved Manipulation Control Intimidation Isolation Soul Ties - occur with friendships and romantic relationships, ties that bind. You “can’t” stop thinking of the person. Fear Confusion Loss of Personal Identity Sickness Prophetic Divination Spell Casting Divination Negative Herbal Practices - (ingredients for spells) Sacrifices and Rituals Singing and Dancing to Generate Energy (think of Astroworld concert; or the movie Matrix in the Zion cave scene.) Curses Satanic Healing Cults and realms of occult Conversion of people into animals Lying and Deception Every geographical region has a Strongman. It is a “power”. 8. Deliverance - prayers in this section cover entirety of deliverance including dreams Conditions Necessary For Deliverance To Take Place. You or the person must be ready to be delivered: To get delivered, you must be ready to send out everything that is not of God out of you; and let go of every unclean thing. Prayer and fasting: Pray and fast to receive breakthroughs and deliverance. Faith: Know that you are getting your deliverance. Abstinence from sin: Stay away from all forms of sin and anything that can re-invite the casted out. Good relationship with God: Maintain a good relationship with God, pray and serve God to continually be in His presence and shelter. Recognize that there is a demonic activity or an open door. Repent of any known sins. Renounce all contact with the devil and the occult, and any contracts made, known or unknown. Remove any demonic objects from your house. Relinquish unforgiveness and bitterness. Release yourself of it in the Name of Jesus & sever all cords. Resist the devil who will seek to gain control again. Replace whatever the Lord has delivered you from with God's Word. Renew your mind in your new identity in Christ. Remain rooted in the local church and/or a small group. You always need the fellowship of other believers who can help keep you on track. *Deliverance prayers can also involve “cages”. These are the same as any yoke of bondage. They hold you as prisoner to the behavior. You can break it with the Name of Jesus and His Blood of which are holy and Anointed AND YOU WEAR THEM, you are a child of the King! The Anointing removes the yoke! You have simply submitted to the wiles of the devil. Stop him from making your life miserable. And as you are praying deliverance prayers it is common to feel sick, like you have to throw up. Do it! It is a part of the demon leaving your body. * 9. Basics prayers in dealing with attacks *You can also use the numbered items above listed in Deliverance for all of the prayers here, below. However, there are particular things listed in the situation below and with it the prayer for each one. Again, see how the Lord leads you with this. Often the demonic realm shows up in dreams. When you know what is happening you can take immediate Authority over it in the Name of Jesus. And close all open doorways, like what you are exposing yourself to, either what you watch or read, what your listening to including music, and what you speak, or items in your house that may have demonic ties that need to be gotten rid of. The Lord will lead you. A basic tactic each night before bedtime is to loose all the fiery darts of the enemy (Ephesians 6:16) from you, and the entirety your life and household in Jesus Name, and wipe clean all residue of them with the Blood of Jesus. PRAYER : "I loose all the fiery darts and arrows the enemy has thrown at me and my family. Holy Spirit, I ask You to cleanse all the residue from those darts and arrows from our bodies and minds; and seal us in the Blood of Jesus. And I thank You for it. In Jesus Name I loose all the attacks from the enemy not only in our bodies but our souls: our minds, our wills emotions, and personalities; purging all the areas in us that have been affected by these attacks. And I seal our bodies and souls in the Blood of Jesus and by The All Powerful Name of Jesus. He has borne everything for us so we don’t have to. I thank You Lord Jesus for Your great gift! I ask You to send forth Your Holy Spirit Fire to purge all our property and everything that belongs to us and clean us of all residue, and seal it in the Blood of Jesus by the Authority of the Name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savour. I thank You Lord, that the Angel of The Lord surrounds about us and keeps us from every evil way, no evil shall befall us, no plague or calamity will come near our dwelling. I thank You that we have sweet sleep. In the Name of Jesus I pray.” (Psalm 34:7 ; Psalm 91:10 & Proverbs 3:24 . ) When you have dreams with water - like in the sea, or lake, etc, or filling up in your house, etc: This means the marine kingdom has its hold on you. It’s a part of the demonic realm and is all throughout Scripture like Psalm 74 & 77:16; Ezekiel 27:33-34; and Jeremiah 5:22 ESV- “Do you not fear me? declares the LORD. Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it.” And the planet has much water besides oceans, seas, lakes, rivers. It’s in the air we breathe. It’s the largest of the realms. The heavenly realms that surround our planet like our atmosphere are not as large as this one. Interesting note…Revelation 21:1 -on the new earth there is no sea. And when you are having dreams of this nature there is some sort of doorway that was created for this devilish realm to operate in your life. PRAYER : “Father God, please forgive me of opening doorways to the enemy. I close those doors and cut all cords in Jesus Name. Holy Spirit cleanse me with your fire and burn up the cords and I pull out all darts of the wicked. And I receive all of this in Jesus Name. I renounce all contact with the devil and all contracts I made known and unknown (which can come easily by “agreement” with someone.) I cancel them out with the Blood of Jesus. I renew my life and commitment to You, Lord Jesus. I release forgiveness in Jesus Name and refuse to be offended. Holy Spirit help me with this so I never open up another doorway to this realm, in Jesus Mighty Name I pray.” When you have sexual dreams, this means you have a spirit spouse. Pray the prayers above under “Deliverance”. Also need to renounce the marriage and cancel it out in the Name of Jesus. These types of things always occur if you look at porn or are involved in homosexuality; or have been raped or molested. If this was the opening to cause the situation there may be other parts to the deliverance prayer, like casting out the spirit of addiction, spirit of masturbation, spirit of lust, and spirit of harlotry, spirit of Ishtar and others. PRAYER : “Lord Jesus, forgive me for opening the door to a spirit spouse and wash me clean with Your precious Blood. I cast out all spirit spouse(s) and cancel the marriage I ignorantly got into. I cast out the spirits of lust, lasciviousness, homosexuality, addiction, bondage, masturbation, harlotry, Ishtar, and all others, in the Name of Jesus, and I bind the strongman in this region from ever coming against me. I include the spirit of unforgiveness. I release forgiveness now for the perpetrators, in Jesus Name, and refuse to hold on to it. Holy Spirit help me. Show me what else needs to be done. I cut all cords to this in Jesus Name and burn them up with Your mighty Fire, in the Name of Jesus. I break all cages of the demonic realm that attempted to keep me in bondage. I break them with the Name of Jesus and His precious Blood. I thank You for the deliverance that You paid for me. Thank You, Jesus!” Now after this prayer you may feel nausea. You may need to throw up. Do it. It’s a means of getting rid of the spirits that had attached onto your body. Dreams where you are fed food. This has to do with a witchcraft curse. In the dream realm the food is poisoned and will show in this natural realm as odd and undiagnosable illness. PRAYER : According to Ezekiel 17:7-10 , and In the Name of Jesus, I completely and fully destroy all wickedness that is over my life from high places, in the Name of Jesus. I destroy all evil dominion. I bind the strongman. I break poverty and unemployment. I break misery. I break every curse, hex, vex (anything that is demonically plaguing or vexing you), spell, enchantments, and all voodoo over my life through demonic and satanic dedications and agreements, in the Name of Jesus. I let the Blood of Jesus destroy every satanic dedication and agreement that came through practices whether religious or worldly involvements wrapped in satanic influence. I break and destroy the cords that are wrapped around me, in Jesus Name. Loose me now, in Jesus Name! And I cancel all evil dedications in Jesus Name. I give notice to all demons associated with any evil dedications, known and unknown, and agreement that I once entered into or someone else dedicated me: I hereby break every contract and every legal right formerly associated with those dedications and agreements, in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ. And by the Blood of Jesus that covers me, I cancel my connection to every demon that vexed or cursed me, hexed, vex, charm, enchantment, or voodoo, and such like; that brought frustrations, hindrances, delays, or blockages; that involved me in associations of practices, devotion, or allegiance; that accepted loyalty promised by any family member on my behalf; or that was part of any friendship that invited me or that I accepted, surrendering myself to the dark and demonic forces. They are severed today, the cords are burned up with the Mighty Fire of God in Jesus Name. I curse all evil dedications, agreements, evil ordinations, demonic ceremony dedication, demonic prayers, known and unknown, and all legal rights - whether it was for me, a family member on either side of my bloodline, or any brother of sister in the Body of Christ. I break, destroy, and curse them to the root, and uproot any evil mystical alignments in the Mighty Name of Jesus . Let them burn up and die by the Fire of God, in the Name of Jesus." Dreams with wolves/dogs/birds like vultures or owls: you are under an assigned attack. Wolves/dogs/birds represent demons that have been assigned to attack you. PRAYER : “In the Mighty Name of Jesus, I cancel all demonic assignments on me in Jesus Name. I cut all cords of the demonic realm that have been wrapped upon me and I bind the strongman in Jesus Name. I put you on notice in the Name of Jesus, you cannot touch me in Jesus Name and I’m covered in His Blood.” Flying - note: not all flying dreams are demonic, always pray about it and see how the Lord leads. When it is demonic it means some sort of curse and you are being pulled out of your body and taken somewhere during sleep. PRAYER : “In the Mighty Name of Jesus, I break all curses that are assigned against me. All assignments against me I cancel out, in Jesus Name. Holy Spirit let me know if there is anything in which I created the curse or assignment. Forgive me if I’ve made any evil allegiances or assignments in Jesus Name and wash me clean from all residue and burn all cords with the Blood of Jesus.” Plane crash, can also be flying upside-down and on fire: means a very huge test or attack is coming to you and your family. You can’t always stop it. It’s may be a test but you know how to use your faith and have the Lord lead you through each step. Stay in prayer with the Lord until you know which it is, either a test or an attack. Then pray accordingly as listed above for attacks; or if it’s a test the Lord will tell you what scriptures to stand on for you and your family. * 10. Demons listed in Scripture If you notice one of these spirits is plaguing you, ask for forgiveness of the sin that opened the door, cancel its assignment and cast it off you, in Jesus Name. You may need to loose it. And cut all cords. See how the Lord leads. 1. The Spirit of Fear - 2 Timothy 1:17 The spirit of fear is a demon that overwhelms people with anxieties, such as the fear of failure, death, or isolation. This demon can restrict believers from realizing God’s full plans for them. 2. The Spirit of Death - John 10:10; Exodus 12:23 This spirit manifests through constant thoughts of suicide, murder, self-mutilation, abnormal grief, and convulsions. 3. The Spirit of Harlotry or Lust - Hosea 5:4 Behind acts like adultery, fornication, pornography, homosexuality, and prostitution is often the spirit of lust. Associated with rape and molestation. 4. The Spirit of Bondage or Addiction - Romans 8:15 The spirit of bondage drives addictions. While some habits can be formed naturally, this spirit further entrenches them so that the behavior is forced on you by the spirit. “You can’t help yourself” is the common phrase used. 5. The Spirit of Infirmity - Luke 13:11 While not every sickness is caused by a demon, many sicknesses are caused by one, and thus, they should be addressed both spiritually and physically. 6. The Spirit of Pride - Proverbs 16:18 Pride is not just an emotion; it can be a spirit causing arrogance, revenge, rebellion, a lust for power, cruelty, vainglory, and jealousy. 7. The Spirit of the World - 1 Corinthians 2:12 In Scripture this one is likened to the Holy Spirit. Which means it’s a big one in the kingdom of darkness. 8. Spirit of Error/Deception - 1 John 4:6 This one works with python spirit/spirit of divination. 9. The Spirit of Python or Divination - Acts 16:16 (same as Leviathan - Psalm 18:8; 74:13-14; Isaiah 27:1; Job 3:8, and chapter 41 ) This spirit's main assignment is to deceive. It is also in fortune tellers, false prophets, tarot readers, palm readers, and other “main stream” occult practices - the person is hearing from this spirit. They can also put spirits on assignment to seek out people who they can attach cords to, because the person gives ear to them, or agreement with them. Can operate through cults like Free Masonry, Mormonism, Scientology, New Age, and Jehovah’s Witness. The main thing to be aware of if your in dealing with someone involved in this, or when you know this one is around by being involved with the above: communication is always altered and misconstrued; and deception is the primary motive and all the ways deception comes about like double speak - saying one thing then saying something opposing; creating division in yourself which causes confusion, and creating division in groupings of people, family, workers, friends. A kingdom divided against itself will fall. **The Following is Only a Brief Excerpt from John Eckhardt’s Book: Demon Hit List. The title in all bold font is the strongman. The others listed with it are the demons that work in it’s grouping. You don’t always need to the names of the spirit. But if the Lord is leading you regarding a certain situation, this may be of help: ABANDONMENT: Rejection, forsaken (Isaiah 54:6 - “grieved in spirit), deserted, cast away, neglect, orphan, hurt, deep hurt, widow, orphan, unloved, outcast, unwanted, loneliness, isolation. Operates in widows/widowers, orphans, and adopted children, making them feel abandoned by loved ones. ABORTION: Molech (Leviticus 20:1-5), spirits of Ammon (Amos 1:13), miscarriage, murder, premature termination of fetus. Works with adultery, death, destruction, and hatred of children. ABUSE: Offense, mistreatment, torment, criticism, cursing, exploitation, perversion, hurt; sexual abuse (rape, incest, molestation); mental abuse (mind control, domination); physical abuse (beaten, bruised, cruelty); religious abuse (legalism, control, guilt, shame, cults); emotional abuse (hurt, deep hurt, wounds); doormat (makes others walk all over a person); unforgiveness, bitterness, hatred (of abuser), anger, resentment, fear (of hurt, of being abused), memory recall. Break curses of abuse and cast out related spirits of abuse. ACCIDENT: Spirits causing casualty, disaster, calamity, injury, catastrophe, mishap, misfortune, trauma. Often operates through a curse. ACCUSATION: satan (accuser, slanderer), diabolos, accuser of the brethren (spirits that work through believers to accuse one another), slander, suspicion, schizophrenia, betrayal, jealously, envy. Paranoia, faultfinding, bitterness, hatred, finger-pointing, judging, false accusation. ADDICTION: Compulsion, obsession, alcohol, drugs (illegals and prescription), nicotine, caffeine, sugar, exercise, spendthrift, food, craving. Addiction spirits lodge in the appetite, stomach, mouth, throat, taste buds, and nose. They enter through rejection and inheritance. ADULTERY: Lust, fornication, unfaithfulness, promiscuity, immorality, lying, deception, harlotry, whoredom, extramarital affair, infidelity, deception, carnality, backsliding. Lodges in the eyes (2 Peter 2:14); works with Jezebel (Revelation 2:20). Destruction (Proverbs 6:32), wounds, dishonor, reproach, shame, a marriage-breaking spirit. Operates through curses of lust and adultery. ALCOHOLISM: Bacchus (god of drunkenness), drunkenness, addiction and craving for alcohol; delirium tremens, intemperance, intoxication. Works with pride (Isaiah 28), rejection, poverty (Proverbs 23:21), wounds, hurt, bruises, bruises, sorrow, contention, lust, perversion, insomnia, violence (Proverbs 23:29-35), rage, mockery (Proverbs 20:1), escape. Break all curses of alcohol and addiction. ALLERGIES: Asthma, hay fever, respiratory problems, bronchitis; spirits operating in the sinuses and lungs. Works through curses of infirmity and inheritance. ANGER: Animosity, choler, fury, gall, hatred, rage, resentment, temper, indignation, wrath (gives place to the devil: Ephesians 4:26-27); violence, murder, cruelty (Genesis 49:6), bitterness, unforgiveness, retaliation, spite, revenge, outrage, hostility, enmity, foolishness. Command anger to come out of the bosom (Ecclesiastes 7:9). ANGUISH: Suffering, torment, pain, agony, distress, affliction, heartache, grief, misery, sorrow, torture, grief, anxiety, cruelty, bondage (Exodus 6:9), dire straits. ANIMOSITY: Hostility, enmity, contention, hatred, anger, strife, resentment, revenge, retaliation, spite, gall. ANTI-SEMITISM: Hatred of jews, bigotry, prejudice, Ishmael, Nazi. ANTI-SUBMISSIVE: Stubbornness, rebellion, disobedience, self-will, pride. ANXIETY: Worry, apprehension, dread, fear, nervousness, panic, restlessness, uneasiness, tension, fretfulness. APPETITE: Spirits operation in the appetite include addition, gluttony, lust for food, eating disorders, anorexia nervosa, bulimia, starvation, loss of appetite. ARGUMENTATIVE: Debate, dispute, contention, strife, quarrelsome, discord, disagreement. ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT: Spirits that hinder form growing into adulthood: immaturity, hindrance, blockage, obstruction of the personality, foolishness, infantile, juvenile, adolescent; bound and blocked personality. (Common with family curses; and in special needs children.) ARROGANCE: Rahab (Pslam 89:10), Leviathan (Job 41), pride, insolence, conceit, disdain, ego, haughtiness, high mindedness, loftiness, self-love, self-importance, vanity, presumption, scorn, overbearing pride, pretension, exaggerated opinion of oneself. ARTHRITIS: Enters through unforgiveness and inheritance; pain and torment. ASTHMA: Allergies, respiratory problems. BACKLASH: demons retaliate and attack those who attack and destroy satan’s kingdom. This is called backlash, reaction, repercussion, resentment, resistance, response, and retaliation. BARRENNESS: Fruitless, unproductive, unrewarding, vain, useless, sterility, impotence. Barrenness is the result of a curse. Barren spirits can operate in the womb causing infertility in woman. BETRAYAL: Deception, dishonesty, treachery, Judas Iscariot, treason, sedition, disloyalty, hypocrisy, jealousy, cruelty, rebellion, mutiny. BIBLE: Spirits that block and hinder people from reading and understanding the Bible; debate (makes people argue the Bible); closed Bible (“I won’t let him learn”); logos (“I misquote the Bible”); spiritual blindness; tiredness (while reading the Bible); confusion (while reading the Bible); lawyers (spirits who study Scriptures for the purpose of argument and debate; hatred of the Bible, fear of the Bible, unbelief (“I don’t believe the Bible”); no understanding, no revelation, darkness, veil (2 Corinthians 3:15); boredom (while reading the Word); wrestling and twisting the Word (2 Peter 3:16); dogmatic (teaching and preaching of the Word); tradition (making the Word of no effect; Mark 7:13). BITTERNESS: Unforgiveness, resentment, revenge, retaliation, root of bitterness (Hebrews 12:15), hidden bitterness, gall, wormwood, poisonous root, hard bondage (Exodus 1:14), complaining, murmuring, backbiting, envy, strife (James 3:14), wrath, anger (Ephesians 4:31), cursing (Romans 3:14), jealousy. Opens the door for sickness and infirmity. BLINDNESS: Natural and spiritual, darkness, groping, veiled, lacking vision, hidden, covered, cataracts (natural and spiritual), hardness of heart, spiritual dullness, undiscerning, ignorance, deception, Pharisee. Many religious spirits operate to keep people in the dark concerning the truth and spiritual things. BONDAGE: Slavery, servitude, subjection, yokes, chains, shackles, fetters, captivity. BURDENS: Heaviness, heavy burdens, anxiety, albatross, hindrance, load, sorrow, stress, care, false burdens, guilt, oppression. CARNALITY: fleshly, earthly; lewdness, sensuality, worldliness, lust, lasciviousness, immorality,; strife, envy, division (1 Corinthians 3:3). CONDEMNATION: Guilt, accusation, blame, judgment, legalism, Pharisee, religious control, false doctrine, salvation by works, false holiness. CONFUSION: Disorientation, chaos, mind control, befuddlement, Babel (Genesis 11), idolatry (Isaiah 41:29), sexual perversion (Leviticus 18:23), schizophrenia, insanity, madness, envy, strife (James 3:16), frustration, incoherence, forgetfulness, mix up, tailspin (“I confuse her thoroughly”), puzzle (“I mix him up”). CONTROL: Possessiveness, dominance, witchcraft, Jezebel, Ahab, matriarchal spirits, religious control, control from the pastor, denominational control, mind control, manipulation, intimidation, fear. CURSES: Ancestral and generational curses, the result of the sins of the fathers; curses of death and destruction, sickness and infirmity, lust and perversion, incest, rape, mental illness, schizophrenia, poverty, witchcraft, idolatry, destruction of the family priesthood, Ahab and Jezebel, rejection. Signs of curses include: 1. Mental and or emotional breakdown; 2. Repeated or chronic sicknesses (especially hereditary); 3. Barrenness, a tendency to miscarry, or related female problems; 4. Breakdown of marriage, family alienation; 5. Continuing financial insufficiency; 6. Being accident-prone; 7. A history of suicides and unnatural or untimely deaths (from Blessing or Curse by Derek Prince); 8. Abuse and mistreatment from other people; 9. Vagabondism and a wandering lifestyle. Evil, misfortune, calamity, trouble, plague, affliction, torment, harm, vexation, jinx. CURSING: Blasphemy, coarse jesting, gossip, criticism, backbiting, mockery, belittling, railing, profanity, abuse, swearing, bitterness, hatred, anger, pride. DEATH: Termination, premature death through accidents, heart attacks, strokes, cancer, sickness and disease, murder, abortion. Operates through curses of death and destruction, angel of death, Grim Reaper, black horse, king of terrors, rigor mortis, murder, deathblow, Molech, suicide, fatality, lethal. Works with hell (Revelation 20:13-14). DESTRUCTION: Ruin, devastation, calamity. Works with pride (Proverbs 16:18), poverty (Proverbs 10:15), death (Job 28:22), misery (Romans 3:16). Also operates through generational curses (Lamentations 3:64-66.) DIVORCE: A marriage-breaking spirit; harness of heart (Matthew 19:3-9), separation, bitterness, hurt, rejection, anger, fear of marriage, guilt, shame, condemnation. DRUGS: Legal and illegal; addiction, reaction, dependency, sorcery (Greek word: pharmakeia - meaning drugs or sorcery - Revelation 9:21). Names same as drug (e.g., Heroin, Marijuana, and so on); rebellion, disobedience, hallucination, depressant, stimulants, narcotics, sedatives, anti-depressants, hypnotic. EMOTIONS: Emotional problems, bound and blocked emotions, grief, sadness, crying, anger, hatred, rage, uncontrollable emotions, hurt. Command spirits to come out of the emotions. FEAR: Of: making wrong decisions, rejection, being hurt, judgment, authority, failure, man, darkness, being alone, death, witchcraft, heights, demons, deliverance, losing salvation, disapproval, accusation, being wrong, spiritual gifts, responsibility, marriage, having children, pain, sickness, confrontation, cancer, driving, insanity, heart attack, the future, crowns. Horror, panic, fright, sudden fear, terror, dread, apprehension; causes torment (1 John 4:18). GUILT: Condemnation, unworthiness, embarrassment, self-condemnation, cults, false doctrine. Operates strongly with religious spirits. HABIT: Compulsion, addiction, lust, nicotine, alcohol, drugs, nervous habits. HINDRANCE (Blockage & Obstruction): Spirits that hinder, block, and obstruct: no love, no help, no friends, no success,, no lodging, no pity, no understanding, no wisdom, no relief (torment), no rest, no solution, no power, no ability, no light (darkness), no healing, no deliverance, no happiness, no joy, no victory, no control, no future (hopelessness), no liberty (control), no discernment (blindness), no prosperity, no breakthrough, no direction, no name, no identity, no confidence, no peace. No open doors (closed doors), no money (poverty), no job, no sense, no way, no value, no worth, no presence of God (Ichabod), no anointing, no blessings (curses), no communication, no growth, no order (confusion), no support, no morals, no escape, no commitment, no faithfulness, no self-control, no chance, no opportunity, no family, no transportation, no mobility, no break, no time, no room, no space, no health, no strength, no home, no satisfaction, no vision, no counsel. These spirits are also the result of curses. HOMOSEXUALITY: Perversion, uncleanness, confusion, lust, rebellion. HURT: Wound, brokenhearted, deep hurt, bruised, grief, abuse, cruelty. INCEST: Spirits of Moab and Ammon. Operates through curses of incest, lust, perversion, taboo, illicit. INFIRMITY: Disease, illness, sickness, ailment (by name), affliction, any sickness or disorder. Chronic sicknesses and diseases are the result of curses of infirmity, death, and destruction. (Not all sickness is from a demon, although many are, and it includes unforgiveness and bitterness, and often guilt.) INSANITY: Madness, confusion, lunacy, mania, delirium, deranged. JEALOUSY: Envy, suspicion, covetousness, resentment, spite, bitterness, distrust, paranoia, insecurity, schizophrenia, selfishness, hatred, bedlam. JEZEBEL: Female dominance, rebellion, witchcraft, control, manipulation, whoredom, seduction, false doctrine, idolatry, fornication. Operates through a curse destroying God’s order and the family priesthood; works with Ahab in males; name meaning untouchable, non-cohabiting, without husband, adulterous, base, licentious (2 Kings 9:22). LACK: Poverty, insufficiency. Break curses of poverty and lack. LICENTIOUSNESS: Debauchery, lewdness, nymphomania, concupiscence, lust, promiscuity, lawlessness, incontinence, unrestraint. LIEUTENANT: Assistant, aide, helper, deputy, second in command, right hand, group captain, squadron leader. Satan has many demons that act as lieutenants under his command. LUST: Sexual (see sexual spirits), materialistic, greed, ravenousness, covetousness, avarice, appetite, ambition, grasping, longing, desire, passion, craving, abuse, adultery, burning passions, concupiscence, femininity (in males), frigidity, homosexuality, lesbianism, immorality, sexual impurity, uncleanness, lasciviousness, lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, lust for power, lust for position, lust for money, masturbation, incest, raper, lewdness, prostitution, whoredom, sodomy, incubus, succubus, pornography, voyeurism, wandering eyes, perversion, fantasy. LYING: Hypocrisy, guile, double-dealing, dishonesty, perjury, misleading, falsehood, little white lies, big liar, deceit, exaggeration. MANIPULATION: Control, deception, deceit, lying, rejection. MARITAL: Divorce, separation, strife, division, Ahab or Jezebel (marriage breaking spirits), witchcraft. MASTURBATION: Self-gratification, self-abuse, self-defilement, fantasy, lust, pornography, Onan (Genesis 38:9), self-love. MEMORY: Memory loss, flashback, memory recall, bad memories, hurtful memories, painful memories, blocked memories, trauma, denial, Alzheimer’s disease, past. MIND-BINDING: Confusion, fear of man, fear of failure. MIND CONTROL: Octopus and squid spirits having tentacles; confusion, mental pressure, mental pain, migraine. Ask the Lord to sever the tentacles of mind control. MISCARRIAGE: Premature birth (operates through curses), abortion, failure. MOLESTATION: Abuse, pain, hurt, rape, sodomy, incest, violation, offense, wound, bruise, torment, mistreatment, confusion, guilt, shame, bitterness, fear, anger, hate (of abuser), mind control. NERVOUSNESS: Tension, fear, anxiety, apprehension, restlessness, worry, distress, timidity. OBSESSION: Domination, control, mania, passion inordinate affection, preoccupation (with people, things, thoughts), fixation. OBSTRUCTION: Obstacle, hindrance, blockage, barrier, resistance, difficulty, block (many spirits of blockage and obstruction including choking, closed doors, cut off, cut off at the source, gag, muzzle, shackle, bind, check, halt, bring to a standstill, and so on.). OPPRESSION: Heaviness, iron hand, iron fist, heavy hand, pressure, strain, burdens, heavy load, weights, torment, affliction. PAIN: Tormenting spirits of pain including headaches, migraines, mental pain (caused by octopus spirit of mind control), stomach pain, arthritis, rheumatism, back pain, neck pain. Pain sprits can operate throughout the body, loins (Isaiah 21:3). Perpetual (Jeremiah 15:18), affliction (Psalm 25:18), hurt, painful memories, emotional pain. PARALYSIS: Very powerful spirit controlling the spine; disability, stroke, palsy, atrophy, depression, sadness, suicide, hopelessness, despair, crippling, paraplegic, lameness. PASSION: Rage, blind rage, temper, fit, anger, fury, vehemence, lust. PERFECTIONISM: Pride, vanity, ego, frustration, criticism, judgment, irritability, intolerance, rigidity, exactness, fussiness, overcritical, schizophrenia, anger. PERSECUTION: Unfairness, fear of judgment, condemnation, accusation, rejection, paranoia, sensitiveness. PORNOGRAPHY: Erotica, hard-core, x-rated (books, movies, videos), peep shows, obscenity, fantasy, lust, perversion (homosexuality, lesbianism, orgies, bisexuality), mind control, lewdness, lasciviousness (1 Peter 4:3), uncleanness (Ephesians 5:3), sensuality, carnality, whoredom, prostitution, voyeurism, lust of the eyes, masturbation, nudity, a marriage-breaking spirit, curiosity, shame, guilt, condemnation, sexual impurity, defilement. PREJUDICE: Bigotry, anti-Semitism, anti-Americanism, hatred of black people, hatred of white people, apartheid, white power, black power, racism, intolerance, bitterness, anger, accusation, bias, Jim Crow, narrow-mindedness, ignorance, pride of race, premature judgment, religious prejudice, cultural prejudice, racial prejudice, rejection, self-rejection, fear. PRIDE: Leviathan (Job 41), arrogance, little pride (“Everybody has me”), hidden pride, harness of heart, stubbornness, rebellion, rejection, anger, rage, pride of (knowledge, success, color, race, position, power, culture, religion, family name), vanity, ego, self-righteousness, haughtiness, importance, judging, arrogance, self-importance, self-conceit, self-love, self-exaltation, superiority. PYTHON: Divination (Acts 16:16-18). A large constrictor. (These spirits squeeze the life out of relationships, churches, and so on.) RAPE: Assault, abuse, molestation, ravishment (Lamentations 5:11), defilement, hurt, bitterness, anger, murder, revenge, retaliation, hatred (of men or abuser), fear (of being raped or abused), torment, confusion, guilt, shame, memory recall, trauma, shock, abortion, suicide, insanity, breakdown. Opens the door for spirits of harlotry, prostitution, frigidity, and whoredom to enter. REBELLION: Anti-submissiveness, self-will, selfishness, self-deception, self-delusion, self-seduction, accusation, judgmental, pride, unteachable, suspicion, distrust, persecution, confrontation, control, possessiveness, disobedience, stubbornness, witchcraft (1 Samuel 15:23), sedition, defiance, hatred of authority, anger, hatred, violence, murder, resentment, unforgiveness, retaliation, memory recall, paranoia, bitterness (root of), hurt, rejection (opens the door for rebellion), nonconformity. *REJECTION: (This is a major one that is most active in society today.) From mother, father, siblings; self-rejection; rejection from the womb. Hurt, deep hurt, wounded, bruised, low self-esteem, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, lust (a substitute for true love). Fantasy lust, harlotry, pride (a compensating spirit for rejection), envy, jealously, inferiority, insecurity, inadequacy, sadness, grief, sorrow, self-accusation, self-condemnation, depression, hopelessness, despair, despondency, striving, achievement, performance, competition, withdrawal, loneliness, independence, isolation, selfishness, criticism, covetousness, self-pity, possessiveness, perfectionism, outcast, castaway, black sheep. Rejection can open the door for a multitude of spirits: including rebellion, pride, bitterness, self-pity, escape, guilt, inferiority, insecurity, fear, hopelessness, fear of judgment, defensiveness, distrust, discouragement, disrespect, hardness, perfectionism, false compassion, false responsibility, material lust, sexual lust, perverseness, self-accusation, compulsive confession, self-promotion, attention-getting, control, withdrawn, fear of love, self-deception, suicide, unworthiness, shame, vanity, intolerance, frustration, impatience, unfairness, pouting, unreality, daydreaming, vivid imagination, self-awareness, timidity, shyness, sensitiveness, talkativeness, nervousness, tension, inordinate affection for animals. RELIGIOUS: Doctrinal obsession, denominationalism, legalism, conservatism, intolerance, dogmatic, tradition, religious prejudice, divisions, deception, control, mysticism, religious pride, imbalance, idolatry, sectarianism, heresy, false doctrine, error, confusion, unbelief, resistance to the truth, argumentativeness, cults (Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian Science, Mormonism, Theosophy, Scientology, Spiritualism, Eastern religions, Hinduism, Islam, Bahaism, Unity, Freemasonry). Hypocrisy, Pharisee, self-righteousness, holier-than-thou, false holiness, false tongues, false prophets, salvation by works, metaphysics, wolf, hireling, bondage, another Jesus, another spirit, another gospel, angel of light, philosophy, itching ears, seducing spirits, doctrines of devils, orthodox, icons. Praying for saints, false baptism, salvation by baptism, rigid, strict, stern, exact, over-religious, guilt, condemnation, schismatic, apostasy, bigotry, fanaticism, papism, popery, eminence, preeminence, ceremonies, rites, Mariolatry, relics, backsliding, skepticism, materialism, superstition, ceremonial, false priesthood, fear of losing salvation, fear of backsliding, formalism, religiosity, judgment, seduction, intolerance. RESENTMENT: Bitterness, spite, revenge, retaliation, cruelty, anger, hatred, unforgiveness, offense, gall, wormwood, disgust, rage, murder, malice, jealousy, envy, suspicion, animosity, irritation, annoyance, indignation. RETARDATION: Impediment, handicap, hinderance, obstruction. SCHIZOPHRENIA: Double-mindedness, instability, confusion (James 1:8), rooted in rejection. The schizophrenic’s personality (the real personality) has never developed, due to demonic interference. The demonic personalities of Rejection (inward) and Rebellion (outward) have taken over, causing a split personality. Spirits operating under Rejection include lust, fantasy, perverseness, suicide, guilt, pride, vanity, loneliness, fears, attention-seeking, inferiority, withdrawal, sensitivity, frustration, impatience, inordinate affection for animals, self-rejection, envy, despondency, despair, discouragement, hopelessness, unworthiness and shame. Spirits operating under Rebellion include accusation, selfishness, pride, hatred, resentment, violence, disobedience, suspicion, distrust, persecution, self-will, stubbornness, bitterness, anger, un-teachableness, control, witchcraft, possessiveness, unforgiveness, retaliation, self-deception. SORROW: Grief, sadness, hurt, anguish, weeping, crying, lamentation, heartache, brokenhearted, despair, discouragement, loneliness, hopelessness. SOUL TIES: Ungodly soul ties, false friendship, witchcraft, control, manipulation, deception, self-deception, blindness (spiritual blindness), false love (formed through fornication), adultery. Ungodly soul ties need to be broken in Jesus Name and evil spirits need to be cast out. STIFF-NECKED: Stubbornness, obstinacy, rebellion, disobedience, pride, Leviathan. STRIFE: Contention, arguing, fighting, confusion, envy (James 3:16), discord, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, pride, competition, hatred. STRONGMAN: Matthew 12:29 - Strongman of fear; rejection, rebellion, lust, infirmity, witchcraft, and so on. SUICIDE: Self-destruction, depression, gloominess, discouragement, death, kamikaze, Russian roulette, murder, despondency, despair, hopelessness, death wish, insanity, madness, confusion, rejection. TRANSVESTITE: Perversion, deviant, homosexuality, confusion, rebellion, rejection. TRAUMA: Shock, anguish, suffering, turmoil, accidents. (Traumatic experiences open the door for spirits to enter, including fears, hurt, and bitterness.) UNBELIEF: Doubt, harness of heart, rebellion, disobedience, fear, skepticism, distrust, agnosticism, faithless, perverse, suspicion. UNTEACHABLE: Pride, stubbornness, rebellion, schizophrenia. UNWORTHINESS: Inferiority, worthlessness, rejection, guilt, shame, condemnation, schizophrenia. WHOREDOM: Prostitution, lust, Jezebel, perversion, uncleanness, rejection, seduction, rape, molestation, pornography, uncleanness, carnality, nakedness, lasciviousness, homosexuality, lesbianism, sodomy, idolatry, adultery, fornication, Gomer (Hosea 1:2-3). (See Hosea 5:4.) WITHDRAWAL: Escape, isolation, introvert, rejection, fear, discouragement, passivity, sleepiness, alcoholism, drug addiction, hopelessness, despair, day dreaming, fantasy. WORRY: Anxiety, fear, dread, apprehension, timidity.

How do I know I'm born again? Characteristics of believers, How to tell someone is born again, 5 Characteristics of the Born Again Human Spirit PDF Article is below. For downloadable PDF click link. 5 Characteristics of the Born Again Human Spirit 5 Characteristics of the Born Again Human Spirit - The bible gives us a way to identify the new birth: 1. The Born Again SPIRIT Can Not Sin - John 3:6 KJV “That which has birth from the flesh is flesh, and that which has birth from the Spirit is spirit.” What is born of God in a man is his spirit not his flesh nor his soul. His soul (mind, will, emotions) must be renewed by the Word of God. His flesh must be put into submission to his born again spirit and his renewed mind. We have been conditioned to let the flesh lead us which leads to sin, followed by the soul and lastly our spirit. This is not how it should be once we are born again. That way only leads to sin, darkness and defeat. When we are born again our spirit is hooked up to God and we must disciple ourselves to be led by God in His Word, by His Spirit, and our Prayers. 2 Corinthians 4:16 NKJV “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” This born again spirit, also called the inner man, cannot sin. Our inner man has the nature of God just as Christ has the nature of His Father God, so it was impossible for Him to sin. As we pursue our relationship with Jesus, we start to die to our flesh and its’ worldly ways. As we feed on the Word of God, our inner man starts to gain strength leading us to putting on the Mind of Christ, putting our flesh into submission to the Mind of Christ. 1 John 3:9 NKJV “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His Seed (that is God’s seed) remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” Because your born again spirit cannot sin, it is therefore impossible for those who are born again, though in the flesh to make a practice of sin. Because we are still in the flesh, we will occasionally give in to the flesh, and in those instances we confess to God and ask and receive His forgiveness. 1 John 5:18 (NIV) We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; The One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. 2. The Born Again Man Listens To The Doctrine Of The Apostles: 1 John 4:5-6 (NIV) “They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of falsehood.” Those who are born again will naturally connect with the Words of God through the apostles because they are of the same spirit. Those who speak worldly things have the spirit of the world. 3. The Born Again Spirit Will Love God And Jesus 1 John 4:7 (NKJV) “Beloved, let us Love one another, for Love is of God; and everyone who Loves is born of God and knows God.” We cannot love God and hate our neighbor, our coworker, our family member etc. Love is a Fruit of the Spirit. If you are born again, Love will come naturally as a Fruit from the Holy Spirit in you. Remember when you are mistreated and abused this is being done under the influence of the darkness of this world. Through Jesus you have the authority and dominion. 4. The Born Again Man Will Believe That Jesus Is The Christ: 1 John 5:1 (NIV) “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is Born of God, and everyone who Loves the Father Loves His Child (Jesus) as well.” 5. The Born Again Man Will Follow The Commandments Of Christ And OvercomeThe World: 1 John 5:2-4 (NKJV) “By this we know that we Love the Children of God, when we Love God and keep His Commandments. 3 For this is the Love of God, that we keep His Commandments. And His Commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is Born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” Overcoming the world actually means we stop thinking the way the world thinks. We no longer seek the worlds’ approval. We not longer share their attitudes. We no longer try to lift ourselves up in the eyes of men but we lift up Jesus so He may draw all men to Him. We long to be with our King of Glory and seek to do His Will not ours. We spend time with Jesus in His Word, in prayer and worship of The Father. We know that earth is not our home. We know we are a colony of heaven on this earth. Luke 6:22, 27-31 (NIV) 22 “Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. 27-31 But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.” We live in an age of evil being called good and good being called evil. When terrible things are said about us or done to us we know we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness in this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. We combat all these things by the Word of God and our Shield of Faith. And having done all we stand. We are justified before God by our faith, our believing, in Jesus. Good works will not build our faith. If we exercise complete faith in God, good works will naturally flow. Faith only comes by hearing, and hearing by The Word of God.

faith, for children, protect my children, keep them from harm, What does God say about my children Believing Stuff for Your Children Article below. For downloadable PDF click link. PDF Believing Stuff for Your Children As a parent it’s your responsibility to pray for your children. But what do you pray? The Lord understands the yearnings of your heart for your children. He is there and knows exactly what your child needs even if you don’t. As stated in other articles, God can’t lie - Numbers 23:19 - what He has said is a guarantee. Yet it is difficult when our emotions are so involved. Don’t lean to your emotions. They cause the worst trouble. Instead lean into the Word of God and His promises for your children. There are two parts of “what” to be aware of with your children: 1. praying the promises of God as a means of rejoicing, not asking. Because it’s already given; 2. Is knowing when the Holy Spirit is giving you a warning for your kids. We will get into both. They are vital to know. 1. Praying in thanksgiving the promises of God for your children When you pray a scripture regarding your child, make it “yours.” Put your child’s name in the scripture. Let the Lord speak to you through that scripture. He will show you insights. They may come up as “thoughts”. He may “show” you something specific. Whatever He shows, hold on to it. If you have questions, ask Him. He will reveal it. Sometimes right aways. Sometimes not, it may take a while until you get it. Either way, trust Him. Realize that your child/children are God’s children first! He gave them to you. You are to be their “steward”. To train them in the things of God, teach them to obey God, teach them a relationship with God. Children copy their parents. That’s how it goes. So when your relationship and life is strong with God, theirs will be also. Including when they rebel. “Train up a child in the way that he should go and when he is older he shall not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6. As long as you did what you are supposed to do they will turn around. If you didn’t for whatever the reason, maybe you hadn’t received Jesus yet, or maybe you simply didn’t know - TRUST GOD! They are HIS kids first! Pray these prayers over them. It will change things! I will place 4 scriptures with a prayer using the scripture. You’ll get the idea. Subsequent scriptures are listed without the prayer and you can add a prayer as you’re using the previous examples. Romans 12:2 - “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.” “Father God, in the Name of Jesus, I pray for my son/daughter. Lord Jesus, help him/her not to be conformed to this world, to his/her friends and going with the crowd and their ungodly notions. Cause him/her to lean in to You. To trust You in every situation - especially when he/she won’t tell me. That’s normal. But he/she can talk with You. Lead him/her. Talk them through each situation. And I thank You for it, in Jesus Name.” Psalms 103:17-18 - “…The Lord’s love is with those who fear Him, and His righteousness with their children’s children—18 with those who keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts.” “Father God, in the Name of Jesus, I want to thank You that Your love is to (child’s name). You love him/her even more than I do. I thank You that You watch over them and that Your righteousness is with him/her. Lord Jesus, lead him/her in everything. If he/she is not listening to You, Holy Spirit lean on him/her, convict them if what (they) are doing is not right. Show them the way out. I thank You for taking care of (name). He/she is yours first. I am his/her steward. Show me what else I need to do to help in the situation. And I give You all the praise and glory for it, in Jesus Name.” Ephesians 1:17-23 and 3:14-21 - “17 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. 18 I pray 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 His holy people, 19 and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him Who fills everything in every way.” And “14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from Whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its Name. 16 I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him Who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, 21 to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” “Father God, I ask You and thank You for giving (name) Your wisdom and revelation knowledge and that (his/her) eyes are enlightened to Who you are and (his/her) place within in You! That they fall in love with YOU! And know what Your calling is for them. And that (he/she) knows, that (he/she) knows, that (he/she) knows what YOUR inheritance is, that is in (him/her) and what is YOUR amazing power that is IN (him/her) because they believe in You. I pray Father God that You show (him/her) how bid You are and how powerful You are and that You are within them! This is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead!! That (he/she) knows that the very same power of You is IN them! And that (he/she) knows this power is in all of the Body of Christ of which (he/she) is a part of and fill it up with Your glorious Self! I thank You Father God that we have Your Name! The Name of Jesus is Your Name and we have it to. It’s not something we only say. It’s part of “Who” we are in Christ Jesus and I thank You for revealing this to my kid(s). I pray Father God that You strengthen them with Your might in their inner man, the Holy Spirit Power in their inner being, so that the fullness of the Anointing - the Holy Spirit - can display Himself through (him/her), in Jesus Name, because (he/she) knows that You are there! I pray and I thank You for it that (he/she) is ROOTED and grounded in Your love and Your love passes Your knowledge to (him/her), and that (he/she) is filled with ALL the knowledge and fullness of You. Now I give YOU all the glory for this because I know that You do even more than what I ask or think according to Your Power that is at work within me and within (name).” Psalm 127:2 - “"It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sweet sleep." “Father, it says in Your Word, that You give Your beloved sweet sleep. So in the Name of Jesus, I pray that You give (name) sweet undisturbed sleep. I loose all the fiery darts and arrows the enemy has thrown at them during the day (Ephesians 6:16). Holy Spirit, I ask You to cleanse all the residue from those darts and arrows from their bodies and seal my girls in the Blood of Jesus. I ask that You loose all the attacks from the enemy not only in (his/her) bodies but their souls: our mind, will and emotions; purging all the areas in us that have been affected by these attacks. I ask that You seal our bodies and souls in the Blood of Jesus and by The All Powerful Name of Jesus. I know there is nothing with more Authority than the Name of Jesus and His Glorified Blood which He spilled for us. Father God before I sleep I place my spirit into Your hands for safekeeping as I know that You love me and will take care of me as I rest.” As you can see how you “put yourself” and those whom you are praying for into scripture, you can do this with any scripture and use it as a prayer. Below are some scriptures that are useful. It’s not all of them by any means - that would be the entire Bible. Also read Proverbs. There are many passages there that are helpful. And remember to go on to part 2 - following the unction of the Holy Spirit when He is giving you a warning about your children. Joel 1:3 - “Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation.” Psalm 51:10, 12 - “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.” Philippians 4:4-7 - “4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Deuteronomy 4:9 - “9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.” Mark 10:14 - “When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” 2 Corinthians 12:14 - “After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.” Proverbs 18:24 - “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” John 13:34-35 - “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” Proverbs 17:9 - “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Psalm 91 Jeremiah 29:11-13 - “11 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. 12 Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” 2. Knowing when the Holy Spirit is giving you a warning for your kids As a parent, it’s a God-given ability, when you just “know” what’s going on with your kids. When you have that “knowing” it is not random. God is letting you know so you can pray to stop what is happening. “Knowing” or a vision, or a dream are all ways He can let you in on what is happening or about to happen. You may already have insight how to pray and what scriptures to use. If you do not, ask Him. Stay quiet until you know. Have your Bible because He will direct you to certain passages. For safety always be ready to plead the Blood of Jesus on your child and on the situation they are in; cancel any assignments the devil has launched against them; and pray the 91st Psalm over them…and anything else the Lord tells you to do. Let me share something from my own life. Many may know that I had a stroke when I was 26. That attack of the stroke was intended to take me out. I was in a coma for 3 days. Recovery was tough. Couldn’t read. Couldn’t write. Very difficult time speaking. Paralyzed on the right side of my body. And at that time I was a professional dancer. My entire life changed in a moment. Prior to this event, like 8 or 9 months, my mother had been led by the Lord to pray particular scriptures over me - confess them over me: Psalm 91:16 - “With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.” Psalm 118:17 - “I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the Lord.” Isaiah 54:13 - “All your children shall be taught by the Lord, And great shall be the peace of your children.” The Lord had been impressing her to pray these over me each day for 8 or 9 months! He wouldn’t let her off of it. As she did this she was planting these scriptures in her heart by speaking them over me each day for all those months, and she could handle what she was about to be told. When she received the phone call about what occurred and was told that I would die, she immediately spoke these scriptures out of her heart to the person who had called her. Good thing too. She had to negate the words that were being spoken around me from friends and doctors. speaking - that I “wasn’t going to make it.” She spoke the Word over the situation in my life, took Authority over the negative words by speaking the Word of God. She cancelled out the words of death and destruction others were speaking. Words create. Words can activate the demonic realm to bring them to pass or God's realm to bring them to pass. And mom had to stop those words of death that were be spoken with the Word of God. You see, when people are in life threatening situations most do not know what to do. They freak out. They speak what they fear. And they attempt to be “sympathetic” saying, “oh, poor Rina (or whomever). (She) used to be such a great ……”. Instead my mother would retort: “No, she will not die but live and declare the works of the Lord. Great is her peace, her wholeness, in Jesus Name. And she has a long life because of what the Lord Jesus has done!” Usually there was silence on the other end of the phone. And a quick, “Oh, ok.” It wasn’t much different when she got to the hospital. They all thought she was nuts. But who cares when you’re trying to keep your kid alive. Speak the Word of God! It changes things! “Let there be light. And it was so.” That’s how you handle crisis situations. No matter what it looks like. No matter what you think. No matter what it feels like. Words create life or death - what kind of words will you speak over your children?

How do I pray for my family, how do I believe for my family, How do I believe for my husband, How do I believe for my wife, How do I believe for my children, will my child go to hell, will my husband go to hell, will my wife go to hell, will my children go to hell Believing for Your Family to be Saved Article below. For downloadable PDF click link. PDF Believing for Your Family to be Saved It’s not what you think. It’s much easier than you think! When the Lord gives you insight into this, you’ll never be the same. Depending on what church you have learned about the things of God, or people who have imparted “Christian” ideas/ideals into you will form the kinds of “doctrine” you have held on to. We all have them. Even the unsaved think certain things because of what they have heard from the believer’s camps. We don’t want to base anything on “doctrine of men” - instead, we want to see what God says about it. Because that is all that matters. As a foundation, “what do you believe?” Meaning, that “God has got your back, no matter what?” I hope so. Because He does. No matter what, God can’t lie. He doesn’t have the ability. Yes, there are some things God can’t do. He can’t lie. He cannot go against His own Word. If He said it…now hold on to your hats…If He spoke it, yes, it’s a promise… which means it’s a covenant! And God doesn’t break His covenants. Psalm 89:34 - “I will not violate My covenant or alter what My lips have uttered.” What God has said - He has said. It cannot return void but will accomplish that which He pleases and it will come to pass!! Isaiah 55:11 . And there’s one more bit to add, if this wasn’t enough: Hebrews 6:13-15 - “13When God made His promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for Him to swear by, He swore by Himself, 14saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” 15And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.” What this means is the covenant God made with Abraham, a promise, God made it to Himself! Track with me on this. When two people make a promise to one another, they are basing it on themselves to keep that promise. God did exactly that. Because He couldn’t swear to a greater power. He IS the Greater Power. Since He swore His Own Word to Himself this means the promise CANNOT be broken. It will come to pass. No matter how long it takes! This being said, God has promised us that ALL of our family and household (or those who are our circle of friends) will be saved - Acts 2:39; Acts 16:31; John 6:44 . He also said in 1 Timothy 2:4 that He would have ALL men to be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth. And again in 2 Peter 3:9 - “9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” What I’m saying is this - relax. Your family and friends will be saved. God promised and He is not a man that He should lie, Numbers 23:19 . It may not happen in the timing you like, but that doesn’t really matter. God has a plan. Trust Him. He’s got it. And if you haven’t read the article on the Second Death and Great White Throne Judgement , do it. It is not easy to read but all who are God’s will be back with Him for eternity! God is not going to loose any of His kids. Like the parable of the Prodigal Son, God is not going to loose any! We can trust Him. So when you start getting nagging thoughts and feelings about loved ones not being saved, start praising God and rejoicing in Him because He will bring His Word to pass. A person cannot. It’s God Who does it. So praise and rejoice in Him for already having done it, even if you don’t see it yet, because it is surely coming to pass!