“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3NIV).”

Now comes the fun part! Once all hindrances are removed, it is time to move forward in God and to reach out to others. When Christ has control of all of our life, and we are not feeling guilty, ashamed and condemned, we are able to see the needs of others and to hear God’s voice everyday.

I received a small inheritance, and so I prayed, “God, where do you want me to pay my tithe for this?” Since I have a relative in full-time ministry working nearby where I live, I thought, “What better way to use the first fruits of this gift!” After I sent the money, I was SO under attack from Satan. Obviously something powerful had been accomplished, for Satan was mad! As I shared this with the person I’d given the gift to, he said. “As your relative, I have the authority to speak against this.” As he prayed for me, I felt so free and light. He didn’t know it, but I was struggling with a relationship issue with another family member, and God spoke to that issue as a result of my having been obedient to give to Him.
I also went to visit this fellow later, and I asked for prayer again, as I’d been experiencing some health issues. As he laid hands on me, and commanded that if there was any spirit causing this, it had to go, and I felt it leave! I was so weak and drained after, but I felt giddy from the release of the oppression. I have thanked the Lord everyday since, because I have not felt such freedom in years. That one gift, opened the door for blessing, healing, and more opportunities for me to bless others. My eyes are opened and I love it when God says, “Go bless this person”, or “Go bless that person,” because it means I am in right relationship to hear His voice.

As we reach out and bless others, they are encouraged and they reach out to others and the circles of blessing just keep moving out into bigger and bigger areas and God’s will is done on the earth!

Thought: Bless: “to confer good or happiness on.”

Prayer: God, thank you for loving me and using me for Your glory. Set me free from my own problems so I can reach out and bless others.

Challenge: Pray and ask God to show you today a specific name and action that you can do for someone. Even an encouraging phone call may make their day!

The post Conversations with God Part 4 appeared first on BibleTalk.Life.

Demonic Activity

Luke 9:1-2 “When Jesus had called the disciples together, he gave them power and authority to drive out demons and to cure diseases, …”

Now I am not one who looks for an evil spirit under every rock and in every situation. You’ll notice that I am on Part 3 of this series, and we’ve already discussed many other causes of problems up until now.
When no other cause can be found for persistent, overwhelming problems, a person may need to consider the possibility of demonic activity. I will be referring to Derek Prince’s book, “They Shall Expell Demons” as the basis for most of the rest of this column today.

Indications of demonic activity are suggested if there are:
-Overwhelming, persistent emotions or attitudes.
-The mind out of control.
-The tongue out of control.
-Sex or other physical appetites out of control.
-A re-occuring illness (like arthritis, epilepsy, deafness or muteness).
-Spirit of death or suicide.

How do Spirits come in?
-Through a family background in the occult or false religion.
-Other negative prenatal experiences.
-Pressures in early childhood.
-Emotional shock or sustained emotional pressure.
-Sinful acts or habits.
-Laying on of hands.
-Idle words (Statements of lies, rebellion, hate or disgust).

We are so careless of our words, myself included. I have needed to confess, repent and renounce words and the power they have over myself and others. Relationships can be destroyed by words we have spoken in private or to ourselves, because we opened a door to allow Satan in “to steal, to kill and to destroy.” The other person may not have heard the negative words, but we have allowed Satan to drive a wedge between us none-the-less, because of our negative confession. Jesus said, “I have come that they might have life and to have it more abundantly.” Also, Isaiah 61:1-3 says:
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has sent me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and to provide for those who grieve in Zion- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

Steps to Deliverance
-Affirm faith in Christ.
-Be humble (honest).
-Confess.
-Repent and Renounce.
-Forgive all others.
-Break with occult and false religions.
-Prepare for release with information, bible reading, prayer.
-Take a stand with God- agree with His Word, and come into submission with it.
-Come against Satan and command him to go. (You may want to get someone with experience in this area to help you with this.)

Satan is the father of lies, in fact his name means, “slanderer.” He is also called the “accuser of the brethren.”
Jesus says, “Neither do I condemn you,” and “there is therefore no condemnation in Christ Jesus…” So you see, we do not need to listen to Satan’s lies. Once we confess and turn from our sins, we can no longer be condemned for them (unless we keep on doing them). That is what repentance means, to turn the other way and go a new way. Do not let Satan falsely accuse you. Use scripture to battle the lies, as Jesus himself did- and be free!

Thought: slander: the act or crime of uttering a false and malicious statement about another person that is damaging to their reputation or well-being.

Prayer: God come take control of my thoughts today. Teach me not to listen to the enemy’s lies over me or my family. I ask for a Spirit of Truth to be present. God I believe what YOU say about me. Help me always be quick to believe truth and reluctant to believe lies instead of the other way around. Set me free, and Holy Spirit give me discernment to be able recognize the Evil One when he is present and operating and to come against him in Jesus Mighty Name.

Challenge: Look honestly at your life and relationships and ask God to reveal to you any areas that are not completely under the Lordship of Christ. Is there any unforgiveness, or ongoing battles in your life with anyone. Carefully consider if this needs to be dealt with as Christ would, so you can be freed today..
–

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Taming the Tummy                                                                                                                          

“Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, even as your soul prospers (3 John 3:2 NIV).”

After all the things we talked about last time, what else can be done?

If adequate sleep, nutrition, exercise, validation, devotions and proper educational stimulation are still not solving the problems in your home, it is time to get some expert advice.

The first thing I would investigate is whether there is a medical problem. A physical examination with a full range of blood work, and even allergy testing to check for specific food reactions, may need to be done.

We could not figure out what was setting off our one son. He would be fine for several days and then he’d have a few days where he was totally agitated, miserable and out of control. We tried taking away all sugar, or dairy or especially red dyes, which we knew made him hyperactive. We identified apples after reading about that in a book, but he was still having days where we could not discover what was the problem. We finally took him to a Naturopathic doctor to be tested for food allergies and sensitivities. Lo and behold, he was extremely reactive to mixed seeds, which includes sunflower and sesame seeds, including their oils. Most potato chips are cooked in sunflower oil today, as well as it being part of the ingredients in some granola bars, whole grain breads and cereals. As we started to read labels, we realized that dyes are in just about everything too, from drinks, to Kraft Dinner, to all sorts of prepared foods.

I learned that I would have to teach our son what he could safely eat, how to read labels for himself, teach the school what he had to avoid, and also try to stock only foods that he could tolerate in our cupboards. Eating out became especially difficult and if treats were given at school, clubs or church, that also became a problem. Although our son wasn’t necessarily allergic to certain foods, we would still have to avoid them because we would have some very difficult behaviours to deal with if he ate them.

Once a food list was compiled and everyone was made aware of it, our jobs as parents became much easier and life settled down into a fairly calm routine with only occasional flare-ups. This allowed for happier moods, better compliance and an increased ability to cope with stress and handle interpersonal relationships.

Our son is much quieter and easier to deal with now. He can concentrate better, is much less irritable and is getting along much better with his brother and the other children on the school playground.

With all this attention to foods and behaviour, we came to realize that if someone in the family was feeling grumpy, had a headache, felt “draggy” or hyperactive, it was often the result of something they had eaten 45-60 minutes previously. The effect could last anywhere from one hour to 12 hours. This was a very helpful lesson to learn.

You may need to consider this testing for someone in your family, take counselling, or get other medical or educational assessments to get to the source of some of your child’s ongoing problems or maybe even to get some help for yourself.

Prayer: God, would you reveal to me today, something that would help my family be and stay healthy. You said in your Word that you want us to be in health and I pray that you would help me to be wise, consistent and open to learn more, about this area of my life.

Challenge: Find one area of your family’s health that you need to work on; then make some concrete plans for improving it today.

Thought:  “be in health, even as your soul prospers”; what does this mean exactly and how can I apply it, specifically, to my life?

The post Conversations with God Part 2 appeared first on BibleTalk.Life.

II Corinthians 13:11 “Be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of all peace will be with you (NIV).”

Why is my home so chaotic? I ask myself this question as many others often do as well.

Aside from the more obvious reasons such as; are we all getting enough sleep, regular, nutritious food, exercise, stimulation, and individual validation? Are we having regular devotions, individually and as a family? If there are still ongoing issues, we need to dig a little deeper.
I came before God several weeks ago and asked, “What is going on here? God, would you show me what the problem is and what can be done about it?” James 1:5-6 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him (NIV).”

I sat with my pen and paper and was amazed at what God said! He said, “Simplify your life. Everyone is on a different schedule, doing different activities and eating different foods at different times, so make a schedule that everyone follows; make the meals that everyone eats, (or they cook their own), and everyone should rest, eat, do chores, exercise and go to sleep at the same time.”

“What about all the upset?” I asked. “Figure out when it happens,” He whispered. “What time of day is it? What are the circumstances that set each individual off?”

“Okay,” I thought. One child is miserable when he gets home from school. He is an introvert and likes quiet, but he has been around noise and demands all day. He doesn’t eat very much of his lunch, so he must need to eat in a quiet place, alone, until he relaxes and gets his blood sugar levels back up before he comes around the rest of us.

I get upset when I am in a time crunch and stressed when we are not on time because I like order and efficiency. What can I do to minimize the pressure, especially in the morning, when I have to make sure three of us are up, dressed, fed and prepared for our day? I can get up half an hour earlier, make lunches ahead of time, by doing it the night before, or making individually-sized portions that just need to be laid out, so the children can choose their preferred lunch packages in a few moments.

Each child could have their own alarm clock set in their room, and I could ensure they each have a working watch, so they can learn to monitor the time for themselves. Their clothes could be chosen and laid out the night before. All homework, and outdoor clothing items could be collected and placed by their backpacks the evening before, to avoid the last minute scramble.
I could simplify our mealtimes by incorporating one food item, everyday that each person prefers, or rotate meals in such a way that each person gets their preferred meal at least one or twice a week.

You may have other solutions that God shows you for specific problems you are experiencing.

Thought: The word most often used in the Bible for peace is “Shalom.” This has the idea of wholeness, completeness, or fullness inferred in it. It also has a sense of well-being, or being in good health.

Prayer: God would you show me what the problems are in my home? Would you tell me what I could do about this? Give me your wisdom and I will give you all the glory. Amen.

Challenge: Sit with a paper and pen in your hand and talk to God. Ask Him for answers to problems in your life; then listen to what He speaks into your heart and write it down. You may be as pleasantly surprised as I was.

The post Conversations with God Part 1 appeared first on BibleTalk.Life.

Have you ever had one of those moments in your life when you think, “I was at this point in my life before, and now here I am again, years later”?

Well, I had one recently.

Many years ago, (dare I admit it was actually decades ago), I used to “journal.” In spite of several people telling me to “write it down” as I went through various phases in my life, I could never quite muster up the time, effort, or will, to actually do so. Some experiences were too painful, others too sad, and others… well, I was simply too busy with life.

Recently, I suddenly had a life-changing moment with God, and the words started to flow once again.

I can’t seem to put my pen down now. Thoughts, ideas, prayers, and just about anything and everything appear in my journal. I look back on all that God has brought me through, and I remember that I asked “why” or “why me”. Many times I said, “God, I need to understand this.” I began to examine what God was doing, and why I had done as I had, and what should have been said and done in those moments. They say when you reach midlife, you start to examine your life and try to sort through all your experiences in an attempt to make sense of them all. This has been very true for me. Through it all, God has been so faithful, loving and comforting to me. I could never give Him enough thanks or praise. He has been my Wonderful Counselor, Friend and Lord.

Wouldn’t you like to have the same experience?

Over the next several months, I will attempt to share my own personal conversations with God, and how He responded to the cries of my hurting, confused heart. Hopefully, you will see the faithfulness of His heart for His children in the articles on this site, and you too will be challenged to have some conversations of your own with God.

“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 upon 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. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord.”
(Jeremiah 29:11-14, NIV)

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