The Foolish, Desperately Wicked Heart

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“Well, God knows my heart,” is at the same time one of the most comforting and the most alarming statements ever. We know of His goodness; let’s not abuse His grace. We can fool others, we can even fool ourselves; but He knows what’s really in our hearts and our hearts are usually very fickle, gullible, and fallable. Our hearts will take the same bait time after time after time, even knowing we’re probably going to regret it; but reasoning that maybe this time we won’t.

I can walk away/quit anytime I want. I’m more mature now. This time it’ll be different. I’m strong. I know what I’m doing. Just this once and I won’t do it anymore. How dare you judge me? I can do this and still remain in control. No one knows me here, so it’s okay. I’m a good person, I’m important, I work hard, hey, I deserve to be happy. I earn the right to have a little fun. I have a right to do whatever I want. No one tells me what to do! Ain’t nobody’s business anyway. And the biggie: I’m only hurting myself.

It’s why David, after his major moral failure with Bathsheba, penned Psalm 51. We usually can quote the “Create in me a clean heart” passage in 51; but I challenge you today, go back and read that fairly short Psalm in its entirety. David was broken and repentant and very transparent; but it wound up happening only after the man of God called him out on his not-so-secret sin.

The reason I am sharing this passage today is that we can lie to ourselves all day long that our hearts are always pure, our motives always tempered by sound judgment, that the end justifies the means…oh how I wish it were true! It’s why when I hear someone offer the advice, “Just follow your heart!” I cringe. Some of the saddest trainwrecks in my own history have come from following my heart. But for the grace of God.

Stay in the Word, not just as an observer but as a participant in its teachings. And muster up the courage to examine yourself…identify those parts of your personality and character that are vulnerable to sin and temptation. David prayed, “See if there be any wicked way in me;” and I would add to that thought, “Lord, You already see it…show it to me too, so I can begin to loathe what threatens to destroy me. May I choose to not walk in deception!”

It’s ugly. It doesn’t feel good to be under the microscope! Let God begin to heal and deal with those weak places in your nature; and while you’re at it, make up your mind to start fleeing temptation instead of doing the dance with it. Temptation acted on has no good end. When you feel that sickeningly sweet beckoning toward a thing you know has left ruin in its wake in your life in times past (or even in your family tree), FLEE it! Flee it and throw yourself at the mercy of the cross. Better to avoid the heartaches and shame and mistakes entirely than to have to come and let God put you back together after you’re shattered. He will, of course, when you repent, but you will have some painful scars to remind you of wrong choices made when you “followed your heart.” There are some things that will unleash painful consequences that remain long after you’ve gotten forgiveness. Remember, we have an enemy who steals, kills, and destroys.

For some reason I have a mental image of a bunch of ball players sitting around the table watching as the coach shows a video and makes notes on a whiteboard…they’re watching what cost them the last game, figuring out their weaknesses, trying not to let what wrecked the past become a pattern of chronic failure for the future. That’s what wise people do, isn’t it? Embarrassing as it is to identify our weaknesses, it would be foolish to pretend that they don’t exist when our opponent knows them too…and will mercilessly go for our most vulnerable traits in an attempt to trip us up.

We can’t continue to pursue wrong things and expect the right outcomes. I say this to ME! To all of us! Our “best life now” isn’t a life of disregard for consequences…it’s making better choices than we might have made in the past, which is a setup for true joy, lasting peace, and success.

Crazy Faith

Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen. (Hebrews 11:1 TPT)

God expects #faith that compels action. I’m not talking faith versus works…I’m talking about faith that is too strong not to respond in some way to what we believe about Him.

Jesus requires the man with the withered hand to stretch it out as best he can toward Him. God’s word for Naaman is to dip seven times in the muddiest water hole around. The disciples are ordered to sit the 5000+ down for a meal that hasn’t yet materialized–and it’s either going to make them heroes or the biggest fools on the planet.

There are many “bring them to Me” moments recorded in the Bible. Everything from five loaves and two fishes to a weighty test of whether Abraham will be willing climb a mountain to offer his son to God. When the Lord is getting ready to do something whopping stupendous big, He asks a token of that person’s faith–and that something might seem embarrassing, ostentatious, risky, perplexing, seemingly nonsensical, or impossible to rationalize. But consider: isn’t faith at times any/all of the above?

I saw where Theresa Hanshaw posted a challenge today for believers to get their passports in anticipation of trips to the mission field. It’s another bring-them-to-Me window of opportunity. It’s a way of saying, “I don’t just flirt with the idea of God doing extraordinary things for me; I prepare for it.”

People of real faith don’t just pray for rain, they set out their buckets and barrels. Hungry seekers don’t just wish for a visitation from God; they clear all the junk out of their guest room, fluff the pillows, and keep checking to see if He’s on the doorstep yet. They start coming up with names for the baby. They stick their toes into the Red Sea before it parts. They don’t calculate their odds of winning, consult the Doppler radar for probability of precipitation, or fact-check at Snopes to ascertain whether that sort of miracle has ever really happened before.

Put walking shoes on your prayers today. And don’t pray lazy, boring, 95% off markdown rack prayers that apologize for expecting too much of a tired, frail, depleted, resourceless Savior—request the impossible kind of stuff a person would ask only if he or she really believes in a great big wonderful God. Not that any of it is actually a challenge to Him, of course…but our prayers are often so lackadaisical and faithless that they don’t even get the attention of our angels (who are left undispatched, like Maytag repairmen)—much less inspire the Creator of the Universe.

Ask big…then go get your passport. 😉

Father, we live in a day when, even with all our technology and endless information and gadgetry, our imagination for dreaming big things seems diminished. It doesn’t even occur to us to bind and loose, to call things that be not as though they were, to see wrongs and deficiencies and make them right. Forgive us for our anemic, lazy, “template” requests that require little to no faith. Forgive us for giving You so little chance to show us just how powerful and capable You really are!

We ask You to awaken the dreamer in each of us today. File away the callouses from our hardened, indifferent hearts so that we may have a heightened awareness of situations around us which warrant change. Make us those agents of change! Your Word tells us that we have not because we ask not…and we are not asking because we are instead ignoring or just accepting. O God, realign our priorities. Make us hungrier than ever for Your Word; for as we read Your great exploits from Genesis to Revelation, it renews our understanding all over again just how mighty and capable You are to do the seemingly impossible. We ask that You will reveal to us extravagant requests to make…make us aware of what never before occurred to us to ask. You are the Creator who created us in Your image, with creativity in our DNA. Awaken that creativity which causes us to partner with You in the miraculous.

From this day forward, make us divinely dissatisfied to coast through our lives, doing just enough to get by. Give us BIG vision. Share Your heart with us about what YOU see needing changed and then help us to get on board with You. We stretch out “withered” hands to You that have withered from inaction and we say, “Wake up every sleeping part of us that could otherwise be doing Your work.” Help us build “crazy faith” so that we will imagine, dream, and invite You to go above and beyond our wildest requests. Nothing is too hard for You…so take us on the ride of a lifetime as You erase the “im” from impossible. In Jesus’ name we pray, and in faith we ask for more from a Father with an unlimited supply.

(Adapted from my Facebook status 7/31/17)

Release and Renew: Prayers for Those with Heartbreaking Jobs

”I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.” (Psalm 27:13 NAS1977)

Be deliberate today in your pursuit of the goodness of God. I speak especially to those in careers where you daily see the ugliest side of humanity, or perhaps the most hopeless-appearing situations. Soldiers, law enforcement, social workers, oncology nurses/doctors, ministers, teachers, counselors, and others–at the end of your day you must find a way to disconnect from the despair, lest you become a casualty instead of a catalyst for healing and hope. You can find that in prayer. At the beginning of your day you have to coat yourself in the hope of the Word to shield yourself from what you’re going to encounter. You might say, “why aren’t you suggesting I pray for the people I encounter instead of myself? This feels so selfish. What about their problems?” I’m writing this today to help keep you strong enough to do the hard work you do. You can’t help others if you wind up taken out by despair. It’s time to gear up because we NEED you doing what you do. Please, stay strong! Take care of your spirit!

Our world is sad. It’s bad out there. There’s so much despair and so many wicked activities taking place. There’s so much sickness and tragedy and cruelty. So many children, elderly, weak, innocent who are preyed upon. So many people operating under demonic influence inflicting pain and suffering on themselves and others. So much ADDICTION.

I’ll be honest. I went through my Twitter feed earlier this morning and the bad news was exhausting. I wanted to go back to bed and pull the covers over my head. I honestly thought, “Death’s not such a bad thing…it’ll be a relief to leave this world and go on to heaven!” But then I remembered what Paul said about it being more expedient (needful) that he remain behind to help others instead of going on to be with the Lord. I want heaven. I want to go and be with the Lord and be away from all the madness for all eternity…eventually. But what I really want to do first is effectively hold back the worst of evil by collectively offering up effectual fervent prayer. I want to point others to Jesus and be someone who hammers signposts in the ground of life that show a lost world the direction in which to run to find hope. THE ONLY way I can remain objective is to have God’s Word tattooed on my heart and mind, and to stay close enough to Him to hear His voice. Otherwise I just disappear into the sludge of despair with everyone else who’s given up and is waiting to die.

So for all of you who are so bravely doing the jobs I could not do (or rather, don’t necessarily WANT to do), I just encourage you this morning to cover yourself. Even if you’re already well into your shift, there’s no time like the present to start. Pray with me:

“God, thank You for helping me survive all the situations I encountered yesterday. Your Word says Your mercies are new every morning. Today I receive Your new mercy. Clothe me with salvation, with humility, with strength. Just like the “whole armor of God,” I put on my tactical gear. My head’s covered with salvation. My heart’s covered with righteousness. My tactical belt is truth…I can attach every tool I need to do my job to this truth. My feet are covered with peace. My shield is faith. My defense weaponry is Your Word and Your Spirit! That said, Lord, I’m getting ready to walk into the unknown today. I will encounter messed-up lives. I will meet hurting people. My heart will break over what’s not fair. Use me to make a difference, to be Your light bearer in a dark place. Help me to respond not out of anger, but with great wisdom.

Help me to do my best while I’m on the job and then help me to LET IT GO at the end of the day. Lord, help me not to carry these problems home to my family. I need my family and they need me. Help me to appreciate and be ministered to by the innocence of the home I’ve worked so hard to build and protect.

Keep me safe today, guard me against burnout; help me to strategize with the mind of Christ about how I can use my gifts to bless others and my strengths to help those who are in the place of need. Help me not to lose my sense of compassion nor my sense of duty to minister to the disparaged. I don’t want to be callous or insensitive when someone is needing treated gently. Help me to be just and fair with all people, even those who aren’t just and fair with me. Remind me that I represent YOU and can’t afford to let my words and actions go contrary to Yours. Help me not to think as the world thinks, but as YOU think about situations. Keep me from being jaded. Keep my heart tender even as you keep it from breaking in two at the things which also grieve YOU. In Jesus’ name.”

And at night (or the end of your workday, whenever that is 😉 ):

“Father, thank You for helping me to make it to the conclusion of another day. These burdens I bore all day long, these suffering people I worked with, the situations I can’t necessarily fix with an easy button…these worries and cares all want to come home with me. The memories want to invade my ability to wind down, to hear my spouse and children’s conversations, to keep me from the place of prayer and the much needed place of recharging and sleep.

But just like a set of coveralls, I choose to unzip the activities of the day and I step out of them. What I couldn’t fix today, I will deal with tomorrow, but for now I let it go. I’m not God–You are. I trust You to put things on hold, to keep the people I can’t help 24/7, to send others alongside to help, and to keep this world spinning on its axis for another day. In Jesus’ name I reject the effects of constant exposure to negative forces. I will not cope with frustration and sorrow by engaging in substance abuse or destructive relationships. I will seek out things that keep my heart pure and guileless, I will freely laugh at every possible opportunity, and I will give mindful thanks for the simple blessings You afford me, like a beautiful sunrise or the giggles of a small child.

I boldly declare that the helmet of salvation will keep my mind and protect me from becoming a walking case of PTSD. You are strengthening me, You are renewing my mind, You are restoring my innocence, and You ARE my joy, my strength. I will run to You and not be so “tough.” You’re the One I run to when I’m out of my league. It’s ok for me to be vulnerable in Your presence because You heal me and help me. I plead the blood of Jesus now to wash me clean, to cleanse the portals of my mind from what I need to let go of. Thanks now for blessing my family time, my worship time, my downtime and strengthening me to fight another day. I love You and trust You. Amen”

Prayer Over the Emotional Health of Those in Christian Leadership

“Dear brothers and sisters, pray for us.” — The Apostle Paul, in his first letter to the church at Thessalonica (1 Thes. 5:25)

It’s one of the least talked-about issues in the church, because leaders oftentimes feel an obligation to appear stronger than their congregations; yet some of the greatest pastors and Bible figures have had struggles with anxiety and depression! We’re more than a little naive if we think that our leaders are immune to the struggles we ourselves face. I can tell you firsthand, a mature Christian can absolutely suffer emotional issues. Although we don’t sorrow as those who have no hope, we still suffer sorrow and loss, grief, oppression, and we still have to guard our hearts from the attack of an enemy who definitely doesn’t want leaders to be effective.

Look at King David, man after God’s own heart, who often wrote psalms that revealed despair and uncertainty—on the mountain in some of his songs, and hitting rock bottom in human desperation in others. Paul had a recurring or chronic obscure problem of which that he sought earnestly to be relieved. Jonah fell into depression after he’d completed the task to which God had assigned him. Elijah called fire down from heaven in between declaring a 3-year drought and declaring its end; and in the very next chapter, was hit by anxiety and asked God to just let him die. At age 23, Charles Spurgeon was hit with depression so great he nearly didn’t recover. On and on, the list would just continue to grow. My point? We have a completely saved spirit, but we have a soul and body that are still navigating a fallen world. Whether it’s environmental, trauma-induced, hormonal, generational, too-little sleep and exercise and quiet time, or just an attack of the enemy to derail a person—emotional issues can be just as huge a matter for a leader as they are for his/her followers!

So while we certainly need to pray for one another, we also need to know how to pray for ourselves. Our leaders are indeed there for us; but they are human too, and we all can lean too heavily on them at times. They wear many hats and get very little downtime. The person you’re counting on to listen to your problems and get that prayer through may be encountering an inner battle you know nothing of. That person’s spouse may not even have a clue that there’s a private agony of anxiety, depression, emotional exhaustion, burnout from packing a burden the size of a church on his or her shoulders. Ask yourself, in whom can your own spiritual leader(s) confide, go to for honest accountability and prayer, and feel comfortable being real? Leaders want to be bulletproof. Many don’t want to reveal their own struggles because the devil wants them to believe they are incompetent leaders if they’re not always on the mountain; that their followers will lose confidence in them or begin to view them as hypocrites! They don’t want to be judged as weak, out of God’s will, or flawed and unfit for service. So today, while I realize many of you are wrestling with depression and emotional issues of your own, could we just turn our attention away from ourselves and pray collectively for the front line leaders, apostles, prophets, pastors, evangelists, teachers, ministry workers, and intercessors who are oppressed?

Father, You already know our personal struggles and we trust You to finish the work You’ve begun in us. So in this prayer, we turn to the emotional health of our leaders and ask You to bless them and meet them where they are. Oh how they need Your angelic assistance, Lord! You alone know the agony they feel when they’re under pressure and feel they must put on brave masks in front of their constituents. You know the pressure of feeling as if they can never relax or come out from under the burden of other people’s miseries and suffering. You know the guilt they feel when they get weary of late nights and other people’s drama. You know every time they stand behind a lectern or pulpit or a writer’s pen feeling bankrupt—disqualified to help others because they too are wounded and bleeding. You know the very ones who’ve thought of suicide, who might be self-medicating, and who’ve thought of quitting the very ministries You’ve called them to. Lord, intervene! Teach us how to pray for those in authority over us, instead of expecting the prayer relationship to be one-sided!

O God, we pray, send Your ministering spirits to them! Father, we plead the blood of Jesus around our pastors, teachers, elders, public speakers, and believers who serve You as they work in civil government. Bring laughter and lightheartedness to their weary souls. Let a joy bubble up within, a calm and assurance and a FREEDOM, that actually matches the face they put on in front of others. Give them wise answers to the questions they often take to their pillows with them at night, so that they can sleep in peace. Give them opportunities for recreation and fun and keep insisting in that still small voice that they need to take what You’re making available to them! Father, we ask for special confidantes and mentors and accountability partners, for counselors, and for genuine friends for these in leadership. They need people they can “get real” with to talk about and pray about their private struggles, fears, and failures. Finally, Father, help them keep open doors of communication between themselves and YOU; and as You bring healing for their anxieties, and for the depression the enemy tells them they wouldn’t have if they were walking worthy of their vocation.

Father, ease their financial burdens and their family tensions we pray. Whatever issues are bombarding leaders tonight, we pray angels are released to do war in the heavenlies on their behalf. Give them days and nights where not one phone call fetches them away from needed rest or time with family. Intercept delays perpetuated by the enemy to keep them too busy to pray and invest time in study. Send laborers into the harvest so that they’re not doing all the work themselves; place armorbearers around them who will not bail and betray, and assign intercessors who not only pray daily for them, but who are awakened and sensitive to pray “emergency” prayers when that leader is silently suffering. May You keep those (including leaders on every level) in perfect peace whose hearts and minds are steadfast because they trust in You!

And Lord, for every fallen leader who’s given up, succumbed to temptation, walked away, or departed from the faith, we ask that angels and people You assign will go to their aid and help them regain their bearings. Remind them that it’s time to repent, get healed up, and strengthen others after they themselves are restored. Their latter days CAN be greater than their former ones!

Open up ministry centers geared toward the healing of wounded and weary leaders, where they can get help in a nonthreatening environment. Let this be the year when leaders have healed marriages, restored families, and renewed sense of purpose; not just painted-on facades of how they think they’re expected to look. And Lord, help us to cut the faltering a little more slack! Forgive us for not forgiving them their shortcomings, for judging them inappropriately, for speaking evil of them when we should’ve instead been on our knees in intercession.

We rebuke spirits of suicide, doubt and unbelief, pride, lust, delusion, anxiety, depression, fear, lack, mental illness, confusion, and afflicting spirits of every kind who are trying to take out godly people in authority. The Lord rebuke you and break your assignment off God’s chosen! We speak it in Jesus’ name and we release healing and a time of refreshing over the lives of apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, leaders on every level, intercessors, and godly civil servants. May these last days find Your called ones more determined than ever to make it and to bring in the harvest! Seal it, we pray, with good sleep, much laughter, and contagious joy, in Jesus’ name. Thank You, good good Father!

OCD NO MORE (Warning–read only if you want your life back!)

“Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].” Phil 4:6-7 (AMP)

I believe one of Satan’s greatest deceptions is to convince people that the very things which hold them in bondage put them at some sort of advantage. He does this with unbelievers and believers alike. The belief that one drives a little better when drinking. Or that getting high helps release or enhance the talent of the singer or musician. The belief that cleanliness or fitness or aesthetic appearance taken severely beyond the norm makes us better, safer, more beautiful than the people around us–turning us into germaphobes, steroid-abusers, anorexics, addicts to plastic surgery. Any time our enemy can convince us that imbalance is helping us in some way, he will keep us testing its limits over and over, in increasing quantities, till he ultimately kills or cripples us with it.

Yes, we recognize the more obvious destructive misconceptions, but what about the more subtle ones? The belief that one’s tendency for worry or obsessiveness or unyielding perfectionism makes that person invaluable and better on the job or at home or in the church? Yes, it might bring some results, but the cost to that person’s emotional and physical (and perhaps even spiritual) health, not to mention its cost to relationships with those around him or her, is proof that it’s turned from mere attentiveness into a bondage that needs broken.

Bottom line: God doesn’t need you to violate His Word to accomplish His will!

If the Bible says, “Be anxious for nothing…” (and that whole verse is beneficial here) then it applies even that person who’s given to detail and excellence and finesse. So yes, friends, even you who are leaders, professionals, artists, even movers and shakers in the business realm, yes, YOU…are meant to be able to lie down and rest at night and be able to lay aside the garments which define you in the eyes of those around you. You’re not better at what you do by having your thermostat broken, you’re just suffering and nobody’s told you that you don’t have to in order to walk in the place of greatness! As a matter of fact, the devil wants a child of God, in particular, to believe that it’s ok for his/her controlling obsession to run unchecked because that person is letting it consume him/her “for God.” How cruel indeed this deception, and it’s not at all from the Father! Do good, godly people fall into that trap? Yes, sadly, all the time. It’s time for you to deal with yours today if this writing is resonating any at all with you.

Lord, Your Word says we aren’t ignorant of the devices of the devil (2 Corinthians 2:11). You are a giver of peace, of joy, of rest, of blessed assurance. Those of us who want to be fruitful and productive can sometimes let our zeal for excellence push us beyond Your safe boundaries. We can ticker down our lists of what we’ve accomplished but at the end of the day, our obsession and need to be in control of our environment makes us miserable, sick, exhausted, and it probably makes anyone tied to us equally nervous, tensed, stressed because they in turn are trying to appease our relentless nature. Our unforgiveness of our own perceived inadequacies can turn inward and manifest in autoimmune disorders, traumatic stress disorders, early death or disability due to stress-induced disease…if we don’t get a handle on it. So we release and forgive ourselves and others for not being perfect! The devil is crafty–he tries to make us feel guilty if we relax our hold. He has convinced many that this sickness and misery is the price they must pay to carry the talent, anointing, or advancement they’ve worked so hard to achieve. We are not going to be those people anymore! We reject the idea that our obsessive nature is just the cross we must bear, or that this type of bondage is a good thing. We don’t need it in order to be valuable–that’s a lie straight from hell! WE WILL NOT LET OUR GOD-GIVEN GIFTS BECOME OUR WEAPONS OF SELF-DESTRUCTION, IN JESUS’ NAME!

So we come into agreement with Your Word today and we are going to make a marked effort to surrender all to You. This is probably one of those areas Paul referred to when in 1 Cor. 15:31 he said that he “died (to self)” daily. You are teaching us the boundary at which we are to stop. We have the ability to work on something and release it as finished, in peace and trust that it is enough. Your Holy Spirit assures us that we can let go of a few things or that enough time has been spent on a particular detail. We crucify that driving force in us that won’t let us rest, that won’t let others rest, and that won’t trust You to keep what we commit to You! We ask You to deliver us from perfectionism, the need to micromanage our lives and others’, from any spirits attached to this unhealthy belief that our best is never good enough or that we could have done more. We renounce any negative confessions spoken over us by ourselves or others, and we receive healing of any damage inflicted to our souls from someone who didn’t love or accept us enough. We rebuke the spirit of fear that brings with it paranoia, inferiority complex, jealousy, inordinate competitiveness, domination, controlling spirits, and compulsiveness. We ask you to forgive us when our own pride is the culprit. We will not confess OCD over ourselves–not even jokingly–like it’s a beneficial trait. It’s a curse and we have been redeemed from the curse! Remind us of how Satan has used this to the destruction of many brilliant people, like Howard Hughes, who became so obsessive he died a rich, alone madman in self-imposed exile, afraid of germs and people and imperfection. We rebuke the spirit of fear that tells us if we relax, we will lose our “superpowers” or our competitive edge. Our times are in Your hands, Father. You will keep us in perfect peace as we cast our cares on the One through Whom true promotion comes!

We will be excellent, we will be tenacious and we will work while it is day, but we repent, reject, and renounce all times in the past where we embraced this bondage as some kind of good thing. We are going to rely on You more and our own abilities less. We give this to You, knowing that You are setting us up to be MORE fruitful in the long run. When someone brings up OCD to us in the future (probably from times we’ve joked about it in the past), we are going to reply, “No, I’m not given to obsessive behavior anymore! I’m delivered! I have an eye for detail and I operate in strong gifts and abilities, but I no longer let perfectionism hold me in bondage. I do the best I can now to just plant seed, allow someone else to water, and trust God to give the increase…and with that, I’m resting while God is at work making my effort pay off! I’m healed!”

In Jesus’ name we pray today, Amen.

(Note: This and other issues I hope to be covering in the CALL THOSE THINGS: Bible-Based Confessions Over Mental and Emotional Health edition…available at some time in the future.)

The Two-Sided Sickle

For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 AMP

When I was a kid, my parents and grandparents lived side-by-side and the only fence we had was around the two properties. It was wonderful to have a big, collective yard to play in, even though our neighborhood was laid out in a way to where most folks had a 40 ft section of land and no more. Our ground was a little swampy because I’m told that at one time that’s exactly what it was–swamp property. The dirt was rather dry on Grandpa’s side, but very rich on the left side of our house…so what little bit of gardening we were able to do between the two yards was sort of divided up by what grows best in each particular type of soil. A topic perhaps for another post…

Anyway, for some reason this morning I’m remembering this old sickle in Grandpa’s tools, the one whose wooden handle left a big splinter in the palm of my hand before I reacted to his warning not to play with it. (Love his heart, he used black electrical tape on everything else…how that handle escaped his attention I’ll never know.) Grandpa’s warning came because he was worried about me chopping off my leg; but the splinter was lesson enough to keep my hands off it in the future. Now, this sickle didn’t see much action because Grandpa’s primary use of it was to occasionally clear weeds that grew up outside our fence next to the railroad tracks, and to clear the green bean vines from our fence at the end of the last picking…maybe to chop down the fodder after the few times we grew a little corn. The limited type of gardening we did really didn’t require a sickle for harvesting; so it wasn’t until later that I learned about a sickle’s role in gathering what is grown. Interesting, that this rusty old gadget had two potential purposes (other than giving little girls splinters and giving her big brother a yellow jacket attack while he was cutting weeds once…another story): weeding and harvesting.

We read in the Scriptures about the Word of God being a two-edged sword, and I’ve always imagined that as being useful for cutting on both the forward and the backward stroke. No motion wasted! Twice the result in half the time! Or, a dual-purpose weapon, of which there are many types of cutting instruments. Some blades are smooth on one side and serrated on the other side for when a little systematic sawing is needed (ever run into an obstacle where persistent back-and-forth re-application of the Word was needed to cut yourself free from the choking vines of the enemy?). Or, dare I suggest, the Word is also a sharp sickle that achieves two objectives: clearing out the things on our soil that hinder growth, and gathering in the harvest from the seed we’ve sown.

You may, up until now, have only been using your “sickle” for part of its potential use. Perhaps you use it to weed out the hindrances, sins, and weights that block your blessing; but then you don’t actually use it to aggressively reap your harvest. I know many people who are generous to sow and bless, but who feel guilty about being blessed in return. So they grow a magnificent garden that is left to decay, whereas the fruit could be harvested and used to be an even greater blessing. If you can’t feel good about receiving the blessing for yourself, don’t worry; it’s not all about you! The blessing is needed in order to perpetuate more blessing for more people: a testimony of God’s mercy and provision for those who are called by His name. Stop leaving your harvest un-gathered!

Still others are using the Word to receive the harvest, but their harvest is puny because it has been choked out by the sins and weights that the sickle could have cleared from the ground before and during the growing season. If you are sowing heavily but reaping sparingly (and I’m not only talking finances here…investing time, energy, passion, conviction, prayers, and love into people and worthwhile objectives while getting little in return), you may need to take that Word into the preventive and maintenance modes and start clearing the junk from your life. Is there drama or disappointment or depression where there should be peace and prosperity and perpetuation of blessing on your children and grandchildren? Do the work. Don’t let the enemy succeed in choking out your blessing through hidden sin and unbridled carnality. Whatever the reason your harvest is slim pickings, God can reveal not only the root cause, but also reveal the part of His Word that can hack away at that root!

We even have to clear out the remnants of yesterday’s harvest before tomorrow’s potential can be unlocked. Some folks leave the fodder of once-upon-a-time movements of God standing as brown, brittle memorials that He once was there in their midst, instead of tilling up the soil for another planting. Yep, sometimes preparing our hearts for what He wants to do in this season requires letting go of our expectations based on the past. Hard stuff…we can’t do it without the right tool in our hands. God’s Word does honor to the past, but it is constantly demanding that we press forward, keep working while it is day. I don’t know about you, but I desire with all my heart to be moving from glory to glory with God. I don’t want to sum my entire existence up on what He once did, when He’s still moving and doing and showing Himself mighty to save! May He look at me–and likewise, may He look at YOU, too–as good ground, and as good stewards who will put His every tool to use to maximize His kingdom and His will on earth!

The truth is, we need God’s Word in every season, in every step, in every creative process, and in every discipline of our lives. If we will get it off our coffee table, off the nail in the tool shed, and keep it polished, shining, and used regularly, it will not only inhibit the wrong kind of growth in our souls, but will enhance the potential for the right type of growth in our spirit-man! Don’t let your sickle–your precious copy of the Bible, God’s holy Word– get rusty from only occasional use. Make it your “Swiss army knife” that finds an application in every area of your life!

Healing Confessions that Shatter the Spirit of Fear

1 Tim 1:7 You see, God did not give us a cowardly spirit, but a powerful, loving, and disciplined spirit. FATHER, THIS PANIC ATTACK I’M FIGHTING IS STRAIGHT FROM THE DEVIL. YOU DID NOT INSTILL THIS WRETCHED FEELING IN ME. YOU HAVE INSTEAD MADE ME BRAVE, CALM, EMPOWERED, FULL OF LOVE FOR YOU AND OTHERS, AND I AM ALSO DISCIPLINED “LIKE A WEANED CHILD.” I REJECT IN JESUS’ NAME ANY TYPE OF EMOTION THAT WOULD CAUSE ME TO DOUBT WHO I AM IN YOU, AND WHO YOU ARE. YOU ARE DWELLING INSIDE OF ME AND THERE’S NOT ROOM FOR BOTH YOU AND FEAR!

2 Corinthians 10:5 We are demolishing arguments and ideas, every high-and-mighty philosophy that pits itself against the knowledge of the one true God. We are taking prisoners of every thought, every emotion, and subduing them into obedience to the Anointed One. FATHER, IN JESUS’ NAME, WITH MY VOICE I SPEAK OUT AND REJECT THE SPIRIT OF FEAR FROM OFF MY LIFE. FEAR CHALLENGES YOUR SOVEREIGNTY, AND I WON’T HAVE THAT. I CORRAL INTO THE HOLDING CELL OF DISCIPLINE ALL THESE THOUGHTS AND WILD IMAGININGS THAT ARE LOOSE AND WREAKING HAVOC. I IMPRISON ANY SUCH NOTION THAT YOU’RE NOT LOOKING OUT FOR ME. I REST UNDER THE SHADOW OF YOUR WINGS NOW, AND I THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME TO SHAKE LOOSE FROM THE TEMPORARY STATE OF WORRY I FOUND MYSELF IN. YOU MADE ME AWARE THAT I NEEDED TO PLEAD THE BLOOD OF JESUS…I’M PLEADING IT NOW OVER MY MIND, MY THOUGHTS, MY ACTIONS, AND ESPECIALLY MY WORDS. I WILL NOT CONTRADICT YOUR PROMISES WITH WORDS OF FEAR AND UNBELIEF.

1 John 4:18 Love will never invoke fear. Perfect love expels fear, particularly the fear of punishment. The one who fears punishment has not been completed through love. THANK YOU, LORD, THAT MY LOVE FOR YOU IS GROWING AND GRAVITATING TOWARD PERFECTION. IT MELTS AWAY THE FEAR THAT SAYS I CANNOT TRUST YOU TO STAY WITH ME AND NEVER LEAVE. YOU ARE WORKING ALL THINGS TO MY EVENTUAL GOOD.

Genesis 18:15 Sarah was embarrassed and tried to deny laughing. She feared these were no ordinary guests. Sarah: I wasn’t laughing. Eternal One: That is not true, Sarah. You did laugh. THANK YOU, LORD, FOR PATIENTLY ENDURING WHEN I SOMETIMES ACT AS THOUGH YOUR PROMISES ARE TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE. I ALREADY KNOW YOU CAN DO ANYTHING; THANKS FOR TEACHING ME HOWEVER, THAT YOU LOVE ME ENOUGH TO DO THE MIRACULOUS NOT JUST FOR OTHERS, BUT ALSO FOR ME…YES, EVEN FOR ME!

Genesis 20:11 Abraham: I did it for my own protection. I did it because I thought this was not a God-fearing place, and I was afraid you would surely kill me to possess my wife. THANK YOU, FATHER, THAT I DON’T HAVE TO LET FEAR DRIVE ME TO MAKE DISHONEST OR FOOLISH CHOICES. YOU ARE ORDERING MY STEPS TOWARD A GOOD FINISH. I WILL OPERATE IN INTEGRITY AND TRUST YOU TO GUARD MY BEST INTERESTS.

Genesis 28:17 But even as he said this, a bit of fear came over him. Jacob: This place is absolutely awesome! It can be none other than the house of God and the gateway into heaven! I AM GRATEFUL TO YOU, GOD, FOR THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REVERENTIAL FEAR AND CARNAL FEAR. THE AWE I FEEL WHEN I CONSIDER YOUR UTTER MIGHT AND POWER IS NOT ONLY OVERWHELMING ME, BUT IT ALSO CAUSES THE OTHER, UNHEALTHY FEAR TO DISINTEGRATE IN YOUR PRESENCE. THANK YOU FOR BEING APPROACHABLE EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE WHO YOU ARE!

Exodus 1:17 But the midwives respected God more than they feared Pharaoh, so they did not carry out the Egyptian king’s command. Instead, they let all the boys live. THANK YOU, LORD, THAT THE KNOWLEDGE OF WHO YOU ARE OVERRIDES MY FEAR OF MAN’S JUDGMENTS. I WILL PERSEVERE TO DO THE RIGHT THING EVEN IN THE FACE OF A SINFUL WORLD THAT OFTEN DISREGARDS YOUR HOLY COMMANDMENTS.

Exodus 2:2 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that her son was healthy and beautiful, she feared for his safety; so she kept him hidden from view for three whole months. THANK YOU FATHER, THAT I DON’T HAVE TO FEAR FOR MY CHILDREN’S SAFETY. I STAND WITH ASSURANCE THAT YOU ARE WORKING OUT THEIR FUTURE AND THAT YOU’VE ORDAINED GREAT PURPOSE FOR THEIR LIVES–AND THAT YOU’LL EQUIP ME TO TEACH THEM WELL. I DRAW THE BLOODLINE AROUND MY CHILDREN AND MY HOME, AND I DECLARE YOUR DIVINE PROTECTION OVER MY FAMILY. I WILL NOT BE FEARFUL OF LOSING THEM TO THE ENEMY, BECAUSE I USE THE AUTHORITY YOU’VE GIVEN ME IN OUR HOUSEHOLD TO ESTABLISH RIGHT BOUNDARIES AND TO CLOSE ALL OPEN DOORS TO DEMONIC ATTACK.

Exodus 2:14 Offender: Who made you our prince and judge? Are you going to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday? Fear immediately gripped Moses. THANK YOU, LORD, FOR BECAUSE YOU ARE HELPING ME, I CHOOSE TO REMAIN LED BY FAITH AND NOT BY MY FLESHLY IMPULSES. I DON’T HAVE TO COVER MY TRACKS OR FEAR MY MISTAKES WILL BE DISCOVERED AND EXPLOITED BY OTHERS. EVEN IF I DO MAKE A RIDICULOUSLY FOOLISH CHOICE, I CAN TRUST YOU TO NAVIGATE ME BACK TOWARD YOUR PLAN FOR MY LIFE…SO THEREFORE, I REJECT LIVING IN FEAR AND ALWAYS LOOKING BEHIND ME TO SEE IF MY PAST IS CATCHING UP WITH ME.

Exodus 3:12 Eternal One: Do not fear, Moses. I will be with you every step of the way, and this will be the sign to you that I am the One who has sent you: after you have led them out of Egypt, you will return to this mountain and worship God. FATHER, THANK YOU FOR NEVER PUTTING ME OUT THERE FARTHER THAN YOUR WILLINGNESS TO GUIDE ME AND PROTECT MY ACTIONS. WHEN YOU REQUIRE GREAT THINGS OF ME, YOU ALWAYS ARE THERE TO HELP ME MAKE RIGHT DECISIONS AND CARRY THEM OUT.

Exodus 4:4 Eternal One: Reach out and grab it by the tail. Despite his natural fears, Moses reached out and grabbed the snake; and as he held it, it changed back into a shepherd’s staff. THANK YOU LORD, FOR HELPING ME TO BE OBEDIENT EVEN WHEN I AM VERY AFRAID. YOU ARE GIVING ME THE POWER TO TAKE AUTHORITY OVER THE DANGEROUS SERPENTS I ENCOUNTER–BOTH THE SPIRITUAL AND THE TWO-LEGGED VARIETY! MY FAITH IN YOU IS BIGGER THAN MY FEAR OF WHATEVER I AM FACING.

Exodus 14:13-14 Moses to the people: Don’t be afraid! Stand your ground and witness how the Eternal will rescue you today. Take a good look at the Egyptians, for after today you will never see them again. The Eternal will fight on your behalf while you watch in silence. THANK YOU, FATHER, FOR EVEN WHEN IT APPEARS THAT THE ENEMY HAS ME HEMMED UP, YOU ARE PLANNING A DARING ESCAPE FOR ME. I CAN TRUST THAT YOUR TIMING IS PERFECT, EVEN WHEN IT APPEARS TO BE CUTTING DANGEROUSLY CLOSE. WHEN YOU DO MAKE THAT MEANS OF ESCAPE FROM THE ENEMY, YOU ARE BRINGING DOWN A WALL OF DESTRUCTION BEHIND ME TO ASSURE THAT I AM NO LONGER IN HARM’S WAY.

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and brave, and don’t tremble in fear of them, because the Eternal your God is going with you. He’ll never fail you or abandon you! THANKS, PAPA GOD, FOR NEVER ABANDONING ME! I WON’T LET THE ENEMY SEE ME COWERING IN DREAD, BECAUSE YOU’RE THERE FIGHTING ON MY BEHALF. I AM STRONG IN THE LORD AND IN THE POWER OF YOUR MIGHT!

Ruth 3:11 You may rest easy. You have nothing to fear, my child. I will do everything you ask. Everyone in this city agrees you are a woman of virtuous character. FATHER, THANK YOU THAT I CAN REST EASY, FULLY ASSURED THAT YOUR FAVOR GOES BEFORE ME IN MATTERS WHERE I NEED AN ADVOCATE. YOU ARE PROTECTING MY BEST INTERESTS AND ALSO MY REPUTATION. EVEN IN MY SITUATION, I’M SO VERY CLOSE TO MY BREAKTHROUGH…AND UNTIL IT MANIFESTS, I’M COVERED AT YOUR FEET!

2 Kings 6:16-17 Elisha: Have no fear. We have more on our side than they do. praying O Eternal One, I ask You to allow my servant to see heavenly realities.The Eternal awakened Elisha’s servant so that he could see. This is what he saw: the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha. THANK YOU, O GOD, FOR OPENING MY EYES TO SEE JUST HOW HUGE AN ANGEL ARMY YOU’VE DISPATCHED TO RESCUE ME FROM DESTRUCTION. THANK YOU THAT THE ENEMY TREMBLES AND IS SET TO UTTER CONFUSION AS THE REALITY OF SUCH PROTECTION OVER ME SINKS IN! YOU WILL NOT ALLOW ME TO BECOME AMBUSHED OR CAUGHT DEFENSELESS. THANK YOU FOR OPEN EYES TO SEE THAT YOU’RE LAUNCHING A FULL-SCALE INITIATIVE TO GET ME OUT OF THE TRAP.

1 Chronicles 28:20 to Solomon: Be strong, courageous, and effective. Do not fear or be dismayed. I know that the Eternal God, who is my God, is with you. He will not abandon you or forsake you until you have finished all the work for the temple of the Eternal. THANK YOU, LORD, THAT BECAUSE YOU’RE WITH ME AND FOR ME, I CAN BE STRONG, COURAGEOUS, AND EFFECTIVE. WHAT YOU’VE CALLED ME TO DO IN YOUR NAME, YOU ARE FULLY EQUIPPING ME TO CARRY OUT AND ACCOMPLISH. I WILL TOSS OUT MY EXCUSES AND MY SENSE OF INFERIORITY…YOU ARE FITTING ME INTO THE PICTURE AND ALSO SETTING ME UP FOR SUCCESS, EVEN IN DOING A NEW THING. THANK YOU FOR AN UNDERSTANDING HEART THAT MAKES RIGHT DECISIONS UNDER THE CANOPY OF TRUST IN YOU!

2 Chronicles 20:17 Stand and watch, but do not fight the battle. There, you will watch the Eternal save you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or worry. Tomorrow, face the army and trust that the Eternal is with you. FATHER, ALTHOUGH I AM IN A TIME OF WAR IN THE SPIRIT REALM, I DON’T HAVE TO SUMMONS COURAGE SND STRENGTH TO FIGHT. I AM HERE AS AN OBSERVER TO PRAY AND WATCH AS YOU SHOW YOURSELF MIGHTY TO SAVE. I RELEASE ALL FEAR AND WORRY, AND I SEAT MYSELF AT RINGSIDE TO WITNESS A FIGHT OF EPIC PROPORTIONS AS YOU ANNIHILATE THE ENEMY OF MY SOUL AND BODY!

Nehemiah 6:9 We knew our enemies’ intent was to intimidate us into stopping our work. They reasoned, “These Jews will stop rebuilding out of fear and discouragement. Progress will grind to a halt.” Instead I renewed my dedication, strengthened my hands. THANK YOU, LORD, FOR SQUASHING THE SPIRIT OF INTIMIDATION. I RENEW MY DEDICATION, I STRENGTHEN MY HANDS, AND I WILL NOT BE DETERRED FROM THE MISSION TO WHICH YOU’VE ASSIGNED ME! FEAR AND DISCOURAGEMENT WILL NOT, IN JESUS’ NAME, MAKE ME UNFRUITFUL; AND NEITHER CAN ACCUMULATING CIRCUMSTANCES. IF “WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS” IS THE BUSINESS OF THE DAY, YOU ARE SWAPPING MY LITTLE POCKET UMBRELLA FOR YOUR BIG STADIUM UMBRELLA AND A NEW SET OF RAIN GEAR! I WILL NOT BE SOAKED TO THE SKIN BY THE ENEMIES LIES OR HIS CLOUDBURST OF ATTACK, AND I AM FREE TO WORK THROUGH WHAT YOU HAVE ASSIGNED ME TO DO.

Job 3:25 What I feared most descends on me; my nightmare—now reality. THANK YOU FATHER, FOR DELIVERING ME FROM CRIPPLING FEARS WHICH TORMENT MY MIND AND LEAK OUT MY MOUTH. I WILL NOT OPEN MYSELF UP TO DEVIL’S SNARE BY VOCALIZING WHAT CAUSES ME TO BE AFRAID OR WORRIED. I REPENT OF IDLE, UNFRUITFUL WORDS WHICH MAY HAVE GIVEN EVIL SPIRITS A CLUE AS TO AREAS IN WHICH I’M VULNERABLE, AND I COME BOLDLY TO THE THRONE OF GRACE TO OBTAIN HELP IN THIS MY TIME OF NEED. YOU WILL HELP ME TO SPEAK FAITH WORDS EVEN WHEN MY MIND SCREAMS, “IT’S NO USE! JUST GIVE UP BECAUSE YOU’RE WHIPPED!” IT IS NOT TOO LATE FOR ME. YOU HAVEN’T FORSAKEN ME. I CAN MAKE IT ONE MORE DAY IN JESUS’ NAME.

Psalm 3:5-6 I lie down at night and fall asleep.I awake in the morning—healthy, strong, vibrant—because the Eternal supports me. No longer will I fear my tens of thousands of enemies who have surrounded me! IN THE NAME OF JESUS, I AM GOING TO SLEEP LIKE A BABY TONIGHT AND AWAKE REFRESHED, KNOWING I’M PROTECTED BY ANGEL ARMIES. MY FATHER HAS ALREADY SET ME UP FOR A WIN OVER THE ENEMY. DOESN’T MATTER WHAT THE CIRCUMSTANCES APPEAR TO BE…GOD IS GOING TO SHOW HIMSELF MIGHTY ON MY BEHALF!

Psalm 16:8 He is ever present with me; at all times He goes before me. I will not live in fear or abandon my calling because He stands at my right hand. HOW ABOUT THAT…YEAH GOD! THE ENEMY WILL NOT SCARE ME INTO COMPROMISE OR BACK ME INTO A CORNER, BECAUSE YOU’RE ASSURING THAT I CAN DO ALL THINGS YOU’VE ORDAINED ME TO DO, THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME. YOU ARE SETTING ME UP FOR A WIN.

Psalm 23:4 Even in the unending shadows of death’s darkness, I am not overcome by fear. Because You are with me in those dark moments, near with Your protection and guidance, I am comforted. NOT EVEN THE FEAR OF DEATH CAN INTIMIDATE ME! LORD, THANK YOU THAT I KNOW YOU’RE HOVERING OVER ME AND SHIELDING ME FROM DESTRUCTION. DEATH HAS NO POWER OVER ME BECAUSE JESUS PULLED ITS TEETH! I REJECT THE ACCUSER’S SUGGESTIONS OF ALL THE ILLNESSES THAT ARE ATTACKING ME. WHEN SICKNESS THREATENS, I CHOOSE TO GET INTO YOUR WORD AND SHUT OFF THE INTERNET SEARCHES OF SYMPTOMS AND DISEASES. IF THE DOCTOR GIVES ME A NEGATIVE REPORT, I HAND IT TO YOU AND SAY, “I CHOOSE TO TRUST THE GREAT PHYSICIAN–JESUS!”

Psalm 46:2-3 No fear, no pacing, no biting fingernails. When the earth spins out of control, we are sure and fearless. When mountains crumble and the waters run wild, we are sure and fearless. Even in heavy winds and huge waves, or as mountains shake, we are sure and fearless. FATHER, NO WEATHER PHENOMENON AND NO WAVE OF WICKEDNESS IN THIS WORLD CAN DRIVE ME INTO THE GROUND. NO MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS, NO FINANCIAL CRISIS, AND NO FAMILY DRAMA CAN ROB ME OF YOUR PEACE. I AM SURE AND FEARLESS, I AM SURE AND FEARLESS, I AM SURE AND FEARLESS…AND I DON’T CARE ONE BIT TO KEEP REPEATING THAT TILL IT DRIVES THE ENEMY CRAZY!

Psalm 56:3 When struck by fear, I let go, depending securely upon You alone. FATHER, HOW AWESOME IT IS TO KNOW WHAT WHEN YOU’RE ALL I HAVE, I HAVE ALL I NEED! YOU ARE EVERYTHING TO ME AND BECAUSE I HAVE YOU, I DON’T HAVE TO HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS IN THIS MOMENT. YOU KNOW THE END FROM THE BEGINNING, AND YOU ARE ORDERING MY STEPS. THAT’S ALL I NEED TO KNOW–THAT YOU LOVE ME AND THAT YOU ARE FOR ME.

Psalm 56:11 In God I have placed my trust. I shall not let fear come in,for what can measly men do to me? FATHER, IF YOU’RE FOR ME, WHO CAN BE AGAINST ME? I TRUST YOU TO HANDLE THOSE WHO OPPOSE ME. YOU WILL NOT LET THE ENEMY HAVE THE UPPER HAND! IF I’M ACCUSED FALSELY, THOSE WHO RISE UP AGAINST ME WILL BE SHOWN TO BE IN THE WRONG. YOU ARE MY DEFENDER, AND THE ONE WHO ASSERTS JUSTICE ON MY BEHALF. THANK YOU THAT I HAVE THE BEST LAWYER THAT FAITH CAN SECURE–MY ELDER BROTHER–AND THAT HE TAKES A PERSONAL INTEREST IN MY CASE!

Proverbs 3:24-26 Your mind will be clear, free from fear; when you lie down to rest, you will be refreshed by sweet sleep. Stay calm; there is no need to be afraid of a sudden disaster or to worry when calamity strikes the wicked, For the Eternal is always there to protect you. He will safeguard your each and every step. THANKS, FATHER, FOR SAFEGUARDING MY STEPS AND ORDERING THE COURSE OF MY LIFE. YOU ARE PROTECTING ME IN EVERY WAY–MY SPIRITUAL, PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, FINANCIAL, RELATIONAL WELL-BEING ARE LOCKED IN THE VAULT OF YOUR WORD, WHICH YOU WATCH OVER TO PERFORM! FOR THIS REASON, I’M NOT GOING TO LIE IN BED TORMENTED IN MY THOUGHTS. IN JESUS’ NAME, I’LL JOIN HIM IN A SOUND SLEEP IN THE HOLD OF THE SHIP. OTHERS MAY BE PULLING THEIR HAIR OUT IN FEAR, BUT I WON’T BE PARTICIPATING IN THEIR DRAMA!

Proverbs 29:25 If you fear other people, you are walking into a dangerous trap; but if you trust in the Eternal, you will be safe. THANK YOU, FATHER, FOR DELIVERING ME FOREVER FROM THE FEAR AND THE ADDICTION OF APPROVAL BY MAN. I AM SET UP FOR SAFETY AND SECURITY BECAUSE I ALLOW NO ONE TO SQUEEZE ME INTO HIS MOLD. I AM TRANSFORMED EVERY DAY, ALL OVER AGAIN, BECAUSE I RENEW MY MIND TO WHAT YOUR WORD HAS SPOKEN.

Proverbs 31:25 Clothed in strength and dignity, with nothing to fear,she smiles when she thinks about the future. THANK YOU FATHER, THAT JUST LIKE THE PROVERBS 31 WOMAN, I MODEL STRENGTH AND DIGNITY AND THEY FIT ME LIKE A BEAUTIFUL, TAILORED GARMENT. IF THE DEVIL WANTS TO MAKE ME ERUPT INTO LAUGHTER, LET HIM THREATEN TO MAKE MY FUTURE DARK AND BLEAK! I’M NOT AFRAID OF GETTING OLD AND HELPLESS BECAUSE YOU’RE KEEPING ME STRONG.

Isaiah 35:4 Tell those who worry, the anxious and fearful,“Take strength; have courage! There’s nothing to fear. Look, here—your God! Right here is your God! The balance is shifting; God will right all wrongs. None other than God will give you success. He is coming to make you safe.” THANK YOU FATHER, NOT ONLY FOR REASSURING ME OF MY OWN SAFETY AND FAVOR, BUT FOR ALSO GIVING ME A BOLDNESS TO DELIVER THAT SAME MESSAGE TO OTHERS. YOU REALLY ARE RIGHTING ALL WRONGS AND TURNING AROUND SEEMINGLY IMPOSSIBLE SITUATIONS, AND I’M GOING TO TELL OTHERS JUST HOW POWERFULLY YOU ARE WORKING.

Isaiah 54:4-5 Don’t be afraid, for there is no one to shame you. Don’t fear humiliation, for there is no one to disgrace you. The shame of your younger years and the sorrow of your widowhood are over. You’ll forget those days as if they never happened. Because the One who made you will be your husband; the One called Commander of heavenly armies will set you right again, the Holy One of Israel. It’s not for nothing that He is called “God of all the earth.” THANK YOU, JESUS, FOR BREAKING THE CHAINS OF MY PAST FROM OFF MY LIFE ONCE AND FOR ALL. ALTHOUGH I’LL NEVER BE PROUD OF WRONG DECISIONS I MADE, NEITHER WILL I LET THEM CRIPPLE ME OR DWARF MY TESTIMONY. YOU ARE SETTING ME UP AS THE COMEBACK KID–AN ENCOURAGING, LIBERATING STORY THAT WILL HAVE OTHERS RUNNING TO YOU FOR DELIVERANCE, TOO. NO ONE CAN USE MY PAST TO HOLD ME DOWN OR LIMIT WHAT I CAN DO, BECAUSE MY FREEDOM AND STRENGTH ARE IN YOU. YOU ARE MY COVERING, YOU ARE THE ONE ENDORSING ME TO MOVE ON WITH MY LIFE–FORGIVEN, FREE, AND FULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. SHAME, YOU ARE NO LONGER MY LAST NAME BECAUSE I HAVE MARRIED THE ONE WHO BREAKS YOUR SOUL TIE TO ME!

Jeremiah 17:8 He is like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots beside the stream. It does not fear the heat or even drought. Its leaves stay green and its fruit is dependable, no matter what it faces. THANK YOU FATHER, FOR BREAKING THE FEAR OF LACK FROM OFF MY LIFE. EVEN IN TIMES OF DROUGHT, MY ROOTS ARE SUNK DEEP TO WHERE YOU ARE KEEPING ME ALIVE, WELL, AND DEFYING ALL ODDS TO BEAR FRUIT.

Jeremiah 51:46 Do not lose heart or give in to fear and panic when the rumors start to fly in the land.Year after year, the rumors will come—rumors of violence reports of one ruler warring against another. THANK YOU, LORD, FOR WIPING OUT THE FEAR OF CURRENT EVENTS FROM MY MIND. I’M NOT GLUED TO THE TUBE, DRAWN INTO THE NONSTOP NEWS NETWORKS WITH THEIR NEGATIVITY; INSTEAD, I LOOK UP AND REJOICE, BECAUSE THE SIGNS INDICATE I’LL SEE YOU VERY SOON! I SUBMIT MYSELF TO THE PROTECTION, AUTHORITY, AND BOUNDARIES OF MY FATHER, I RESIST THE DEVIL AND ALL THIS ALLURING TEMPTATIONS TO BE GRIPPED WITH FEAR, AND IN JESUS’ NAME, I COMMAND HIM TO FLEE FROM ME.

Matthew 17:7-8 But Jesus—who was, by this time, used to His disciples being plagued by fear—touched them. Jesus: Get up. Don’t be afraid. And when the disciples got up, they saw they were alone with their Lord. THANK YOU, JESUS, THAT BECAUSE YOU CAME TO EARTH TO IDENTIFY WITH COMMON MANKIND, YOU’RE PATIENT WITH MY HAVING TO BE RESCUED FROM TIME TO TIME OUT OF THE GRIP OF FEAR. WHEN YOU SEE ME ABOUT TO REVERT BACK INTO THE MODE OF FEAR AND DISTRUST, I THANK YOU FOR TOUCHING ME AND REMINDING ME ALL OVER AGAIN THAT IT’S OK…IT’S JUST YOU AND ME.

Luke 8:47 The woman now realized her secret was going to come out sooner or later, so she stepped out of the crowd, shaking with fear, and she fell down in front of Jesus. Then she told her story in front of everyone—why she touched Him, what happened as a result. THANK YOU, JESUS, FOR MAKING ME BOLD AND NOT FEARFUL CONCERNING MY TESTIMONY OF DELIVERANCE. I CAN SHARE MY STORY WITH OTHERS, TOTALLY NOT BOUND BY THEIR OPINIONS OR JUDGMENTS. BECAUSE YOU’RE PERFECTING THAT WHICH CONCERNS ME, I NEED NO ONE’S APPROVAL BUT YOURS…AND YET, WHEN PEOPLE FIND OUT HOW YOU’VE SAVED, HEALED, AND SET ME FREE, MY STORY PROVES TO HAVE A HAPPY ENDING THAT BRINGS YOU GLORY AND BRINGS OTHERS HOPE.

Luke 12:7-8 Since you are so much more precious to God than a thousand flocks of sparrows, and since God knows you in every detail—down to the number of hairs on your head at this moment—you can be secure and unafraid of any person, and you have nothing to fear from God either. That’s why I keep telling you not to be intimidated. THANK YOU FATHER, FOR BREAKING THE SPIRIT OF COWARDICE AND INTIMIDATION OFF MY LIFE, AS WELL AS THE FEAR OF LACK. YOU ARE EL SHADDAI, MORE THAN ENOUGH. I REVERENCE YOU, BUT I DON’T DREAD YOU! TODAY IS YET ANOTHER CHANCE TO WITNESS YOU AT WORK ON ME AND IN ME, TWEAKING THIS WORK IN PROGRESS AND CONFORMING ME TO THE IMAGE OF YOUR SON.

John 14:27 My peace is the legacy I leave to you. I don’t give gifts like those of this world. Do not let your heart be troubled or fearful. JESUS, THANK YOU FOR LEAVING ME THE LEGACY OF PEACE. IT WILL NOT DIE WITH ME, BUT I WILL NURTURE IT AND PASS IT ON TO THOSE WHO FOLLOW ME. IT IS MY BIRTHRIGHT AS A CHILD OF GOD, AND I RECEIVE IT WITH GREAT JOY, RELIEF, GRATITUDE AND PRAISE. THE BLOOD OF JESUS IS THE BOUNDARY AROUND MY LIFE THAT REINS IN PEACE. MY ABILITY TO RETAIN MY PEACE AMID CHAOS IS YET ANOTHER WITNESS TO A LOST WORLD THAT YOU ARE CHANGING ME…AND THAT YOUR HOPE CAN CHANGE THEM, TOO. TAKE THIS SITUATION I AM FACING IT AND MAKE ME SHINE FOR YOU, AS I DISPLAY GREAT TRUST IN SPITE OF WHAT SCARES ME.

Romans 8:15 You see, you have not received a spirit that returns you to slavery, so you have nothing to fear. The Spirit you have received adopts you and welcomes you into God’s own family. That’s why we call out to Him, “Abba! Father!” as we would address a loving daddy. THANK YOU, FATHER, FOR THIS FATHER-AND-CHERISHED CHILD RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU. I’LL NEVER GO BACK INTO SLAVERY, BECAUSE I’M NOW ONE OF YOUR FAMILY. YOU DON’T SHOO ME OUT OF YOUR PRESENCE, BUT INSTEAD, YOU ARE TENDER AND LOVING AND INVITE ME TO CALL YOU MY DADDY. YOU INVITE ME TO BE HELD AND SPOKEN RIGHT WORDS OVER. SO SINCE YOU ARE GLAD TO RECEIVE ME THE SAME AS IF I WERE NATURAL-BORN, I CHOOSE TO STICK CLOSE TO YOU AND NOT LET YOU OUT OF MY SIGHT. I’M SAFE RIGHT HERE WITH YOU, AND NO THREAT OF SICKNESS, DEATH, LOSS, DEFEAT–NOT EVEN THE TAUNTS OF THE ENEMY WHO’D PULL ME BACK INTO SLAVERY IF HE COULD–CAN EVER PLUCK ME OUT OF YOUR HAND! SO THERE. I AM FIRMLY IN YOUR GRIP AND I WILL FEAR NO EVIL!

Would you like a printable copy of today’s devotional? Click here for a pdf version! Healing Confessions that Shatter the Spirit of Fear

Dry Bones, Hear the Word of the Lord! (Bible-Based Healing Confession Over Disorders of Bones/Joints)

Son of man, can these bones live? I know that Ezekiel 37 passage is a vision concerning the rebirth of the nation of Israel; but I want to share a healing confession based on Ezekiel 37. You and I are going to target arthritis, joint/disk/connective tissue issues, crippling diseases, and pain-causing diseases in your framework. Confess the Scriptures and believe that you’re about to see a change. (I may add this to the bone and joint chapter of future reprints of CALL THOSE THINGS. Pray with me…AND SHARE, SHARE, SHARE! Lord, use this prayer to unlock healing and let us hear testimonies of what You are doing in lives!)

1The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” FATHER, YOU ALREADY KNOW THE CONDITION OF MY BODY; BUT YOU ALSO KNOW WHAT YOUR WORD IS CAPABLE OF DOING WHEN MY BODY DOESN’T COOPERATE. YOU ARE ASKING ME IF I BELIEVE MY BODY IS CAPABLE OF REGENERATION. YOU’RE NOT ASKING THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY WHETHER MY BONES CAN LIVE AGAIN…YOU’RE ASKING ME! I ANSWER BACK TO YOU, LORD, “YES! MY BONES CAN LIVE!” I AGREE WITH YOU IN PRAYER, LORD, AND I LINE MY CONFESSION UP WITH YOUR WORD. WITH YOU, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY SINCE MY HEALING HAS BEEN ALREADY PURCHASED AT THE CROSS! THANK YOU FOR SOME REVERSALS, REGROWTH, AND REGENERATION THAT LEAVES MY DOCTORS SCRATCHING THEIR HEADS AND HAVING TO ADMIT THAT THIS HEALING CAME STRAIGHT FROM YOU.

4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” THANK YOU LORD, THAT EVEN THOUGH MY BONES MAY HAVE BEEN ACHING, LOSING DENSITY, LOSING CARTILAGE, OR BECOMING ARTHRITIC, YOU ARE HOVERING OVER ME AND BREATHING LIFE BACK INTO THEM! YOUR BREATH IS CAUSING OXYGEN-RICH MARROW TO FORM IN MY BONES RIGHT THIS SECOND…AND THAT MARROW IS POURING HEALTHY, LIFE-FILLED, BRAND NEW BLOOD CELLS INTO MY BLOODSTREAM! MY BONES ARE TURNING BACK TIME TO WHEN I WAS MUCH YOUNGER. I AM LIKE CALEB IN THE BIBLE, AND I SAY THAT I HAVE NOT LOST ONE OUNCE OF MY STRENGTH. I AM WELL-ABLE TO TAKE MY MOUNTAIN FROM THE ENEMY! TENDONS, JOINTS ARE REGENERATING AND GETTING RIGHT AMOUNTS OF FLUID, AND DISKS ARE RE-INFLATING IN MY SPINE! BONE SPURS ARE DISSOLVING, AND TORN LIGAMENTS ARE RE-ATTACHING AND BECOMING STRONGER THAN BEFORE MY INJURY. THERE IS A LOOSENING OF MOVEMENT. ANY DIAGNOSIS IN MY CHART THAT HAS THE WORD “DEGENERATIVE” IN IT IS NOW REVERSED, IN JESUS NAME. I THANK YOU FOR INCREASED FLEXIBILITY AND RANGE OF MOTION WITHOUT PAIN! THANK YOU THAT I AM BEGINNING TO SEE AND FEEL A CHANGE AT ONCE; THANK YOU FOR CONFIRMATION THAT YOUR WORD IS ALREADY AT WORK IN MY BODY. WHETHER YOU BRING MY HEALING GRADUALLY OR IN A “SUDDENLY” MOMENT, I TRUST YOU AND I THANK YOU FOR EVERY INCREMENT OF IMPROVEMENT!

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. THANK YOU LORD, THAT THIS CHANGE IN MY BONES ISN’T JUST IN APPEARANCE ONLY; THERE REALLY IS LIFE COMING BACK TO THEM! BLOOD CIRCULATION IS IMPROVING IN MY EXTREMITIES. MY HANDS AND FEET AND LIMBS AREN’T COLD AND NUMB, NOT ACHY OR TINGLY. THANK YOU THAT I AM NOT “EAT UP WITH CANCER;” I AM NOT “EAT UP” WITH ARTHRITIS. TO THE CONTRARY, YOUR WORD IS EATING UP THE CANCER AND THE ARTHRITIS…GOBBLING IT RIGHT UP EVERY TIME I LET YOUR WORD COME OUT OF MY MOUTH! IF THERE IS ANY MALIGNANCY HIDING IN MY BONES, THANK YOU FOR THE IMMEDIATE DEATH OF THOSE ABNORMAL CELLS. THANK YOU THAT PERFECTLY HEALTHY CELLS ARE SPRINGING UP AT ONCE WHERE COMPROMISED CELLS WERE GROWING. CANCER AND ARTHRITIS AND ALL OTHER “GROWING” DISEASES ARE FORBIDDEN TO KEEP SPREADING NOW. I HAVE APPLIED THE BLOOD OF JESUS LIKE A SUPERNATURAL WEED KILLER TO ALL THOSE DISEASES. THEY NO LONGER GET TO CHOKE THE JOY OF LIVING OUT OF ME. CANCER AND ARTHRITIS CELLS HAVE LOST THEIR ABILITY TO MULTIPLY…THEY ARE DYING OFF AS WE SPEAK! HEALING, HEALING, HEALING IS MINE!

9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. THANK YOU LORD, FOR CAUSING A QUICKENING TO COME IN MY WEIGHT-BEARING BONES. I CAN STAND, WALK, MAINTAIN MY BALANCE, EVEN LIFT AND CARRY WHAT I NEED TO. THANK YOU FOR STRENGTH RISING ON THOSE WHO WAIT ON YOU! YES, LORD, I AM PART OF YOUR VAST ARMY. MY BONES ARE NO LONGER VERY DRY! MY PURPOSE IS NO LONGER DEAD AND SCATTERED. EMPLOY MY HEALED BODY FOR YOUR PURPOSES IN THESE LAST DAYS…YOUR ARMY IS INCREASED BY ONE RIGHT NOW! I AM OUT OF THE INFIRMARY AND READY TO REPORT FOR DUTY, SIR!

11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’” THANK YOU LORD, FOR CAUSING MY LATTER DAYS TO FAR SUPERSEDE MY FORMER DAYS. YOU WILL USE ME IN WAYS THAT I WASN’T EVEN ABLE TO BE USED WHEN I WAS MUCH YOUNGER. THANK YOU FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO TESTIFY OF YOUR GOODNESS, TO LAY HANDS ON THE SICK AND TO SEE THEM RECOVER JUST AS YOU’RE CAUSING ME TO RECOVER NOW!

Bible-Based Healing Confessions Over Headaches

We don’t read a great deal in the Word about the headaches specifically, but they are certainly a part of the curse (which, incidentally, His children have been made free from, when we embrace and walk in covenant with our God). One miracle I can call to mind instantly is in II Kings Chapter 4, where Elisha raised the Shunammite woman’s son back from the dead after the child died with terrible pains in his head. Perhaps migraine, aneurism, heat stroke…we don’t know exactly what proved fatal for that boy; but we can surmise from that account that God is well-able to cure not only a headache that feels like it could kill us…but also whatever the root cause behind it might be.

Exodus 34:8 – And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped. FATHER, IT’S NO WONDER WHY THE ENEMY WOULD TRY TO RATTLE ME WITH A HEADACHE. YOU PLACE GREAT VALUE ON THE HEAD. IT IS THE SEAT OF OUR SOULS, THE ORIGIN OF OUR THOUGHTS. IT’S OUR SYMBOL OF AUTHORITY. JUST AS THE PRIEST WOULD PLACE HIS HAND ON THE HEAD OF THE ANIMAL TO SACRIFICE FOR SINS OF THE PEOPLE, TO TRANSFER THE SINS TO THE ANIMAL, LORD, I KNOW THAT THE HEAD IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN SIN AND SALVATION FOR ME. IT GOVERNS MY DECISION-MAKING. PLEASE, PLACE YOUR HAND ON MY HEAD, FATHER, AND TRANSFER OUT THE CAUSE OF MY PAIN IN JESUS’ NAME. DRAW IT OUT OF ME, FOR JESUS HAS ALREADY BECOME MY SACRIFICE. I BOW MY HEAD TO YOU AND WORSHIP, EVEN WHILE I WAIT FOR THE PAIN TO SUBSIDE, I BOW THIS SEAT OF MY AUTHORITY TO YOU IN SUBMISSION. I HUMBLE MYSELF BEFORE YOU WHEN I AM WELL, AND ALSO WHEN I AM IN PAIN. THANK YOU FOR HEALING ME OF THIS HEADACHE, O LORD!

Psalms 23:5 – Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. FATHER, THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING THE ENEMY TO WATCH AS YOU ANOINT MY HEAD WITH OIL AND CAUSE MY CUP TO RUN OVER WITH YOUR BLESSINGS! I WILL FEEL LIKE ENJOYING THE FEAST OF YOUR GOODNESS BECAUSE MY HEAD IS ANOINTED AND ABSORBING YOUR HEALING POWER.

Psalms 140:7 – O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle. THANK YOU, FATHER, FOR COVERING MY HEAD IN THE DAY OF BATTLE. TODAY THAT BATTLE WOULD CAUSE DISTRESS IN MY HEAD BY PAIN AND CONFUSION, BUT I RECEIVE STRENGTH FROM YOU AND I ALSO RECEIVE RELIEF FROM PAIN, TOO. THE DEVIL MAY BE TRYING TO WAR AGAINST ME, BUT I AM WARRING RIGHT BACK, IN JESUS’ NAME, AND I’M COVERED!

Psalms 141:5 – Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities. THANK YOU LORD, FOR RIGHTEOUS COUNSEL WHICH SPEAKS TRUTH INTO MY LIFE. WHENEVER I SUBMIT TO THE AUTHORITY OF GODLY COUNSELORS AND TO YOUR WORD, IT’S AN ANOINTING OIL ON MY HEAD. MY HEAD IS NOT BREAKING, IT’S BEING HEALED, IN JESUS’ NAME!

John 14:27 – Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. FATHER, ALTHOUGH THIS HEADACHE HAS BEEN ATTEMPTING TO ROB ME OF MY PEACE, I CLING TO YOUR PEACE, AND I FORBID EVEN SICKNESS TO TAKE IT FROM ME. I RELEASE ANY WORRY, STRESS, TENSION, AND FEAR WHICH MIGHT BE AGGRAVATING THE SYMPTOMS, AND I COMMAND PEACE TO REIGN IN MY MORTAL BODY NOW, IN JESUS’ NAME! PEACE, PERFECT LOVE, DRIVE OUT ALL FEAR AND DOUBT WHICH OPEN THE DOOR TO SICKNESS AND DISEASE. I GIVE THANKS TO YOU, LORD, AS I FEEL THE TENSION RELAXING IN MY BACK, SHOULDERS, NECK AND HEAD. THANK YOU THAT THIS PEACE IS ALSO CALMING MY STOMACH FROM ANY NAUSEA AND MY NERVES FROM FEELING A WRECK. I AM FREE FROM THE CURSE!

Jonah 4:8 – And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live. FATHER, THANK YOU FOR HEALING ME OF HEADACHES CAUSED BY BRIGHT LIGHTS, HEAT, AND BAROMETRIC PRESSURE CHANGES. THANK YOU AS WELL FOR HELPING ME TO RELEASE NEGATIVE EMOTIONS THAT OPEN ME UP TO SUFFERING. IF I AM HARBORING UNFORGIVENESS, A GRUDGE, HURT FEELINGS, HATRED, PREJUDICE, OR ANY OTHER EMOTION THAT DISPLEASES YOU, I RELEASE IT NOW AND ASK YOUR FORGIVENESS. I DON’T WANT TO GRIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT—THAT’S EVEN WORSE TO ME THAN HAVING THE HEADACHE. PLEASE, REVEAL TO ME WHEN MY ACTIONS WARRANT REPENTANCE AND TRUE CHANGE!

1 Samuel 28:2 – And David said to Achish, Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do. And Achish said to David, Therefore will I make thee keeper of mine head for ever. FATHER, I PUT YOU IN CHARGE OF MY HEAD TODAY. MAY YOU BE THE “KEEPER OF MY HEAD” FOREVER, BECAUSE IT IS IN THE BEST POSSIBLE CARE WHEN YOU ARE KEEPING WATCH OVER ME. THE HEADACHE DOESN’T HAVE PERMISSION TO REIGN OVER MY HEAD AND MY THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS, BECAUSE YOU ARE IN CHARGE!

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. LORD, I ASK YOU FOR WISDOM TO REVEAL ANY FOODS, DRINK, CHEMICALS, PRESERVATIVES, ENVIRONMENTAL CAUSES, EYESTRAIN, OR OTHER FACTORS TO ME NOW. I EMBRACE YOUR WISDOM, AND I WILL USE WHATEVER WORDS OF KNOWLEDGE YOU SEND INTO MY LIFE TO EQUIP MYSELF FOR PREVENTION OF FUTURE HEADACHES! I AM NOT THE VICTIM ANY LONGER OF MY ENVIRONMENT, BUT I AM PROACTIVE TO MAKE HEALTHY CHOICES. I THANK YOU FOR HONORING MY HEALTHY CHOICES, AND FOR SURPASSING EVEN MY DILIGENT EFFORTS WITH YOUR HEALING POWER.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; THANK YOU, GOD, FOR PROVING OVER AND OVER AGAIN THAT I CAN TRUST YOU EVEN WHEN I DON’T HAVE A GRIP ON WHAT’S GOING ON. I DON’T FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT OPENS THE DOOR TO SICKNESS, AND I DON’T ALWAYS FORESEE AN ATTACK OF THE ENEMY—BUT OH, FATHER, YOU DO! I TRUST YOU TO BRING THE MANIFESTATION OF THE HEALING ALREADY MADE AVAILABLE TO ME BY THE ATONEMENT.

Jonah 2:5 – The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. THANK YOU FATHER, FOR HEALING ME FROM HEADACHES WHICH FEEL LIKE A TIGHT BAND AROUND MY HEAD. YOU ARE PROTECTING ME FROM ANY LONG-TERM DAMAGE. IF MY BLOOD PRESSURE IS HIGH, OR IF FLUID RETENTION OR OTHER HEALTH FACTORS ARE CAUSING MY HEAD TO HURT, I THANK YOU FOR TAKING CARE OF THOSE OTHER CONDITIONS AS WELL, WHETHER THEY BE KNOWN OR HIDDEN.

Psalm 37:5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. FATHER, I COMMIT MY HEALTH, MY PLANS, MY HABITS, MY AFFECTIONS, AND ALL I HAVE TO YOU. I GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO REARRANGE WHATEVER IN MY LIFE IS CAUSING ME TO HAVE SICKNESS OR COMPROMISED HEALTH. THANK YOU FOR TAKING CARE OF ME AND FOR CAUSING HEALING TO BE EVIDENT, AS I REMAIN COMMITTED ONLY TO YOU.

Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. JESUS, I CAN BELIEVE! YOU’VE SHOWN ME TIME AND AGAIN THROUGHOUT THE WORD THAT MY GOD CAN BE TRUSTED! ALL THINGS REALLY ARE POSSIBLE TO ME BECAUSE I CHOOSE NOT TO BE SKEPTICAL ABOUT THE ENDURING POWER OF MY HEAVENLY FATHER!

Jeremiah 32:27 Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me? FATHER, YOU ARE EVEN GOD OF MY FLESH. YOU AREN’T JUST TAKING RESIDENCE IN MY SPIRIT MAN; YOU ARE ALSO IN EVERY CELL OF MY BODY, EVERY ORGAN, EVERY BREATH, EVERY DROP OF BLOOD. NOTHING IS HIDDEN INSIDE MY BODY—NOT EVEN DISEASE—THAT YOU CANNOT DISCOVER AND ANNIHILATE IF NECESSARY. I TRUST YOU TO HEAL THIS HEADACHE AND WHATEVER IS CAUSING IT. YOU ARE MORE POWERFUL THAN ANY ASPIRIN, ANY PAIN PILL, ANY THERAPY. I TAKE THE BLOOD OF JESUS AND APPLY IT TO THE PORTALS OF MY MIND. I APPLY IT TO SINUS CAVITY, MY BRAIN, MY BRAIN STEM, MY CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, AND ALL THE VERTEBRAE THAT MAKE UP MY SPINAL COLUMN. I RECEIVE HEALING AND ALIGNMENT IN ALL THE AFFECTED AREAS. IN JESUS’ NAME, I DECLARE THAT THERE IS NO ABNORMAL CONSTRICTION OR DILATION OF BLOOD VESSELS, NO TUMORS OR GROWTHS, NO BLOCKAGES, NO PINCHED NERVES, NO IMPINGEMENTS OR CRIMPING, OR BULGED DISKS, AND THERE IS NO MORE TENSION IN MY NECK MUSCLES. THANK YOU FOR OPENING UP MY SINUSES AND HEALING ME OF ALLERGIES. THANK YOU FOR DISSOLVING THE CAUSE OF THIS HEADACHE LIKE A SNOWBALL ON TOP OF A STOVE! IN JESUS’ NAME, I SEE THAT HEADACHE BEGIN TO MELT AND EVAPORATE. THERE IS NOTHING TOO HARD FOR YOU, O GOD!

John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” FATHER, AS YOUR CHILD I’M NOT EXEMPT FROM ATTACKS BY THE ENEMY, BUT I AM SAFE IN YOU! THIS HEADACHE IS AN ATTACK ON MY WELL-BEING AND MY HAPPINESS; BUT I WILL NOT DESPAIR. JESUS, YOU OVERCAME THE WORLD, AND I AM IN YOU. I REAP THE BENEFITS OF YOUR TAKING THE KEYS OF DEATH, HELL, AND THE GRAVE! THANK YOU THAT YOU WILL ALWAYS PROVIDE AN OUTLET FROM THE TORMENTS OF THE WICKED ONE. THIS HEADACHE TOO SHALL PASS!

Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. THANKS, PAPA GOD, FOR PERFECT PEACE AS I RELEASE THE FRUSTRATIONS OF THE DAY INTO YOUR HANDS. MY HEAD MAY HAVE BEEN HURTING, BUT MY MIND IS FIXED FIRMLY ON YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE THE SOURCE OF MY HEALING! I TRUST YOU AND I WAIT CONFIDENTLY FOR THE HEALING TO MANIFEST, IN JESUS’ NAME.

Romans 8:17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. JESUS, WE HAVE THE PROMISE THAT IF WE SHARE IN YOUR SUFFERINGS, WE MAY ALSO SHARE IN YOUR GLORY! I DON’T KNOW THIS FOR A FACT, BUT I IMAGINE THAT NOT ONE PART OF YOUR BODY WASN’T HURTING TERRIBLY ON THE CROSS—INCLUDING YOUR HEAD. YOU SUFFERED ALL THINGS THAT WE HAVE, YET WITHOUT SIN. YOU ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO HAVE A BAD HEADACHE! YOU LOVE ME ENOUGH TO SHARE YOUR HEIRSHIP WITH ME…AND THE HEALING THAT COMES FROM BEING IN COVENANT WITH OUR FATHER. THANK YOU!

2 Corinthians 1:5-6 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. THANK YOU FATHER, THAT YOU ARE LIBERAL IN YOUR BLESSINGS TOWARD ME. I MAY SUFFER IN THE FLESH FROM TIME TO TIME, AND I MAY HAVE PAIN IN MY BODY, BUT YOU ARE DOLING OUT MORE THAN ENOUGH COMFORT TO CONSOLE ME AS I WAIT FOR THE PAIN TO SUBSIDE. THANK YOU THAT YOU CARE FOR MY NEEDS, AND THAT YOU REWARD ME FOR PATIENTLY LOOKING TO YOU FOR MY HELP.

Psalm 71:20 You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth. LORD, THANK YOU FOR RESTORING ME FROM EVEN MY WORST SICKNESSES AND PAIN. I WILL NOT ALWAYS S BE HURTING LIKE I AM IN THIS MOMENT…THERE IS A REST IF I WILL CONTINUE TO CONFESS YOUR WORD AND BELIEVE. I TRUST YOU TO WORK ALL THINGS FOR MY GOOD! THIS HEADACHE HAS NO CHOICE BUT TO PASS.

Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. FATHER, I CAST THE BURDEN OF THIS PAIN, AS WELL AS ANY WORRIES I MAY HAVE, UPON YOU. I CLIMB INTO MY PAPA GOD’S LAP AND ALLOW YOU TO CRADLE ME AND COMFORT ME WHILE I AM IN PAIN. YOU WILL NEVER ALLOW SICKNESS AND PAIN TO PLUCK ME OUT OF YOUR HAND! THEY CANNOT SHAKE ME OUT OF YOUR PRESENCE.

Psalm 103:2-3 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases. I BLESS YOU, FATHER, FOR WHO YOU ARE AND ALL YOU’VE DONE FOR ME. THANK YOU FOR TAKING TIME TO LOVE ME AND HEAR MY CRIES FOR HELP. THANK YOU FOR FORGIVING MY WORST SINS, EVEN THE ONES I HAVE COMMITTED MORE THAN ONCE. THANK YOU FOR HEALING ALL MY DISEASES. EVEN THIS HEADACHE HAS TO GO AWAY BECAUSE YOU HEAL ALL MY DISEASE.

Psalm 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. FATHER, I MAY DEAL WITH MY SHARE OF AFFLICTIONS, BUT I AM NOT CHAINED TO THEM! YOU DELIVER ME OUT OF EVERY SNARE, TRAP, ATTACK, AMBUSH; EVERY ACCIDENT, ILLNESS, ATTACK ON MY FAMILY, ATTACK ON MY CHARACTER, ATTACK ON MY FAITH. NOTHING ESCAPES YOUR WATCH OVER ME! IF THE ENEMY DARES TRY TO SLIP ONE PAST YOU, HE WILL HAVE TO WATCH IN VAIN AS YOU RESCUE ME. THANK YOU THAT NOT EVEN PHYSICAL PAIN IS BEYOND YOUR CAPABILITY TO DELIVER.

Psalm 30:2 O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health. THANK YOU, LORD, FOR PAYING ATTENTION TO MY CRIES FOR HELP! YOU DON’T DESPISE ME FOR BEING WEAK AND NEEDY, BUT YOU HAVE GREAT COMPASSION ON ME WHEN I AM HURTING. THANK YOU FOR RESTORING MY HEALTH AND FOR HOLDING MY HAND AS I WAIT FOR THE PAIN TO SUBSIDE.

Psalm 119:50 This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life. THANK YOU FATHER, THAT YOUR WORD GIVES ME LIFE. I AM NOT ONLY COMFORTED AS I BATTLE THIS HEADACHE, I HAVE THE ASSURANCE THAT IT IS ALREADY HEALED BY THE VICIOUS STRIPES JESUS BORE ON THE WAY TO CALVARY’S HILL. HE GAVE HIS LIFE, I NOW HAVE LIFE. THANK YOU FOR HEALING THIS HEADACHE AND ALL MY AFFLICTIONS!