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May Gray

While the calendar says it’s Spring almost Summer, today in SoCal it’s a gray dreary day. Flowers are blooming, but the sun isn’t shining. School’s almost out and it’s time to go to the beach, but it’s too cold.

There’s a spiritual similarity. We’ve had the realization of God’s love in our lives, yet we are overshadowed by the darkness of shame from things in the past. We’ve received God’s forgiveness, yet guilt still hangs over us like a spiritual weather system. Our past pours a mixture of depression and unworthiness over us.

We’ve blown it badly, not just once but many times. Even though we know we’ve been forgiven, we can’t escape the troubling idea that somehow the things in our past disqualify us from really being used by God. As a result we make subconscious departures from God’s purpose for our lives. The best we can imagine is that the Lord will only accept us…barely.

It’s about leaving…and returning

It’s good and necessary for us to turn our backs on different parts of our lives. Some of the most important changes in our lives will involve some kind disconnecting. However, there is also “returning” that is necessary, and even powerful.

In rebellion the prodigal son packed his bags and left for a distant country, but in brokeness he packed his bags again and returned home. He was a changed man. He was never the same.

It’s about leaving the old ways of thinking and doing, and having something beautiful happen inside of you. Something that is born in you that wasn’t there before. Learning to love yourself and learning to love others, and no longer being controlled by the past. God wants to make this kind of character transformation in your life.

Before you might have been a person with an extreme temper, but after God makes changes in your life, you can face the same things and hardly get bothered. Resentful people become gracious celebrators of others’ blessings. Bitter people become filled with contentment even in the presence of those who hurt them.

Double honor for double shame

God’s plan is to recover you so completely that you become a living miracle. God has announced…

“…you will be called a priest of the Lord, a minister of our God…Instead of shame and dishonor, you will enjoy a double share of honor.” (Isaiah 61:6, 7, NLT)

It doesn’t matter to what extent you’ve made wrong choices, your past does not define you. Instead of shame, you will be honored. Instead of retreating in guilt, you will step forward in usefulness to God. So when the grayness of your past tries to overshadow you, tell it to back its bags and leave.

More Dangerous

This week our country observes Memorial Day. We commemorate the U.S. men and women who have died while in military service. We are thankful for those who have laid their lives down for this great country. They have defended our freedom and kept us safe from various threats and enemies.

The most serious threat to us however, is something the military cannot keep us safe from. The greatest threat comes in a form much more terrible than ISIS. Its strategy is far stealthier than any terrorist could devise.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
(2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

Strongholds are areas in our minds where darkness tries to hide. They affect our soul and undermine faith. They tempt us in our thinking to accept lies as truth, and left unchecked are dangerous doorways for the demonic.

Weapons of Our Warfare

God has equipped us to stand up and take what is rightfully ours. We are God’s people, and as long as we are on this planet the powers of hell are subject to you in Jesus’ name. To enjoy freedom, we must learn to use God’s mighty weapons.

The WORD OF GOD is the first weapon that sets us free! It’s important that we learn the Word through preaching, teaching, books, tapes, seminars, small Bible study groups, and/or our own private studies. But the sword of the Spirit is made most effective when we speak it. It is by speaking God’s truth that the strongholds from the Satan’s lies begin to dismantle.

The second effective weapon is PRAYER! True prayer reflects a relationship with God and shows that we depend on Him. We are His children, and He is our Father. When we pray, we open the door for God’s help. We ask Him to free our minds and give us victory over Satan’s strongholds. God answers those prayers. In fact, God is more eager to answer our prayers for help than we are to ask. Think of prayer this way: when we pray in faith, tremendous power is made available to us.

Another powerful weapon for tearing down strongholds is PRAISE! Praise helps us keep our minds on God, His power, and the good things that are taking place in our lives. It is proof that we believe so much that He can and will help us that we sing about it!

As we truly understand that we are God’s children, we will gain confidence to use the weapons of our warfare, and break every spiritual stronghold in our lives.

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Anxiety is “kryptonite” to a Christian

Living in the turmoil of anxiety, worry, and fear is actually abnormal for a believer. Peace should be the Christian’s normal condition. Yet many do not enjoy peace as regular part of their daily lives. Anxiety becomes a stronghold that paralyzes people, by cluttering their thinking, killing their dreams, and thereby derailing their destiny.

Anxiety, worry and fear may be influenced by natural things, but they are spiritual in nature. The Bible says that, “God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7). From this we see that the “spirit of fear” does not come from God and therefore is from Satan, who wishes to steal, kill and destroy our lives.

A Spider’s Web

It is difficult to isolate one strand of the anxiety’s web from the rest of the web. It is often difficult to isolate one cause from other related factors. The main thing that anxiety feeds on is the guilt of sin.

When God created Adam and Eve, there was no evidence of anxiety in man. There was perfect harmony between God and His creation. But sin separated Adam and caused him to hide in fear.

Sometimes there are learned anxieties that we’ve picked up during our childhood and adolescent years. There is an accumulation of things that we derive from our experiences. Anxiety can also be empowered by ignorance; the less we know about something, the greater our level of anxiety. Anxiety can also be fueled by our imagination. Many of our fears are imaginary; they’re about what might happen.

False Evidence Appearing Real

Many of our fears come from failing to grasp our position and status in Christ. We are overloaded with guilty feelings and burdened with a poor self-image of who we are in Christ that leads to fear of failure, fear of rejection, and other qualms.

The greatest source of peace comes from applying the power of forgiveness on the source of our guilt.

First, we are to confess our sins and ask God to forgive us through Jesus Christ.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Second, we are to confess our wrong to those we have wronged. Asking forgiveness and making restitution (if appropriate), will help roll away the reproach and restore relationships.

“Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23–24)

Third, we are to forgive ourselves

“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)

When you were saved, we were placed into union with Jesus Christ. You are one with Him, united in His death, burial, and resurrection. You are His adopted child, placed into His family forever. You are no longer under condemnation. You are completely accepted with God who will never accuse you or berate you.

Fearful thought patterns in a believer must be overcome and replaced with the confident thoughts of the Word of God–your very destiny is at stake here!

Over the last few decades the term “generational curses” has been used to help explain why people struggle with certain things. Various references to Old Testament passages are used to give biblical support, such as:

“I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. (Exodus 20:5, NLT)

Ministering to people with “generational curses” usually involves having people recall areas their siblings, parents, grandparents, etc. have struggling with and what similar things are in their own lives. Then some type of prayer for deliverance made over them.

Families and Familiar Spirits

All families have traits or characteristics that are passed down from generation to generation. There are physical traits, such as blonde hair and blue eyes. Some families have a history of significant musical or athletic accomplishments passed down from parents to children, to grandchildren and even great-grandchildren.

There are soul-ish traits that are passed on in families, such things as attitudes, mannerisms, likes and dislikes. This would include learned mindsets like racism, bigotry and sexism.

There are also spiritual traits that are passed down from generation to generation. There are family spirits, or “familiar” spirits, that pass down from generation to generation. It can be things like depression, divorce, alcoholism, drug addiction, anger or perversion, to name a few.

For example a spirit of perversion can manifest things like lust, adultery, fornication and molestation. Incest is certainly a generational and/or a family curse. What is actually happening is a demonic spirit comes around again and again to bring temptations. Personally, I have never been tempted to do crystal meth. To my knowledge, nobody in my family history has struggled with meth, so this isn’t the type of thing that a familiar spirit would try against me. A familiar spirit brings temptation that is familiar to you and your family line.

There is Power in the Blood!

The precious blood of Jesus not only paid for our sins, but it also paid for our healing and our deliverance. This includes the breaking of all curses, including generational curses.

“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’).”
(Galatians 3:13, NKJV)

“Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
(1 Peter 1:18–19, NKJV)

But the blood must be applied to break the curse. In the original Passover the innocent little lamb was slain. Then the blood had to be applied to the doorposts and lintel, or the curse would strike the first born of the household. Applying the blood broke the curse of death. Jesus is the spotless Lamb of God, who was slain to take our curses upon Him. His blood was shed for us!

You Can Put a Stop To It

If you have a family legacy of negativity, addictions, poverty, divorce, greed or selfishness, you can be the one to put a stop to it. And the good news is that you don’t have to do this alone. God offers us the help of His Spirit to empower you to put a stop to these destructive habits and make life even more productive for your descendants.

Think generationally in your life. How you live today and the kind of power you experience in your relationship with God will pass on a spiritual legacy that will bring blessings to your descendants for generations to come.

One morning King David was reflecting on his battle conquests. A song began to rise within him…

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” (Psalm 20:7, NIV)

David knew what it was like to face enemies who had put their trust in their weaponry, only to see them fall in defeat. He also knew about another enemy who laid in wait for him. This enemy was stealthy, looking for David to put his trust in anything other than God.

A stronghold is anything a person trusts more than God

Trust is an expression of faith. Whenever a person puts their trust in something other than God it allows Satan to gain access and build a stronghold. This is why the Bible tells us…

“Do not give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:27, NKJV)

The word “place” in Greek is “topos”. We get our word “topography” from the same word. Literally we are being warned to not give “territory” our lives to the devil, because that surrendered spiritual geography a becomes place where he can build a stronghold.

Satan and his hosts of spiritual darkness are attracted to misplaced trust. They do not care where a person’s trust is placed, just as long it’s not in God. Proverbs gives us an interesting word picture about the connection of trust and strongholds…

“One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty and pull down the stronghold in which they trust.” (Proverbs 21:22, NIV)

The key phrase is, the stronghold in which they trust. If you can find the place where a person has placed their trust in other than God, you will find a stronghold that has been fortified by Satan’s power.

But God’s wisdom empowers us to identify and dismantle Satan’s strongholds.

Trust Attracts

Anything that earns our trust, other than God, attracts the demonic. But faith also attracts. Faith draws in the power of God and His resources. Even angels are attracted when we put our trust in God because they are assigned to us as, “ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation,” (Hebrews 1:14).

Trusting God is a privilege that is strengthened through knowing His Word and promises. My friend Dick Mills once told me that he had memorized over 7,700 promises in the Bible. As a result, thousands and thousands of people were ministered to by strength that Dick had as he spoke God’s promises over their lives.

What stubborn issues are you facing? God’s strength is available to you right now. Put your trust is Him, and watch the strongholds of habits, bondages, generational issues, demonic attack, etc., fall in defeat.

Additional Questions to Ask

When asking the question of whether it’s God’s will to heal or not, it might be helpful to ask some additional questions:

• Was Jesus’ blood shed for all people’s sin, or just select people’s sins?
• Were the stripes Jesus bore for all illnesses or only certain illnesses?
• Is it possible that God would choose to heal one person while not healing another?
• Was healing only for certain seasons of Church history?

The fact is when Jesus’ blood was shed He made the payment for all of our sins. In the same way when He took the stripes from the scourging of the cat o’ nine tails on His body He made the payment for all our healing.

He already decided to heal

You can’t decide not to buy something after you’ve already bought it. There are no deficiencies on God’s end of things. The covenant made through Jesus’ blood is not deficient, nor are His promises. Anything lacking is on our end of the equation.

Besides Jesus not being able to do any significant miracles in His hometown of Nazareth, the only other instance of someone who wasn’t healed during Jesus’ ministry was when His disciples prayed for man’s tormented child. They had no breakthrough. But then, Jesus came and brought healing and deliverance to the child.

The things Jesus did are summarized this way…

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38, NKJV)

And it’s by the things that Jesus did and said that God and His will are revealed to us. Jesus said…

“The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19, NKJV)

“He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9, NKJV)

Jesus IS the will of God

Jesus Christ is perfect theology. We can’t lower the standard of what scripture records to fit our level of experience…or our inexperience. To say that it is God’s will to heal may be a very uncomfortable realization for the religious mindset. Many have created doctrines that you can’t find in the person of Jesus. But Jesus is the will of God, and He healed all who were sick. And He’s still doing it!

One of the greatest preachers who ever lived was a man named Charles Spurgeon. He pastored a church in London during the late 1800s called the Metropolitan Tabernacle.

There were five young men who wanted to hear Spurgeon preach, so they travelled to London. They arrived early for a Sunday morning service but found that the doors were locked. While waiting for the place to open, they were greeted by a man who asked, “Gentlemen, is this your first time here?” They told him it was. “Well, let me show you around.”

The man brought them inside the church. He then asked, “Would you like to see how we heat the church?” They weren’t really interested because it was a hot day in July, but they didn’t want to offend the stranger so they consented. They were then taken down a stairway, a door was quietly opened, and their guide whispered and pointed, “This is how we heat the church.”

Surprised, the young men saw hundreds of people throughout the room kneeling in prayer. They could hear people calling on the Lord and asking for His blessing. Softly closing the door, the man put out his hand then introduced himself. It was Pastor Charles Spurgeon.

The Greatest Use of Your Faith

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3)

Satan isn’t troubled by us having discussions about the Bible, or voicing complaints to each other about the horrible state of today’s culture. These things do nothing to unleash the power of God. But a Believer who understands the power of prayer is formidable threat.

God’s people can conquer anything by through faith, and the prayer of faith is the most valuable, most powerful, and most far-reaching exercise of our faith. Is it any wonder that Satan does his best to take this weapon from the Believer, or hinder him from using it?

The first century church, and all other victorious believers throughout time, had one instinct: PRAY. When in trouble: PRAY. When intimidated: PRAY. When uncertain: PRAY. When persecuted: PRAY.

Prayer Changes Things…and People

“Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.” (Psalms 80:18)

As we open up our lives to God’s power, He WILL begin to revive us, however things may not follow a predetermined schedule or order. Who can outline what God has in mind? But one thing’s for sure, God has not changed. He is still superior to anything the enemy can throw against us. No situation is too hopeless for the power that the prayer of faith accesses.

God will be no more eager to respond tomorrow than He is right now. He is waiting for you to take His promises seriously and go boldly to the throne of grace, and call on Him in prayer. Things will change, including you!

A few months ago I got fitted for contacts. After wearing glasses for 40+ years it was amazing to be free of those things hanging over my eyes. But the process of getting the right prescription for contacts was pretty challenging.

My ophthalmologist had me look through a machine with lots of lenses (refraction test) and determined the best prescription. Then the doctor gave me a trial pair of contacts, which I wore for a couple of weeks. I then returned for a follow-up exam prior to ordering the permanent contacts.

The doctor asked me how the contacts were working to which I answered that they were pretty good. She then had me look at an eye chart while wearing the contacts. I was able to read some of the letters, but not all of them. Dissatisfied, the doctor pulled out a round lens and held it in front of my and asked me if that were better. “Yes!” I answered. “Much more clear!”

The Lens of Your Philosophy

All of us have a set of beliefs, ideas, and values that we look at the world through. This view of the world is our philosophy of life. It has been affected and formulated by our upbringing, our experiences, and what we hold true. Like a set of contacts lenses, our philosophy filters how we look at things.

People who don’t believe in the God of the Bible, view the world through a much different lens than those who do. But even among those who do believe in God, there are diverse lenses of philosophy.

When Jesus came to earth, his people couldn’t see Him as the Messiah because the lens of who they thought the Messiah to be filtered what they saw. Today there are people who believe Jesus was the Messiah, but aren’t sure if it’s God’s will to do miraculous things.

God is Holding Up Another Lens

Like my eye doctor who wouldn’t let me be stuck with “pretty good” vision, God is holding another lens for the church…

• A lens confirmed by His Word and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
• A lens that can gives us the ability to look at things that are not as though they were.
• A lens that corrects what the Devil would love us to settle for, and see beyond our fleshly limitations.

This kind of spiritual lens is not welcome in all churches, much less by all Believers. But Jesus said that for us who would believe in Him, He would give us the power to become the sons of God. This is power that will shape your worldview and give you a philosophy that all things are possible.

God loves you too much to let you settle for a religious status-quo. He wants you to believe that His promises are still available, and that He is willing and able to perform them for you. So no matter how long you’ve had those dead religious viewpoints hanging over your eyes, look again at what you see. It’s going to be amazing!!!

Who Me?

Major changes take place when Jesus becomes Lord of your life. One of the most significant changes, yet often overlooked, is the fact that your body becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit.

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19)

The truth and reality of this verse should be a motivation for you to take care of your physical body. Engaging in physical activity, eating well, drinking lots of water, being free from drugs and other addictions, and getting plenty of sleep are a few key behaviors that contribute to good health.

Yet keeping up the willpower and strength to engage in these healthy behaviors can be difficult. While there are various reasons, it could be because your focus is your behavior instead of the God who now lives inside you.

“You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:20)

Jesus Endured the Cross

How often and how deeply do you dwell on the cross and on what Jesus had to physically endure? How frequently are you grateful for the physical sacrifice that Jesus made for you? Paul writes the following…

“As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross my interest in this world has been crucified.” (Galatians 6:14)

While there was certainly a spiritual battle going on, Jesus could have never endured the agony and suffering of the cross without having the physical strength to do so. It should cause us to ask ourselves if there are endeavors we might be spiritual fit for, but we don’t have the physical strength for them.

There are endless resources about choosing nutritious foods, about engaging in exercise, and about habits that are conducive to physical wellness. But those instructions carry no power. They are merely facts.

Paul preached that there is power in the cross, even though it seemed foolish to others. It’s in the cross that the spiritual power of God is released into the lives.

“It pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.” (1 Corinthians 1:21, 23)

The Reason People Fail

Dietary, physical activity, and other health-related guidelines are there to direct us and provide us with the means to be healthy. Where many of us fail is that we make following these guidelines like laws. We try to live according to these “laws” independent of our relationship with Jesus. And so we fail time and time again in our attempts to engage in healthy behaviors.

“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Make the Most of What You Have

The fact is God’s Spirit lives within us, and it’s his Spirit who gives us the grace and spiritual power to make healthy choices. This understanding is key to experiencing the fullness of God’s power in all aspects of our lives.

Our desire to be healthy should not be rooted in ego or self-centeredness, but in making the most out of glorifying God through using our natural gifts and talents to their highest potential.

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10)

The beautiful thing is that healthy choices and behaviors will benefit our being used by God. As God moves within us by his Spirit to do something, we will have the strength and capability to do it!

When I was six years old I was diagnosed with Scarlet Fever. I was bedridden with a 104+ degree temperature for over a week. I couldn’t move, eat, or even talk. My parents were trusting God for my healing, but also battling fear as my condition grew steadily worse.

One night my dad was sitting by my bed praying. My fever had spiked to over 106 and I was slipping into a comatose state. Then something happened I would never forget.

I felt a cool hand on my forehead. I was awakened. “Dad did you touch me,” I asked. “No honey,” he answered, thinking I was delirious. “Go back to sleep.” I raised my voice and said, “No dad, somebody touched me!” At the same time I said that, I noticed I was feeling better. I sat up in bed and said with a loud voice, “DAD! Somebody touched me! And I feel BETTER!!!” Then across my bedroom I saw something moving.

Jesus Was There

Focusing my eyes, I could make out someone standing behind my dad. I couldn’t see his face, but he was wearing a white robe and some kind of purple sash.

I knew who it was.

I stood up on my bed pointing my finger and began yelling at the top of my lungs, “Dad! Dad! It’s Jesus! It’s Jesus!” My little emaciated skin and bone body was now jumping up and down. My dad turned to look but saw nothing. But I saw Jesus begin to ascend through the ceiling of my bedroom, and then was gone.

I was completely healed. I was also very hungry (my mom would always laugh later when telling the story of how much food I ate that night). The next day I ran and played (and ate more food) like a kid who had been raised from the dead.

Is it God’s Will to Heal?

Since that night, I’ve never doubted whether or not God can heal. Even as I got older and drifted in my spiritual walk, there’s nothing nor anyone that can take away what happened to me.

But there are many people who aren’t as certain.

The uncertainty isn’t about God’s ability to heal, but whether He is willing to heal. God’s sovereignty, His ways being higher than ours, thrown in with references to Job’s afflictions and/or Paul’s thorn in the flesh, are mixed with religious sounding jargon that saps people’s confidence when it comes to God’s willingness to heal.

There’s even adulation of people who claim that God has given them afflictions to teach them how to depend on Him and grow in spiritual maturity. They won’t say that God caused the affliction, but that He’s allowed it.

God’s Covenant to Heal

Jesus came to show us who God is. What Jesus said and did reveals God’s will and heart. Peter summarizes Jesus’ ministry this way…

“God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38, NKJV)

Notice that sickness and the devil are put in the same breath. It does not say that Jesus healed those who “were allowed to be oppressed” by the devil. In other words, any oppressive thing (sickness, disease, infirmity) that Jesus healed was caused by the devil.

This is powerfully illustrated in the way Jesus responds to the ruler of a synagogue. The ruler was upset that Jesus had healed a woman on the Sabbath. Jesus asks the man a question…

“Shouldn’t this woman, a descendant of Abraham whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?” (Luke 13:16, ISV)

By stating that this woman was a “daughter of Abraham,” Jesus is laying hold of one of the most important and powerful ingredients to knowing God’s willingness to heal: THE COVENANT. God has sworn in blood His promises to His people. And these covenantal promises, which will never change, include healing.

Why Aren’t All People Healed?

I would answer this question with a question, “Why aren’t all people saved? Isn’t it God it’s will that none should perish?”

Peter said that Jesus healed ALL who were oppressed. That was true everywhere except one place, His hometown of Nazareth. Those people couldn’t believe beyond Jesus being Joseph’s son. However, for those who DO believe, all things are possible, including healing.