Thank You Holy Spirit for the encouragement to go deeper. To hunger for more of You, Jesus Christ and Abba Father.
It is time to forsake the practices of worship that had become familiar and dive into a deeper knowledge of Abba Father:
God Who created Mount Everest, I want to know You more
God Who created the eagle, I want to know You more
God Who created the dolphin, I want to know You more
God Who created water, I want to You more deeply
God Who created the sky, I want to know You more
God Who created the sun, which gives us beautiful sunsets and sunrises, I want to know You more
God Who created the mysterious universe, I want to know You more
God Who created the bee, I want to know You more
God Who created my brain, I want to know You more
God Who created the air I breathe, I want to know You more deeply
God Who created my family and friends, I want to know You more intimately
God Who created the nations, which will bow their knees and confess You are Lord, I want to know you more
God Who possesses the power to heal and heals all sickness, diseases, ailments that afflict the human body, I want to know You more intimately
Sweet Holy Spirit, take me deeper into the ways of Jesus Christ, of Abba Father, of You.
I do not tell You as often as I should that I LOVE YOU JESUS CHRIST, HOLY SPIRIT AND ABBA FATHER!
You have been more than a dear friend to me. You have been more than my father or mother could ever be to me.
You are EVERYTHING to me.
You are all I have and I want to spend the rest of my life and eternity getting to know YOU
These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak in new tongues;they will pick up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them;they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well.” So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. – Mark 16:17-19 (AMP)
And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and toheal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease…Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead,cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. – Matthew 10:1,8 (NKJV)
And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits…So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them. – Mark 6:7,12-13 (NKJV)
Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, andto cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and toheal the sick. – Luke 9:1-2 (NKJV)
And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you. – Luke 10:9 (NKJV)
I was looking up teachings about healing because for a long time, one of the questions I had was, if Jesus told us to heal, how come I as a believer am not doing it? How come I do not see healings regularly taking place in churches. Also, several people I care about have had health struggles and I was becoming frustrated because my prayers did not appear to bear fruit. Then I happened to come across this article titled Jesus Never Told Us to Pray for the Sick. The title got my attention because I wondered, What???!!! I clicked the title and as I read it, my brain perked up! The author was right, based on the Bible verses (see above), Jesus commanded us to heal the sick, not pray for the sick. That had my attention!
I looked through YouTube and came across Pete Cabrera Jr:
Hope was starting to build. It is possible!
I decided to do likewise and so when my teenage cousin during the week complained to his Mom about a sharp pain on his side, I asked him if I could pray for him. He agreed and I placed my hand on his side and said, “pain be gone in Jesus’ Name”. He walked away and sat down. So I asked him on a scale of 10 how bad was his pain, he said it was a ‘5’ down from a ‘9’. So I called him back to pray for him and repeated the prayer. He walked away without a word and I told him to return for more prayer if the pain was still there.
The next day, I asked him if he had any pain and he said that the pain was a ‘0’, it went away the last time I prayed for him. Glory to The Lord Jesus Christ! I asked him if he had told Jesus thank you, and he said that he did so continuously afterward. So like in Luke 10:9, The Kingdom of God had come upon my teenage cousin! Jesus, You are so amazing!
I went to visit a friend in a care facility and prayed over him but later that week, he was taken to the hospital and then ICU. I did not understand. What happened? I watched another video:
Brother Pete was right, I had to search myself and know what my identity in Christ is!
So I asked The Holy Spirit. I was determined not to let sleep hold me back and I asked The Holy Spirit to teach me, if Jesus could spend enormous amounts of time in our Father’s presence, so could I. Therefore, that night, my friend and I found a 24/7 church and my goal was to learn as much as I could from The Holy Spirit as I interceded for our friend. I was ready to put up a fight for his soul. I never wanted to get to heaven and discover I did not do everything I could possibly do for him through prayer. So on it began. Below are the various prayers and statements I made as well as revelations I received:
Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I am stepping out-of-the-way. It is not about me, please Holy Spirit, pray through me.
I got the thought to declare that God is above the ICU! GLORY!
The thought that each and every person lying sick in a hospital bed or in their homes belongs to God, that God gave us power to heal.
I was encouraged to contend for our friend’s body and soul and the information that he was in ICU no longer scared me because God a zillion times more powerful than life and death and ICU is therefore powerless before Jesus, Abba Father and The Holy Spirit!
Then I realized that when God created our bodies, He never intended any body to be plagued by pain, diseases, illness, ailment, infection, or evil spirit.
I repented for, and asked The Holy Spirit to take away any fear, negative emotion, thought, and word contrary to The Word of God. I was contending for stillness of heart, confidence in God’s assurance, without wavering.
I quickly realized that I was contending for my attitude, I needed to replace any thoughts of fear, with those of God’s Word. I told The Holy Spirit that I no longer wanted to pray from a position of panic or fear, but from a position of conviction in Jesus Christ through The Holy Spirit.
I had to repent for any areas I had been hiding from God.
I realized that everything God says is true and always comes to pass, and that any doubt I may have is a hindrance to His promises coming true. I confessed that I would therefore be confident in God’s promises.
I realized that I should not be intimidated about requesting something big from God like healing because God wants me to request from Him and to withdraw whatever I want (like an ATM) from Him because He never runs out.
I will not be intimidated and will no longer have fear of any diseases, illnesses or afflictions in Jesus’ Name!
I therefore prayed with confidence over our friend.
Thank You Holy Spirit for helping me pray and giving me strength to endure! Please keep teaching me about healing, I am a student for life.
The next morning, we got a message that our friend had improved!
I pressed in more. I will continue to carry out this command of healing the sick that Jesus left us.
Another revelation that came to me the following day was that because our bodies are the temples of The Holy Spirit and we are not our own (1 Corinthians 6:19);
and because Jesus took our sicknesses upon His body and healed us through the stripes He bore (Isaiah 53:4-5): any sicknesses, illnesses, diseases, pain that may be in our loved ones bodies or ours, are trespassers and are violating Jesus’ command. They therefore must be evicted in Jesus’ Name! They must be commanded to get out of our bodies in The Name of JESUS! The power is in THE NAME OF JESUS!
What a powerful revelation: that illnesses, sicknesses, and diseases cower at the mention of THE NAME OF JESUS (just like they did when Jesus rebuked the demons named legion in Mark 5)!!! GLORY TO JESUS CHRIST! And when Jesus commands them to leave through us, THEY MUST LEAVE!
I pray that this will encourage you to use the authority you have as a believer in Jesus’ Name. That you will have boldness through The Name of Jesus Christ – The Name that is above every name. The Name that conquered cancer, The Name that conquered diabetes, high blood pressure and any other ailment!
And because you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, you have the ability to heal the sick in Jesus’ Name. For Jesus equipped you with authority and power. He has given you a spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind – not of fear (2 Timothy 1:7). All you need to do is exercise your power in Christ Jesus. Just say: “(Name of ailment), Jesus commands you to go now!” Repeat until wholeness is restored.
You are blessed!
“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” – Jesus (Luke 10:19-20)
10 And the devil who had deceived them was hurled into the lake of fire and burning brimstone (sulfur), where the beast (Antichrist) and false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night, forever and ever.
14 Then death and Hades [the realm of the dead] were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire [the eternal separation from God].
REVELATION 20:10, 14 AMP
The above Word was so encouraging and brought immense joy when I read it!
To know that Jesus overcame satan and all demons, evil spirits, rulers, powers and principalities in high places gave me assurance that fear does not have power over me. Because fear will be thrown into hell as well. All disease and sickness spirits like cancer, the spirit of depression, lack, oppression, condemnation and violence will be thrown into hell! Glory to our Lord Jesus Christ Who was, Who is and Who is to come!
This makes me shout for joy because of Christ’s victory over all evil beings that torment mankind on this earth.
And because Jesus overcame, you and I are victorious right now!
Glory to The Lord Jesus Christ!
Satan hates it when we accept this truth and tries to prevent anyone from receiving it, even causing believers to doubt. He likes to use fear and doubt whenever challenging situations arise to cause us to doubt God’s ability to save us, to heal us, to provide for us.
Fear not. Put on the whole armor of God and stand as directed in Ephesians 6:10-18
Finally, build up your strength in union with the Lord and by means of his mighty power. Put on all the armor that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the Devil’s evil tricks. For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age. So put on God’s armor now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy’s attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground. So stand ready, with truth as a belt tight around your waist, with righteousness as your breastplate, and as your shoes the readiness to announce the Good News of peace. At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the Evil One. And accept salvation as a helmet, and the word of God as the sword which the Spirit gives you. Do all this in prayer, asking for God’s help. Pray on every occasion, as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God’s people.
Thank You Holy Spirit for strengthening us in our inner man when we feel like we have no voice. Thank You Jesus for being our advocate and thank You Abba Father for sending us Jesus.
2016 was the year in which I allowed myself to be radically vulnerable to my loving Father.
I asked Him to reveal to me any limitations I had allowed to become part of my life that were preventing me from experiencing complete freedom in Him, and liberating me to be everything He willed me to be.
It was painful because I learned early on that to be free, those parts of me had to die; and they only died when I let go of the pride I had unconsciously come to associate with them. I never realized how prideful I was until I allowed God to show me my limitations! Pride is the main reason why we must repent daily, no matter how mature we are in our relationship with our Father. The more we die to self, the more of Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit and Abba Father we are able to receive.
The fall of man led to the pride of man but Jesus came to set us free from the shackles of pride (replacing it with His love) – we become free only when we die to ourselves and invite Him into our hearts to abide. But because our spirits live in our mortal bodies, the spirit is constantly at war with the flesh, the latter being prone to consistent temptation.
Pride breeds fear, hate, anger, offense, bitterness, judgment, unforgiveness, poverty (spiritual poverty in this case), among others. It is the reason why we are in daily need of God’s grace and mercy. For example, someone may walk out of a worship service and run into someone who says or does something offensive to them that causes the flesh part of their being to tell their spirit, ‘hold on a second Lord, let me deal with this person first and then I will repent later’ – a prideful statement. Jesus was not prideful, His standard of humility is what He calls us to:
He was oppressed and He was afflicted,Yet He did not open His mouth [to complain or defend Himself];Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,And like a sheep that is silent before her shearers,So He did not open His mouth. – Isaiah 53:7 AMP
29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls.30 For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light.” – Matthew 11:29-30 AMP
4 Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant.5 It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured.6 It does not rejoice at injustice, but rejoices with the truth [when right and truth prevail].7 Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening]. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 AMP
Because Jesus IS love, we can replace the word ‘love’ in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 with Jesus, and if Jesus lives in us, His love abides in us and we therefore express it to the world.
As 2016 came to a close, I realized that as I let go of my limitations and got closer to Jesus, I was going through the process of consecration and my reverence and love for Him grew with each surrender. Consecration caused humility to grow. I had to let go of any unforgiveness, bitterness, fear, anger, and pride that I was holding on to against anyone or anything that caused me pain. It is a process and I realize that since we live in a fallen world, it is a habit I need to cultivate each day because it is critical to maintain my relationship with The One Who gave it all for me.
And with the help of Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit and Abba Father, I know it is possible to continually ‘die to self’ until the day our dear Lord Jesus returns to take us HOME.
May you get never give up seeking to know Jesus more deeply with each passing day. It is so!
Typical days start off with a mental to-do list and before reluctantly leaving the warmth of the bed, the checklist is rearranged several times. The morning conversation with God involves a quick greeting and a rushed excuse on how busy the day is and that He will understand my need to rush off before I hear from Him.
For the past few months, this has been a routine I had grown accustomed to. As the days quickly fly off the page of the calendar and the year’s end draws close, I am reminded of the many times I apologized to God for not keeping my commitment of waiting to hear from Him before the start of the day. Before long, I find myself apologizing profusely and ruing my lack of self-discipline for prayer. While shopping today, I sensed a strong directive to stop the guilt trip and just focus on the fact that I was thinking about the Lord and already in a conversation with Him. What I have failed to do in the past does not matter as it is in the past. However, I can direct my present actions.
Our Abba Father desires that we first repent sincerely of any wrongdoing before we request for His guidance because our sins prevent Him from hearing us. However, if all we ever do is repent throughout the conversation with the Lord, we fail to hear what He is saying to us. At some point it is important to realize that when God’s Word stated:
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
So for the next time I feel I am a million miles away from my King, His timely Word will be a great reminder that Christ Jesus is always willing to meet us where we are at. The realization is that when I feel millions of miles away from Him, it is a mirage because the reality is, He never left my side to begin with. It is I who failed to acknowledge His presence.
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Tonight I was reminded of King David. In the Book of Psalms, we discover a man who goes through highs and lows; but in the midst of his joys and sorrows, King David sought The Lord – A man after God’s heart!
Many psalms begin with the words, “Give thanks to The Lord, for He IS good, His love endures forever”…many others have the words: “Bless The Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy Name” and “I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart” and “Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere” and “Praise The Lord!”
I received some very sad news today about a dear friend, which reminded me of a struggle I have had for many years that unbeknownst to me I had come to accept as a ‘norm’, that ‘that is how things are because that is how they have always been’ – concerning the struggle. This has always been a downer for me, hence the first half of the post’s title. I was beating myself up about it and did not even know how to bring this issue to the throne of grace (Note: this is the spirit of condemnation. It has paralyzed many and made them to feel unworthy before their Saviour, thereby losing their confidence when they pray). I was already feeling blue after having a spiritual high with God the previous day.
I decided to head to bed early and watch some praise and worship videos on YouTube. As I was praising Him, this video kept appearing in the playlists of the video:
The devil was finally exposed!
As I meditated on my situation, the Holy Spirit said, “Ask me to help you overcome this yoke”. I was finally free! Brothers and sisters, the battle is not ours but The Lord’s! Jesus overcame! And we too overcome when we recognize that we cannot win the war without Christ’s help. Surrendering our burdens to Jesus, the Holy Spirit and Abba Father brings freedom!
That is why Jesus said, “He who The Son sets free, is free indeed!”
For years I struggled with this issue, among others and although I have received many victories, I am still a work in progress until I breathe my last or until Jesus returns (whichever comes first). The Holy Spirit exposes these weaknesses and as long as we yield to His prodding and allow Him to minister to us, we will continue to grow from strength to strength. Because The Lord wants to prepare us for the end time harvest and empower us with the power to cast out demons, heal the sick, and raise the dead just like He empowered His disciples.
The longer we hold on to the weaknesses and don’t surrender them to Him, the longer it takes us to realize the victory that brings healing and restoration. I pray that whatever you are struggling with today, you will ask and cry out to God to help you overcome. “For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord, SHALL BE SAVED.” Romans 10:13 (KJV)
Whenever you are having a blue day, plug into God and His Holy Spirit (with an unquenchable fire) will transfer into your spirit and turn you spiritually HOT.
10 Finally, build up your strength in union with the Lord and by means of his mighty power.11 Put on all the armor that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the Devil’s evil tricks. 12 For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age. 13 So put on God’s armor now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy’s attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground.
14 So stand ready, with truth as a belt tight around your waist, with righteousness as your breastplate, 15 and as your shoes the readiness to announce the Good News of peace. 16 At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the Evil One. 17 And accept salvation as a helmet, and the word of God as the sword which the Spirit gives you. 18 Do all this in prayer, asking for God’s help. Pray on every occasion, as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God’s people.
10 And the devil who had deceived them was hurled into the lake of fire and burning brimstone (sulfur), where the beast (Antichrist) and false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night, forever and ever.
