Showing posts with label declaration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label declaration. Show all posts

Thursday

Praying to Stop an Untrustworthy Person

I was praying recently about a man who has shown himself to be untrustworthy and whose efforts to control the world around him have caused a lot of harm to a lot of people. It could have been any of a number of folks, I suppose.

“Father, stop him!” I prayed, and as soon as I said it, I knew I’d missed his heart.

Two things came quickly into my mind: 

• The principle I’ve held for a few years that it’s easier to pray for the storm to change its path than to stop it altogether,

• The image of a man on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians getting knocked off his ass and turned from a persecutor into a preacher. “I didn’t stop him,” Father whispered.

And I realized that I need to change my prayer from “Stop him!” to “Change his path,” and even “Redeem him.”

As I considered this some more, it occurred to me that my Father is awfully good at redeeming irredeemable people, and bringing good through them who formerly brought evil.

I realized, not for the first time, that when I pray against people that Jesus died for, I’m doing it alone, not with my Father; that a much wiser path is to pray for the people and for their redemption.

I have permission to pray against their work if it’s hurting folks, but I have his presence and even his partnership as I pray for their redemption.


What Scriptures do you use to resist control, manipulation by other people?

We had a discussion on social media of this topic. 
(I wonder if this might be helpful to others.)
  

Samuel Cobb
John 2:15 - Jesus made a whip πŸ˜‰
 
Craig Adams
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which he appointed before time for us to do."
It's difficult for me to submit to improper/false authority when I keep my eye on the task.
I spend enough time distracted as it is, I've no time for such foolishness.
 
Cathy Myers
Usually quote a good man's steps are ordered by the Lord- remind myself. Psalms 37:3 and remind others God doesn’t usually send my mail.to them first!
 
Matilda Bob
no weapon formed against me Is 54:17
 
Julie Barnett
2 Tim 1:7. We have a sound mind under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. No one else has the permission unless we give it to them.
 
Christine MacDonald
2 that I use:
Gaatians 5 v 1
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Do not allow yourselves to be bound again to a yoke of slavery."
Philippians 2 v 9-10
"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name.
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth."
Ultimately manipulation has it's roots in witchcraft so I think it's important to exalt Jesus above all that cr*p!
 
Judy Walker
Look them in the eye and let my yes be yes and my no - no.
 
Darlene Sanchez
I tell people God doesn't gossip and tell other people whst I am suppose to be doing that I am his workmanship and led by his Spirit to do his purpose
 
Diana Kay Adams Smith
Whom the Son sets free, is free indeed
 
Al Mack
In John 8:36 "So if the Son sets you free you will be free indeed."
 
Darlene Sanchez
Those who are led by the Spirit are the sons of Papa God
 
Dan Smith
The more I know who I am in Christ, the less anyone can manipulate me. It's really easy to spot carnal advice or suggestions when you are secure with who you are.
I don't know if I can point to a single verse.
Romans 12:2 is pretty good though.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
 
Hope Gerry Evarts
Gal. 1:10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
 
Mary Sue Davis
I just don’t let them do it and choose not to be offended.
 
Rob Coscia
The big hardcover one.
Jk. For me, it’s every scripture about his peace. Peace that makes you whole, peace that guards your heart and mind, peace that enables you to sleep through storms, or to take authority over them when your friends are trying to manipulate you with fear and guilt.
“Don’t let your hearts be distressed and afraid! I’m imparting an amazing gift to you—my peace. Not the fragile, conditional peace the world uses, but my peace of complete wholeness, unassailable confidence, transformational calm, and immeasurable blessing” (John 14:27, paraphrase).
 
Lisa Thompson
Rob Coscia, great response.
 
Shelley McDaniels
I balance Colossians 2:16-23 with 1 Corinthians 8:9-13.
 
Al Mack
http://nwp.link/ShelleysVerses

 
Shelley McDaniels
Al Mack thanks. And 1 Corinthians 8:9-13
9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? 11 And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? 12 But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
 

Anthony Thunder Mouth Smith
Saved by Grace through Faith and not your OWN.
Grace releases you from religious control
 
Al Mack
Ephesians 2:8
 
Jonathan Christie
“Let your love abound with all discernment...” Philippians 1:9
 
Michael Ferry
How about the Gospel according to Mike?🀣🀣🀣🀣
 
Michael Ferry
“Thou’s opinion is thus of no significant influence upon my freedom in Christ to live and walk free from thine down looking pressure to submit!”🀣🀣🀣🀣
 
Cameo Chambers
Do I need scriptures to resist these things? I just have a pretty keen sense and don't tolerate it.
Al Mack
Same here. But in this case, I felt the need to pray some scriptures, and I realized I needed more ammunition from the community. πŸ™‚
 
Lisa Southwick
No specific scripture, but the one that says, Those who follow the Spirit of God are the sons of God. HE has told me that "Righteousness does not submit to unrighteousness." & I use that all the time, in these types of situations... but, of course, that is not in the bible... but, it was the Word of God to me. 😘
 
Al Mack
Romans 8:14: For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons and daughters of God. πŸ™‚
I love how you're using logos and rhema together! πŸ™‚
 
Gloria Mayo
“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”
2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV
 
Jacquelyn Golden
This thread is like a breath of fresh air!
Al Mack
Isn't it, though! πŸ˜ƒ
 
Robert Blok
I pretty much see through those things now. But if pressed,
Love one another, as Jesus has loved you.
John 13:34
 
Leona Gay Townsend
It’s not a scripture but Holy Spirit spoke this to my heart years ago, I wrote it, therefore I can say to satan that it is written. He said to me, “Submit to authority, but never to control.”
 
Al Mack
"...therefore I can say it is written!"
I love it! Warring with the prophetic word!
1Timmy 1:18 This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,
 
Tesa Wallace
Subdue the earth and conquer it! That includes all the self righteous religibots going to and fro seeking whom they may devour
 
Judy Brost
Get behind me Satan
Luke 4:8 etc.
 
Eldon Frye
Eph. 6
 
Susan Roemhild
Greater is He that is in me then he who is in the world 😊
1 John 4:4
 
Thomas Patrick Brown
i would have to look them up , but Jesus , peter , and paul all said that those in spiritual authority r not to ' lord it over ' another sheep's faith
Mark 10:42-44, for example
 
Brenda Bastanzi
Slow to speak James 1:19
 
Stevie Dotson
I do what Michael did when contending with Satan over the body of Moses, all he said is, The Lord Rebuke You 🀘
Jude 1:9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
 
Sandra Hines Carney
Mostly, I don't answer fools according to their folly (Prov 26:4). Control/manip people like to argue & I just won't. But if they press the "you shouldn'ts", I usually mention "to the pure, all things are pure..." or "all things are permissable...". (I try to use good sense to avoid stuff that isn't beneficial.)
Titus 1:15
 
Shelley McDaniels
And another one I use when fending off legalism (vs sincere holiness) is John 6:28 -29 AMP
28 Then they asked Him, “What are we to do, so that we may habitually be doing the works of God?”
29 Jesus answered, “This is the work of God: that you believe [adhere to, trust in, rely on, and have faith] in the One whom He has sent.”
 
Jerry Dean Miller
Right off the top of my head (and having looked them up afterward):
"But Jesus called them to Himself and said, 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles domineer over them, and those in high position exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wants to become prominent among you shall be your servant." Matt 20:25-26
"But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth your father, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Matt 23:8-12
I can gladly serve somebody but the second they start acting like I have to obey them, it's over, Prime.
"But Hebrews 13" - aaaah, yes, Hebrews 13 "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you."
It turns out Jesus did not contradict himself when he inspired the book of Hebrews.
The phrase, "that have the rule over you" is translated from the Greek word, "hΔ“geomai" which CAN mean someone who is actually in command of someone else, but Jesus' own words about not "lording it over" tell us it can't be used that way here, and the word has other meanings such as "to lead" or "to go before" and "to consider, deem, account, think"
"Obey" here is translated from "peithō", which means:
-persuade
- to persuade, i.e. to induce one by words to believe (in this case "be persuaded by")
- to make friends of, to win one's favour, gain one's good will, or to seek to win one, strive to please one
- to tranquillise
- to persuade unto i.e. move or induce one to persuasion to do something
- be persuaded
- to be persuaded, to suffer one's self to be persuaded; to be induced to believe: to have faith: in a thing
- to believe
- to be persuaded of a thing concerning a person
- to listen to, obey, yield to, comply with
- to trust, have confidence, be confident
These were approved trustworthy people the author of Hebrews was referring to. Jesus also said you can know a tree from its fruit, so this would not apply to an obviously bad tree, which also means that it CAN'T be an absolute statement of submission. If you read the entire verse and don't just focus on the English word "obey" he's saying not to make these people's lives hard by fighting with them. They weren't to be, as things were in the "Shepherding" movement, the people who could tell you who to marry, where to live, whether you could move or not, or leave, etc.
Sorry this is so long, I just anticipate where someone will go and try to avoid it being a back-and-forth by already going there.
 
Graeme Campbell
I guess there are two kinds of control / manipulation. Those who do it from a place of authority / perceived authority, and those who don't. For guarding my heart from those who control / manipulate from a position of authority I like 1 John 2:27:
"But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him."
So when the control and manipulation are around having the 'right' doctrines and beliefs in order to be able to belong to a particular group, I like how this verse makes everyone equal in their authority to hear God and understand right doctrine for themselves from Him, while simultaneously challenging us to abide in order to be taught by Him.
In terms of general manipulation and control, I again like John, this time John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."
When we abide in Him, we are in peace and hear His voice. When control / manipulation hit us, it tries to steal our peace, and as soon as our peace is lost it should be an alarm bell to us to return to the peace of that abiding. I've heard the acronym FOG used for "fear, obligation, and guilt" as the main tools of manipulators, and all of these take us out of peace and into a fog where it's hard to make right choices. Recognizing and guarding our peace and place of abiding are really powerful counter-weapons to that.
 
Daniel Merritt
For freedom's sake you were made free...
Galatians 5:1: It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
 
Tammy Renee
God will contend with those who contend with me. And every tongue that rises up against me, thou shalt condemn. If God be For me, who can be against me, No one!
Isaiah 54:17: “No weapon that is formed against you will succeed; And you will condemn every tongue that [fn]accuses you in judgment.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.
 
Renee Johns
John 8:36. I'm free. I get it.
 
Karlo De Leon
Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom 😊
2 Corinthians 3:17
 
Zee Ellyson
I use a Johnnie Cash song, "I keep a close watch on this heart of mine..."
 
Kellie Robinson McNeff
No weapon formed against me shall prosper, and I am above and not beneath.. and then I might if it's really really bad listen to Nazareth Hair of the dog..but it has to be really bad.. because it's not a proper song..
Isaiah 54.17.
 
Hazel May Lebrun
Manipulation... I pray it off, pray it off... and also pray for my enemies to be blessed... ask for angelic assistance... take a quick look to make sure no baby sheep are in the line of fire and then... walk away from it as much as I can.
 
MaryEsther Zacharias-Mark Ezekiel
2Timothy2:19-26
 
Becky Emerson
See to it that no one takes you captive to hollow and deceptive philosophy which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world, rather than on Christ.
Col. 2:8
 
Liz Adams
A person cannot serve two masters.
Matthew 6:24
 
Nicole Payne
I think I don't pay attention. If someone tries I walk away. Shake the dust off my feet... Shake the neg energy away and move on.
 
Robin Scudder
Whom the Son sets free is free indeed!!!
John 8:36 “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."
 
Anne Sermon Stoothoff
It’s Shakespeare and a rather despicable character says it. “To thine own self be true.” The Holy Spirit clearly spoke this to me in a life or death situation. I’ll never forget the courage it took to stand up.
 
Angela Conley
Submit to one another Eph 5:21.
 
Angela Conley
Mat 20:25-27 don't exercise authority over others but be the slave of all.
 
Micah Wade
I try to resist control/manipulation of other people.
 
Roger Balsley
Stand fast in the liberty where with Christ have made you FREE
Galatians 5:1
 
Frank Vasquez
Mark 16:16. And joshua 1:9. 😏 our body is a temple. GOD lives In Me and teaches with everything need be. Meditate in HIM like a deer panting for the waters, congregate, fellowship, and to me... Worship is where my true strength lies in. Opening the floodgates of heaven... And where is the kingdom?😏 yeeee
 
Stephen White
Crystal Warda Amen! yes, he certainly does set the captives free. In 1 John 3:9 John says if we confess our sins He will 'forgive' them and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness. That word translated as 'forgive' does not mean how must of us modern Americans think of forgive as like to overlook something. In reality, that word aphiēmi means sent away. It's literally the word they use for divorce...where the husband "sent away" his wife. So they viewed this word with a thought of something leaving which is why John went on to say He will cleanse us.
I've been set free from a bondage before and it did come through confession. I held on to that verse and kept confessing. BUT my confession was basically telling our Father what I was doing wrong and how it feels like a bondage I cant control and I'm sorry. That DID NOT get me set free. The confession that brought me to freedom was when our Father led me to look deeper into my heart. Then I started to realize that I was in bondage to something because there were aspects about it that I loved, which meant that I didnt love God with ALL my heart, mind, soul. Looking into the depths of this reality and confessing to God the true deep reality of my heart with a deep sorrow that pretty much felt like worthlessness, is what led Him to release me from my bondage and set me free from it. The confession He is looking for is for us to dig deep into the true reality of our heart and its relation to Him, not a play by play of what we are doing wrong.
Remember God IS love, when we treat others unloving, unforgiving, unmercifully, when we walk in sin, etc...we are working against Love, against what Love wants to do in you and in the other person and it shows we are not fully in love with Love with all our heart, mind, soul.
Also, I should mention there were other things that Jesus taught that I just had to change, I had to nail a piece of myself (my previous belief or way) on the cross in order to do His way. So our Father will set us free from bondages, but other things that are not bondages, He expects us to obey them.
May you hear His voice clearly and follow it.
 
Linda Minihane
No weapon formed against me shall prosper, praying God's wisdom, determining strong perimeters
Ephesians 6
 
Stephen White
Be wise as a serpent but innocent as a dove.
Mt 10.16
 
Jaimee Hinman Jessee
All those forms have a root of several possible spirits: witchcraft, jealousy, predator spirit. All open a door for a mesmerizing that can cause disillusionment and confusion. Use Psalm 5:12 “Surely Lord your bless the righteous and you surround them as a shield.” And also Psalm 89:5-18. Sometimes we draw these types to us when we carry either a victim mindset or come into agreement with a victim spirit that was sent with the other person’s attack and agreement they made with the enemy against us. Just came into deeper revelation on this today actually and it’s been profound to understand the battlefield and threefold weapons of the enemy to use jealousy, victim spirit and mesmerizing spirit as a threefold chord attack.
 
Jasmine Holcomb
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. -
 
Michelle Stensgar
Matthew16:23
Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns."
 
Donna Gibbs Schofstoll
Eph 6:12
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
 
Grace Nyakanini
Zephaniah 3: 17b: The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
God takes GREAT delight in me.. He always looks out for my welfare and everything concerns my life.. he rejoices over every good in my life" If God delights.. even rejoices over my life then anything contrary to this word, I reject over my life ..! Anything bringing anything less than delight of God over my life I reject!
 
Karley Lucia
Not casting your pearls to swine
Matthew7:6 “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
 
Elle Revilo
bind & rebuke ...targeted & psychological warfare sent against me
 
Karen Taylor
All the in Him, through Him, in Christ scriptures. When you know your identity, manipulation has no place to land.
 
Michael Markum
it's not a scripture but this works for me
May be an image of animal and text that says 'Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: NOT MY CIRCUS, NOT MY MONKEYS. Polish Proverb InsideOut-theDocumentary.com'
 
Kriston Couchey
Jesus wept... John 11:35
 
Hazel May Lebrun
If they're doing it in person and I just whack em with a big King James version, does that count? πŸ™‚
 
Roddy Young
Jesus said "let your yes be yes and your no be no, anything else comes from the evil one" when we are not in control of our yes and no, we are prey to the manipulation of others and ultimately the evil one
 
Valerie Questad
Not a verse but I remember a shocking statement by a Christian counselor who told me "Jesus was not a doormat!" I thought he was speaking sacrilege. Then I learned.
 
Aunt Henry
“No weapon formed against me shall prosper” The scripture is used against the enemy not people. Those being manipulative and controlling are under demonic influence. “ we wrestle not against flesh and blood” once we get that, we are on target.
Isaiah 54:17
 
Curtis Artz
John 13:34,35....pretty much covers everything....for me
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
 
Charlie Townsend
Galatians 1:10, The Passion Translation
10 I’m obviously not trying to flatter you or water down my message to be popular with men, but my supreme passion is to please God. For if all I attempt to do is please people, I would fail to be a true servant of Christ.
 
Jutta Hypes
1 John 4:1 is great
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
 
Susan Melanie Storm
Galatians 5:22-23  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
I test the fruit of what choices are being made in myself as well as others that relate to me or my family.
 
Al Mack
“Don’t submit to the mindsets or imitate the character of this world, but rather let God transform how you think. With a renewed mind, you can know God’s will for you, and live in agreement with every good, satisfying, and life-completing word” (Romans 12:2, paraphrased by Rob Coscia).

Mabel Parada
YOU ARE NOT TO GO THAT WAY AGAIN
Deut 17:16
 
Steve Crane
Manipulation of someone's conscience to get money is common on both small and large scales. 2 Corinthians 9:7
Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
 
Susan Melanie Storm
Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
 

Sometimes we fire blanks.

Sometimes we fire blanks.

Oh, we don't mean to. We think we are firing powerful weapons of war, kicking ass and taking names.

But sometimes, sometimes we're actually firing blanks.

Jesus modeled for us a way to pray that was more about telling the situation how it needs to be, rather than about us whining at God to pleeeeease make it be that way. We are learning to command, to declare, rather than to ask politely. Or impolitely.

That much is good.

The problem is, so often we just fire blanks.

We read the Gospels oh, and we observe how Jesus did it. He said, Lazarus come forth! And Lazarus came forth. He said, I am willing, be cleansed. And the leper was instantly healed.

We look at the model of Jesus, and we make it our model. But we are only looking at part of the model that Jesus gave us. We're looking at his Harvest, not his labor.

I am a member of a few prayer groups. I am embarrassed to tell you how many times, in response to a really dire need, somebody pipes up, blithely commanding all demons to go to hell, smugly decreeing bones and skin and organs to line up, happily commanding this and that, and wrapping it all up with a grin of self-congratulation.

And of course very little actually changes. Nobody really expected it would. I think even that the enthusiastic intercessor himself didn't expect it. And why would he? We get so that we’re commanding everything nowadays, and nobody points out that it's not really changing much of anything. The emperor has no clothes on, but everyone is afraid to mention it.

Yeah, I know. I’ve overstated it in order to make a point. You know this goes on, at least some of the time.

I have been reflecting on how much of Jesus’ life is hidden from the casual reader of his biographies in the Gospels. I suspect that this is on purpose. If we really want to know the secrets, he wants to go find them for ourselves, to do the work of learning, to make the knowledge our own.

The gospels are quick to tell his hero testimonies, how he healed this person, raised that guy from the dead, all before lunch, and without raising a sweat.

That's the part that big, flashy, and easily captures our attention. But it's only the end of the story. We miss the beginning and the middle. And I think that if we don't follow all of Jesus’ example, the beginning, the middle, and the end, we will probably not have the results that Jesus had.

I have been involved in a lot of spiritual war. I have friends who have been in so much more than I have. Some of it has been successful; some has been less successful. Ultimately, I think that Winston Churchill may have had it right. War involves blood, sweat, toil, tears. And healing the sick, raising the dead, these are acts of War. It’s not a quick declaration of victory and move on.

I've been thinking about the topic of rest recently. God is constantly inviting his people to a place of rest. Not a place of doing nothing, a place of doing much, but doing it from the place of resting in him. Kind of a foreign concept to most of us, I think. But it wasn't foreign to Jesus. Jesus seemed pretty big on working from a place of rest. I’m beginning to learn the value of this.

And Jesus was always getting away with Father. Sure, we have our “quiet times,” and that’s a great starting point, but it seemed that Jesus spent all night in prayer sometimes. All night, getting to know what Father was doing and thinking.

In fact, there was one time he spent much of the night in prayer, and it was hard work. He sweat blood. We talk about that in the context of the Easter story, but as he said, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” Paul kept up the theme. “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.”

I’m not saying that blood is the signifier of a solid prayer life. I’m saying there’s work involved, hard work, if we’re aspiring to declare with the kind of power that Jesus’ declarations had.

There is one more secret, I think, that we need to lay hold of. In John 5, Jesus revealed this secret: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”

The last secret (for this moment) of Jesus’ amazing record was that he was only doing what he saw Father doing.

A whole lot of our failing comes from our making our declarations about things that are in our heart and mind that are not actually things that Father is doing. They may be things that we wish he was doing, things that we think he might want to do, or things that we ourselves want, and we’re maybe just putting God’s name on them.

That’s a whole lot different than seeing what God is doing, or seeing the situation - really seeing it! - in its completed state, and then telling reality to line up with that vision.

This is a hard one to ‘fess up to. But we kind of have to separate our desires from his, separate soul from spirit, as it were, in order to walk how Jesus walked.

I’m so thankful that we’re growing up into Him. We’re going to change the world. In him.

Learning About Declarative Prayer


The church is learning a lot about declarative prayer in recent years, prayer that issues decrees and declares what shall be, (as differentiated from prayer that begs and sometimes whines).

Like anything that we are just beginning to learn, we’re not terribly good at it yet.

 We have (many of us) figured out that Jesus didn’t generally ask God for stuff when he prayed. He generally commanded something to happen (John 11:43) or decreed the result that he wanted (Matthew 9:29). Even at his most extreme circumstances, his prayers were declarative sentences, not interrogative ones (Matthew. 26:36–46). 

 As a community, we’ve begun declaring and commanding pretty much all the time. It’s baby steps, and it’s really cute. (Don’t get me wrong: I’m part of this community of baby steps, too!)

 I’ve been reflecting on this transition recently. It’s being a good thing, for a bunch of reasons that I’ve discerned:

 • We’re beginning to take responsibility ourselves for the things that he’s given us responsibility for (see Genesis 1:26). Much of what we pray about is actually our responsibility, not his.

•Slaves ask or plead. Sons, heirs, might ask, but they surely expect  (consider Romans 15:13 or 16:20); or they may not ask, they just take what they need and go.

You and I, we’re not slaves, not servants.

• It appears that while God respects servants who ask, more seems to get done by sons who declare.

 On the other hand, when sons are young, they require more parenting than they do when they mature. Dirty diapers are no more fun in the Spirit than they are in the natural. They’re normal, even healthy for a while. They’re still a mess, and no more than a starting place. But they’re a normal, healthy mess for an infant.

For example, I’m part of some prayer groups (side note: please do NOT add me to more groups!), where folks post their prayer requests, and the community prays for them. You learn a lot from groups like this. Here are some things I've learned.

There are a bunch of folks whose prayer requests are more a list of what all is wrong in their lives than a description of what we’re actually praying for. Some of those diapers need changing desperately.

Some responses are in the “Oh Jesus, please help ‘em!” category.

A growing number of responses are attempts to command all the bad things become good.

Far too many declarations are not much more than self-centered, wishful thinking. “I want this, and therefore I’m going to declare it as if it were God’s will.” And then they get disheartened when the world doesn’t conform to their empty but optimistic words.

 Honestly, it’s a beautiful thing. Just like when my little granddaughter takes her first, wobbly steps. That’s a wonderful thing, too. It’s growth! But it surely isn’t maturity yet. And it’s cute when she takes a couple of steps and then plops down on her wet diaper, making that interesting sploogy sound.

 I was reflecting on our wobbly growth recently, and I was reminded that when we watch Jesus commanding sickness or demons to flee, we’re only seeing half of the story. We’re only seeing the half that happens in that moment, the part that’s visible to the gospel authors.

 But Jesus did tell us the other half of the story himself:

John 12:49 “For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.”

 So apparently, if we’re going to (If I’m going to) be successful at commanding sickness and demons and death away, I need to speak what Father commands me to say and to speak. Declarations out of my own wishful thinking are a wasted effort. At best.

 Since the gospels never show the story of heaven opening and the Almighty shouting from heaven, it makes me wonder, “When and how did Jesus hear Father tell him what to say?”

 I think there were at least three answers to that, and neither one was a mystery.

The first is that I’m pretty sure the still small voice of the Holy Spirit gave him instructions from time to time (in John 2, compare verse 4 with verse 7, for example).

Second, verses like Mark 6:46 and Luke 6:12 tell us that he spent extended time away, just him and Father alone. I’ll bet that’s a clue. There’s a reason he encourages us to search out matters, maybe.

I think the third is more rare than we wish it was. When you’ve walked with God a long time, you begin to think like he thinks. You do that long enough and the line between “my thoughts” and “his thoughts,” between “my words” and “his words” gets thin.

 I’m thinking that it’s good that we, the saints and heirs of our Almighty Lover, are learning to hear from Heaven, and declare those words. Declaring what Father-who-sends us gives us to declare, those are going to be the more world-changing declarations.

Listen first. Then speak.

Be Holy. Be Healed.


The first words spoken in the Scriptures sound like a command to our Western way of hearing (1). We translate those two words (אוֹΧ¨ Χ”ָΧ™ָΧ”) as “Let there be light,” but  translating it “Light, be!” is perhaps more literal, though it feels odd to command light.

And that’s largely because it isn’t really a command in the “obey this rule” sense. Light didn’t even exist and it couldn’t obey a rule, not until God called it into existence. When God said, “Light, be!” he was releasing his power to create light, causing “reality” to conform to his will. It would be silly to expect the light to hear this as an agenda item, and to work hard (can you imagine light sweating, feeling guilty for failing?) to conform to the directive?

His words caused the thing he said to become reality. It was not reality until he said it. He did the same thing a few more times, and then he took a day off to reflect on his “very good” creation (2).

In the beginning God established the pattern: he commands a thing to “be” and suddenly, by the release of his power, it is. And it is good. This is the way God began this whole creation; this is the pattern he uses.

Years later, he speaks to a family he’s trying to adopt as his own (and just like in our day, there were lots of complications). He makes a similar statement to that family, releasing his power in them to accomplish what he was describing, but this time, they were terrified, and out of their fear, they interpreted his release of power as a directive (3), as a rule for them to obey.

“Be holy,” he said (4). And they tried. They sweat and made laws and practices (5) and did everything they knew to do. And they failed miserably. They failed because they tried to do in their human obedience what was released as a disbursal of heaven’s power. They did not receive the power, therefore they were not able to actually “be holy.”

A few millennia later, he did it again, this time while he was walking on the planet: he spoke several times in the same ways, releasing the same creative power.

Nearly a dozen times (6), he declared to various people, “Be healed!” He’s not telling people to live up to a standard of healed-ness, he’s not giving them a rule to obey. He’s releasing power. We get it, because we understand that we don’t generally have the power to “be healed” on our own, apart from the power of God.

Only twice (one woman literally caught in sin, one man with a history of brokenness and disappointment) (7), he released the power of God to remove the bondage of sin: “Sin no more,” he said. We make the silly mistake here of thinking that we can do this apart from God’s power (we cannot) (8), and therefore, we think this is a rule to follow (it is not), and we teach others, “You must be holy! God commands it!”

All of these statements were declared by the same person of the Godhead (“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (9) ) and they followed the same pattern: it sounded like a command, but functionally, this is about the Creator God releasing his power to create the thing he speaks about, causing “reality” to conform to his will.

When the Godhead declares for something to “be” (whether it’s “be healed” or “be holy”) it’s not a commandment, not a rule. It’s a disbursement of his power, a declaration of our destiny. Our response is not to grunt and sweat and fail and then condemn ourselves for failing to do the impossible. That’s foolish. We cannot do what it takes the power of God to do (10). If I may say so, it is the Christians who think they can accomplish in their will what God has offered his power to  create, whose “gospel” is the least hopeful and the most ridden with condemnation: their “good news” has the least “good” in it.

When the Scriptures say, “Live this way,” it is a release of the power of God. Our job is not to make that word come about. Our job is to set our sights on that target and it is God’s job to pull the trigger, to release the power to accomplish that word. And that will only come about as he and I are one, are in actual unity.

And when a prophetic word declares, “This is your destiny,” it is a release of the power of God. Our job is not to make that word come about. Our job is to set our sights on that target and it is God’s job to pull the trigger, to release the power to accomplish that word. And that will only come about as he and I are one, are in actual unity.

When God speaks, it releases God’s power to accomplish what he’s saying. If he thinks I need his power to accomplish that task, then it is extreme arrogance to attempt it in my own will; the only greater arrogance is teaching others that they should live as I live.

----
Footnotes:
1 Genesis 1:3
2 Genesis 1
3 Exodus 20:19
5 see Exodus through Deuteronomy
7 John 5:14 & 8:11
8 Romans 3:23 & 5:12
9 John 1:3
10 Mark 14:38, Romans 8:5-13, 1Corinthians 15:50, Galatians 2:20, 3:3, 5:16, etc.

The Vengeance of God


Isaiah 61 begins, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor...”



This much is familiar to us. It’s the part that Jesus quoted when he began his public ministry (Luke 4). It was him announcing, “This is my job description for the next three and a half years. This is the what Messiah will be among you.”

But the statement He quotes from in Isaiah 61 goes on; Jesus actually stopped in the middle of a sentence. I don’t know how many sermons I’ve heard - and I agree with them - saying “That’s because it wasn’t yet time for the next part.” Which reads:

“...and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”

We are clearly no longer in the days of Messiah, at least the days of his earthly ministry. I wonder if we’re now in the next bit, “the day of vengeance of our God.”

Look at how this verse defines the day of God’s vengeance. It continues on and describes God’s vengeance as:

¤ to comfort all who mourn,
¤ to provide for those who grieve in Zion,
¤ to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
¤ [to bestow on them] the oil of joy instead of mourning,
¤ [to bestow on them] a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

Resulting in:

¤ They will be called oaks of righteousness,
¤ [They will be called] the planting of the Lord.
¤ [They will be called] for the display of his splendor.

That is how Isaiah describes “the day of vengeance of our God”: comforting, providing for, blessing his victims, until they are firmly established and displaying his splendor.

Hmm. I  believe I’ve misunderstood God’s vengeance.

I had learned about vengeance from Romans 12:19, which tells me, “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.”

I’ve always interpreted this as, “Don’t you beat ‘em up and make ‘em pay. God can beat on ‘em far more severely than you can!”

That was my understanding of vengeance. It was the image of God as my hit man, so I didn’t need to dirty my hands (or dirty my soul). He’d do the dirty work for me.

If I was really honest, the idea that I’d always had modeled for me was “God save me and destroy my enemies!” And I rather adopted that idea too, not in so many words, but this was the worldview from which I prayed.

Yeah, I don’t think that’s right any more. That’s not what his vengeance is; where he’s leading us.

Rather, God appears to want to save me AND save my enemies! (What? He loves those idiots, too?)

Jesus stopped quoting Isaiah before he mentioned the vengeance of God. But that didn’t stop him preaching these values.

Everybody loved it when he quoted Isaiah and announced, “That’s right here, right now.” They all smiled and nodded and clapped politely.

But when he went on, things changed.

Seven verses later, Luke records, “They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff.”

That’s a pretty big attitude change. What pissed them off so badly?

I’m glad you asked. In between, he declared, “I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

He was preaching that God wanted to save Israel AND save the gentiles.

It angered the religious community then, and it seems to anger the religious community now. But that’s not my issue here.

My focus here is that this idea that God wants to save us AND save “them” too is far more consistent with God’s character than the idea that God iss our hit man, on duty to smite our enemies so we don’t need to dirty our hands.

I remember a verse from my youth (from when I used to focus on sin as I was presenting the “good news”): “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). That’s him saving his enemies.

I could go on. Now that I stop and think about it (and I’ve been thinking about this for months), I find the value all over Scripture, now that I’m beginning to be willing to see it.

But for now, I’m going to just make this statement:

The vengeance of God is not about  smiting my enemies. It’s about saving them, about blessing them with everything he’s blessing me with.

Tuesday

Declarations: For Yourself or for Others

Here’s a prophetic exercise for you:

Take a week and declare these [all of these] over yourself every day for a week. Then sit down and journal about what effect you’ve experienced.

Alternative: They’re also a great way to pray for someone you love, someone going through hell! If you prefer, declare these every day about someone else for a week.

Then sit down and journal about what effect you’ve experienced and what you observe in them. If it makes sense, ask them if they feel anything different this week from last week, and note that.

Instructions: Declare these aloud about yourself, or about the person you’re praying for. Declare them out loud. Shout them if you need to.

Engage your heart with them: don’t let them just be words. Recognize that you’re speaking both to all of Heaven and all of hell when you’re announcing these truths.

Note: These are things that the Bible clearly says are true. You’re not asking nicely if these can be so. These ARE so, the Bible says so. You’re just announcing the ruling of the King, like a town crier: “Hear ye, hear ye! This is the way it is now! The King has declared it!”

I am [or Suzie is] complete in Him Who is the Head of all principality and power (Colossians 2:10).

I am alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5).

I am free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

I am far from oppression, and fear does not come near me (Isaiah 54:14).

I am born of God, and the evil one does not touch me (1 John 5:18).

I am holy and without blame before Him in love (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:16).

I have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 2:5).

I have the peace of God that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

I have the Greater One living in me; greater is He Who is in me than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

I have received the gift of righteousness and reign as a king in life by Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17).

I have received the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus, the eyes of my understanding being enlightened (Ephesians 1:17-18).

I have received the power of the Holy Spirit to lay hands on the sick and see them recover, to cast out demons, to speak with new tongues.  I have power over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means harm me (Mark 16:17-18; Luke 10:17-19).

I have put off the old man and have put on the new man, which is renewed in the knowledge after the image of Him Who created me (Colossians 3:9-10).

I have given, and it is given to me; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, men give into my bosom (Luke 6:38).

I have no lack for my God supplies all of my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

I can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one with my shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16).

I can do all things through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:13).

I show forth the praises of God Who has called me out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).

I am God’s child for I am born again of the incorruptible seed of the Word of God, which lives and abides forever (1 Peter 1:23).

I am God’s workmanship, created in Christ unto good works (Ephesians 2:10).

I am a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

I am a spirit being alive to God (Romans 6:11;  Thessalonians 5:23).

I am a believer, and the light of the Gospel shines in my mind (2 Corinthians 4:4).

I am a doer of the Word and blessed in my actions (James 1:22,25).

I am a joint-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17).

I am more than a conqueror through Him Who loves me (Romans 8:37).

I am an overcomer by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony (Revelation 12:11).

I am a partaker of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-4).

I am an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20).

I am part of a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people (1 Peter 2:9).

I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).

I am the temple of the Holy Spirit; I am not my own (1 Corinthians 6:19).

I am the head and not the tail; I am above only and not beneath (Deuteronomy 28:13).

I am the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).

I am His elect, full of mercy, kindness, humility, and long suffering (Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12).

I am forgiven of all my sins and washed in the Blood (Ephesians 1:7).

I am delivered from the power of darkness and translated into God’s kingdom (Colossians 1:13).

I am redeemed from the curse of sin, sickness, and poverty (Deuteronomy 28:15-68; Galatians 3:13).

I am firmly rooted, built up, established in my faith and overflowing with gratitude (Colossians 2:7).

I am called of God to be the voice of His praise (Psalm 66:8; 2 Timothy 1:9).

I am healed by the stripes of Jesus (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24).

I am raised up with Christ and seated in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 2:12).

I am greatly loved by God (Romans 1:7; Ephesians 2:4; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4).

I am strengthened with all might according to His glorious power (Colossians 1:11).

I am submitted to God, and the devil flees from me because I resist him in the Name of Jesus (James 4:7).

I press on toward the goal to win the prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward (Philippians 3:14).

For God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

It is not I who live, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20).