Can A Christian Be Oppressed?

It started in a garden… 

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 

People were given authority over the entire planet. And when Adam and Eve sinned they literally gave away their authority. They believed another master and surrendered their authority. It took Jesus and his death on the cross to take back this authority for mankind. 

Matthew 28:18-19 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 

My friends, ALL AUTHORITY. Jesus has all authority and the devil has none and we who are in Christ now carry His authority in everything in our lives (Luke 9:1-2). The only way that satan has authority is when we give it to him. That is why he works so hard to get us to empower him through lies and sin. 

Christians can’t be possessed by the devil but we do allow him, give him authority, to oppress and to torment. Let me share the story Kris Valloton shares in Spirit Wars on Pages 152-153. 

                Paraphrased: Kris was walking in the sanctuary of Bethel where he was gently touching people and blessings them. He went to touch an elderly couple who had been attending their church for 30 years. As he touched he woman, Martha, Kris sensed the word, suicide. He whispered to Martha, “Martha, by any chance are you dealing with suicidal thoughts?” 

                “I’ve been plagued that I should kill myself for nearly two months. I’m a stable happy person, so I don’t know why I’m having these horrible thoughts.” 

                “Martha, did you go through something painful recently and entertain the thought that you could just die and all the grief would be gone? 

                “Yes, I was so desperate and hurt about a family situation that I said to myself, I could just die in peace and this would all be over.” 

                “Did the terrible sense that you wanted to take your own life start right after that?” 

                “Yes.” 

                “Martha, when you chose to embrace death to bring peace, you made a covenant with the spirit of suicide to comfort you. The devil’s ministry is to steal, kill and destroy. Whenever we embrace one of these three elements, we invite demonic spirits to oppress us.” 

                “How do I get free?” 

                “Repeat this prayer after me. Jesus, forgive me for making a covenant with the devil by inviting death to comfort me. Thank you that You gave me the Holy Spirit, who is my comforter and friend. Now, repeat this: You spirit of suicide, I break my agreement with you. I no longer want you in my life. I command you to leave me now in Jesus name.” 

It was gone. 

Okay, I hope Kris is not too angry that I shared this story here but it needs to be told. Buy the book and read the entire story and the one that precedes it in the book which is absolutely powerful. 

My friends, when we believe the lies of the enemy, we come into agreement with him and we handover our authority. 

Let me share some lies that I have earnestly believed in my past. These lies have held me captive, oppressed my spirit and left me in bitter pain for years. 

• My husband will never change.
• I can’t serve in ministry if my husband is not a Christian.
• I will never experience Jesus like she (some other Godly woman) does.
• I’m not a writer.
• I will never be happy, content or live in the joy of the Lord until my husband comes to Christ.
• My kids are more vulnerable to deception because of their father’s lack of faith. 

I can tell you that every one of the preceding sentences is a lie. Let me share the lie I recognized just this past two weeks. 

For my entire marriage, I have believed that if and when my husband comes to faith, he will likely not change very much. That he is still going to be Mike. He will continue to dislike church, he won’t read the Bible, nor have any kind or real passion for his faith. I’ve even written that here on this blog. 

Well several weeks ago God was really ticked with me because I have believed this for so long and it is an outright lie. A lie straight from the pit of hell. And this is how I know. God had some sharp words for me during one of my walk-n-prays. “Lynn, how can you put me in a box? How could you limit my power? How can you believe that I am unable to transform Mike completely into a Jesus freak-zealot if that is what I want?” 

Yikes, I don’t like it when I’ve discovered I put God in a box. I felt like a puppy with my tail between my legs. But you know our Great God. His scandalous grace and love. He said to me, “Now don’t believe that lie anymore and start to pray for a complete transformation.” 

So I did. I started praying. And within a couple of weeks it’s as if God wanted to punctuate the error in my thinking and belief. So here’s what happened.

Let me set the stage. My husband is a computer geek. He is kinda nerdy and loves everything technology. (Just so you know, I love nerds *grin*) Like a lot of geeky guys, exercise and physical work is unappreciated. What I’m trying to say is that he hates exercise. He has never liked to exercise. In fact, he has never done any kind of exercise (ever) and even hates, HATES, yard work. 

You may know where this is going. Yep, two weeks ago my husband goes to the store. Purchases several workout pants and shirts and running shoes. Then the guy goes out the next morning, walks three miles. The next day, walks five. The next day he starts to jog…… 

SAY WHAT????? 

I about fell over. Never in a million years would I have expected this kind of 180 turn around. And as soon as I said that to myself I heard the Holy Spirit speak to me, “See Lynn, I can transform and change your husband and this is just a glimpse.” 

I’m expecting a transformation one day that will freak me out. I absolutely believe in my God, His power and perfect timing. Amen, period, the end. 

Now my friends, here is where it gets difficult. What are the lies you believe? Where have you given your Holy authority over to the devil? The enemy is so clever and deceptive that you may believe something you don’t even know is a lie. Think about an area where you are feeling compelled to thoughts or feelings that are absolutely contrary to who you are and your beliefs. Get to the beginning, the root of when and where those thoughts began. Reject them OUT LOUD. 

I literally pray out loud and I say, “(       )That is a lie from the pit of hell and I reject that lie. It no longer holds power or influence over me. Jesus you are my truth. You are my freedom. Forgive me for coming into agreement with your enemy and handing over my authority. I take my full authority back and I choose to trust in the Lord. In Jesus name Amen.                

Our freedom is at hand. In the comments share the lies you have believed and are now free. Or state the lies in the comments that you are breaking this day and I will say them aloud with you. In Jesus name. 

Let’s fill the comments with your freedom. I want to see more than 100 renounced lies and also the truths that are our freedom and authority. I love you my friends. But our Abba Father, His son, Jesus and the Sprit that binds us all loves you with more grace and goodness and compassion than we can comprehend. Hugging you tight today. Today is our freedom day. Love, Lynn

Weekend Worship — Walking in Freedom

My friends, this last week has been amazing! If you haven't read the posts and comments, please take the time to read and pray and soak in what God is doing right here in this amazing community of believers! The words and prayers are so precious and encouraging. 

God has big plans for us, dear ones. I just sense that deep in my heart and in my spirit. He sees our willing hearts and hunger for Him and He's honoring us in ways we have yet to even see. I'm so excited over this and what He's doing and putting together. Prepare to be blown away!

And as we've talked about this week, our enemy wants to undo us, especially as we seek God more passionately and walk with Him more closely. But as Chris Thomlin sings in this song below, whom shall we fear? Nothing planned against us will stand because Jesus is our friend and his angel armies surround us, fight for us and protect us. Woohooo!

No fear, no fear, no fear! 

Love you with the passion of Jesus, my friends!
Dineen 

Thank you for sharing this song with us, Missie! Hugs!

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Terrorist Training Boot Camp

Welcome to the training ground my friends. Today we are getting started with basic training. The fundamentals. And we are working our way up to an exercise that will blow your mind and bring about freedom. 

Let’s get started.

Isaiah 61:1 

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
   because the Lord has anointed me
   to preach 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.

How do we know who is a captive and who is a prisoner??? 

I wonder if you are like me. I’ve been in conversations where for some crazy reason we get into the discussion about demons and ultimately there is a debate over this question. “Can a Christian be demon possessed?” Well, I think that’s entirely the wrong question. And I can tell you that the enemy loves it when we debate over this because he just continues his work on people as we debate and never get to a solution nor take any kind of action. So, let’s look for some truth and discover real steps we can take to bring freedom to the captives and the prisoners. 

Who are the prisons and who are the captives? For the first time I feel like I have a grasp on this. Let me share with you what Kris Vallotton shares in Spirit Wars: 

Prisoners are people who have invited a demonic oppression into their lives through a lifestyle of sin. The demons know they have permission to wreak havoc on these prisoners’ souls until the prisoners repent. 

Captives are people who have been captured in battle and held as POWs. These people do not have lifestyle sin issues in their hearts. Instead, they are bound by lies they have believed. 

Okay, can I just say, “WHOA.” 

I think we need to start here and let this just sink in for a moment. Now I can already hear the rumbling. “But Lynn, when you are saved you receive the Holy Spirit and therefore you can’t become a captive or a prisoner.” 

Let me assure you that is true. When you accept Jesus as your Savior, you are released from sin and as a prisoner you are set free. But what often happens is that we believe in Jesus but it’s REPENTANCE that keeps us free. Now, I’m not a theologian. I don’t have all the answers but I have graduated from the school of hard knocks and have learned over years and years of practical experience that this rings true. And this truth has become glaringly evident in my life recently. Lasting and real freedom is born out of radical obedience. 

I’ve personally lived in this place of partial repentance. I know God has loved me through some of my long-term sin habits. I have watched him give me healing and freedom several times and like an idiot, I’ve returned to some of those habits. But it’s when we truly abandon all of ourselves to God, jump into obedience, that is where we discover a lifetime of freedom. Will God still love us when we are in the prison cell? Absolutely. Does he continue to offer rescue, time and time again? Of course. Will he give us every resource to help us conquer it? He does. He will. Always. 

It’s a struggle of freewill, pride and add in there laziness and or comfort. 

I know this because I’m talking about myself. 

Ridding our lives of habitual sin is excruciating. I know. I still fight these battles just like you. But I’ve also tasted sweet victory and the “freedom” the Bible talks about. 

For me, fighting this battle and winning gave me something I didn’t know I was missing. The Dove. My friends after our visit to Bethel I came home healed from a habitual sin for which I received prayer. I arrived at my home with something very precious and yet very fragile. It was a fresh anointing of God’s presence and it sat upon my right shoulder. I’ve never felt so full of God’ grace, his love and his power as that Dove rested upon my shoulder. But, a few weeks after returning and settling into my life again, sin comes around and hits me in the face. I’ve grieved the Spirit and that sweet Presence grows a little more distant and is no longer on my shoulder. 

Once you have walked with this Dove, you will go to great lengths to keep it sitting on your shoulder. 

Now this is only one area where the enemy gains entrance or gains territory in our lives and certainly the lives of unbelievers. On Monday we are going to look at how we are held captive by lies. Oh and it gets really good. We need to have a grasp of these basics to understand the complexities of how the enemy uses these areas to keep us as captives or prisoners. Once we wrap our arms around the basics then we can see how our freedom is born. Once our freedom is born then we can help free others. Our children, our spouse, the world who is continually terrorized by the enemy. 

Okay, here is where it gets hard. It’s time to face your reality. It’s the hour where you ask yourself the really hard and revealing question. Do I have habitual sin in my life? My friends, if you do, you already likely know what it is. Because God is not silent about this kind of stuff. He will point it out to you over and over through scripture, through teaching, through studies, through people he strategically places in your life. 

Ask God in an honest and open way, “Daddy, is there deep sin in my life that I have not faced or dealt with that is keeping me from living in your Presence?” 

Then let the answer come. Some of the answers might be pornography, alcohol, television choices, infidelity, gossip, anger. How about these: 

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. Gal 5:19-21 

My friends, it’s okay. All of us have wrestled with more than one of these and still do. But, here is our God and his son, Jesus. They are here among us and they are shouting…… 

“I’m here to release you. Let me love your through your healing. Let me lavish my forgiveness upon you. Let my scandalous grace delight you. Living in my freedom is so much better than what you have settled for. Trust me.” 

This post is meant to mess you up. I hope it did. I hope it causes you to see your reality. I hope it pushes you to take steps toward healing. And for those of us who have experience our healing, let us fall on our face giving thanks. Let us love those on the path of healing. They need encouragement without judgment. 

My friends, there is a battle raging. We MUST bring healing to our lives before we can help others. So get on this train because at the end, I can see this community of SUM touching hundreds of prisoners that are all around us with the truth that sets people free. 

If you want healing and prayer, take courage to share it with me and our community so we can pray for you. Pray in the comments. If you have been healed, share what God has done so that the words of your testimony gives God glory and brings healing to someone else. 

And on Monday….. Oh, my friend, ON MONDAY… It gets even better.. I love you. I love you. I love you. Hugs, Lynn

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Know Your Enemy's Tactics

Know Your Enemy's Tactics

Before we dive into the deeper waters of spiritual warfare, I feel led (and have for weeks for this series) to help you have a better understanding of what spiritual warfare is and what place is has in our lives.

For years I lived in a place of fear in regards to the enemy. I’d dabbled with some of the occult as a teen without a Christian upbringing or someone to explain to me that God is bigger and more powerful and always will be.

As I stepped into faith I began to learn and understand this truth, to understand that God is in complete control, even of satan and the extent of his evil plans (i.e. what he’s allowed to do. The book of Job is a good example), but I still worked and prayed from a place of fear in dealing with the enemy.

One of the biggest lessons I took away from Kris Valloton’s book, Spirit Wars, and his sermon by the same title (you can buy the video at iBethel.com) is that the enemy is only a threat if we let him. We give him way too much credit and influence in our lives. So here’s the understanding that God has given me.

Growing old is a part of life, right? We can either pretend we will never grow old and live like there’s no tomorrow, or we do things proactively to age well. Like exercise, eating healthy foods, going to the doctor to keep tabs on how our body is functioning, taking vitamins, etc. Without these measures we can wind up feeling sluggish, sick and out of shape. Especially the older we get. You get the picture.

Much like aging, spiritual warfare is a fact of our spiritual life. It’s inevitable—a part of our faith just like aging is part of our bodily progression. We can either walk through our faith, pretending the enemy won’t try to threaten our spiritual wellness (much like pretending that Big Mac habit isn’t going to mess with your cholesterol level) or we can be prepared, alert and proactive so that we walk in victory, no matter what stage we are at. Victories come in all shapes and sizes, my friends. Don’t forget that.

We don’t need to fear aging though we might not like it. Nor do we need to fear spiritual warfare. In fact, when we come at if from a place of fear, we are ineffective. Jesus didn’t not give us a spirit of fear, dear ones. He gave us a spirit of power, love and a sound mind. Second Timothy 1:7 tells us that very clearly in Paul’s instructions for Timothy to live faithfully and boldly in his gifts and calling.

And now I’m reminding you of this truth. We are the ones with power AND authority. The enemy holds no important place in your life and is more like an annoying fly on your wall. Smack him away and give him no purchase, place, or hold in your life!

There’s one other thought I want to pass on to you, something I took away from Bethel that freed me to try things and not be so concerned about doing things “right” every time. We aren’t teaching you to look for a demon in every corner nor are we saying every situation or trial involves an evil spirit. Sometimes it’s clear but other times it’s not. The thing is, it never hurts to pray. If you think an evil spirit might be involved, pray against it. If it works, great. If it doesn’t, then ask God for wisdom and guidance on to approach the issue differently. Nothing wrong with covering your bases.

Now, let’s take a walk into the wilderness—as observers, not participants. Go to Matthew 4:1-2 with me and let’s look at the testing of Jesus. If you look at the sequence of events, you will discover some key details here.

1. Jesus knew the tempter would come. He was not surprised by His enemy. Jesus expected this time of testing and knew it was part of His preparation for what was to come. We needed a Savior who understood us completely, even to our temptations.
2. Jesus fasted before he was tempted. Again, Jesus is aware of what He would face so He prepared himself for the confrontation. I love what Kris Vallotton says about fasting—that he fasts to bring God near, not to fight the enemy. He even refers to Psalm 23 where it says, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” We fast for God, we feast before our enemy. That is the victory that comes from the battle!
3. Jesus expected His enemy to come in His time of weakness. Here again, Jesus prepared for this because He knew the enemy would attack at His weakest time—when He was hungry, tired and weak. Sound familiar? My friends, the enemy is a coward and will attack you in your weak spots. It’s important to know your weaknesses, identify them and prepare ahead of time (read and memorize Scripture, pray, ask for prayers, etc.) so that you can recognize when you’re just having a bad day or if the enemy has decided you are his target practice. Then you can recognize the enemy’s hand and win the battles when they come. Or even better, avoid them! Remember 1 Cor. 10:13.

In the next part of this series, I will show you three areas that the enemy tempted Jesus and how these are critical “hot spots” for us to understand how the enemy tempts us. There’s more to these stories than just the testimony of Jesus’ temptation and perseverance. They reveal the deepest areas that the enemy targets in us to take away our authority and victory in Jesus by making us think we are ineffective and powerless.

My friends, many of you are in this place already. I was for a long time too, but God has brought me from that place, and now I get to share that with you. We are on this journey together to gain ground, regain ground and step into the full inheritance we have in Jesus. With that, I leave you with this powerful piece of truth:

For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. — Philippians 2:9-11 (emphasis mine)

Even our enemy knows his limitations and Who he is answerable to—to Jesus. Even he has to bow down to Jesus and fear the name of our Lord and Savior. And you are a coheir with Christ (Rom. 8:17). Now think about that for a while.

I can’t wait until next time to share more of these truths right from God’s precious Word! You will be empowered and equipped!

Love you so very much, my precious friends! I am praying for you—for your victory!
Dineen

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Welcome To The Terrorist Training Camp

Welcome To The Terrorist Training Camp

On this bright and crisp Monday morning where it is colder here in Temecula (So California) than Chicago, I WELCOME YOU. I also welcome the FBI who likely will be reading this series because their computers have just detected a blog using the words “Terrorist Training Camp.” Hi Guys!!! 

Yep, that’s us. 

For the next few weeks, as long as God leads, we are jumping into some serious warfare training. I am so tired of the devil and his minions terrorizing the children of God. Fed Up! 

It’s time for the children of God to take back their authority and it’s our time to be doing the terrorizing. 

We, the believers, are NOT going to live in fear of the enemy. God’s word is filled, filled -I tell you, with every good word and truth to expose the enemy, to release us from fear, give us deliverance, and power over the accuser. So it’s time to reveal the lies and render the enemy of our soul powerless and send him running for cover. And by that I mean it’s time to cast this ugly dragon back into the pit of hell. 

Are you with me?? 

A few things before we get started. I know that there are seasons in our faith life. Seasons when we are up for the battles and also when we are at peace. There are seasons when we are bruised and weak. I know there are times when we aren’t feeling the warrior instinct, I get it. So, if you are not exactly in this season where you are all-fired up to fight the beast, I understand. I know that you likely need a word of empathy and compassion and that you need someone who understands to just hold you while you cry. I understand. 

I can promise you that we will be writing about our brokenness and healing of our hearts in the future as well. So, hang tight and read along with us. Because one day, you WILL, be up for the fight and I want you to have the knowledge and the power to fight for your soul, your children and your marriage. I want you to have courage and not fear the enemy. Please hear me now, I love you and I will fight for you when you are weak. And one day when I’m weak, you will be there to fight for me. I love you with such a furious love that God is moved to touch your brokenness. Write me and let me know how to pray for you. email me

Okay, onward my warrior friends. ONWARD… (I can hear that old hymn, Onward Christian Soldiers….) Yikes, dating myself. 

Here are some areas we are going to cover in the next few weeks: Isaiah 61.1, Kingdom authority, fear, agreement with the lies, names of spirits, generation curses, rules of engagement…. And this is just some of the things I want to talk about. 

For the first time in a very long time I read a book about warfare that actually gave me real tools to deal with the spiritual realm. I recommend that if you want to really understand more on the invisible battle, you buy this book, Spirit Wars, by Kris Vallotton. Kris is a senior pastor at Bethel church. 

I will be sharing some of Kris’s insights as well as my own study and experiences throughout this series. You can find a link to the book in the sidebar and at the end of this post. 

So let’s get started. 

What I think I need to share with you first is that the subject matter of the invisible spiritual realm is difficult to tackle. It’s difficult because so many Christians don’t really believe it exists. I know I’ve mentioned some supernatural incidents to church leadership at my home church and I received, in a very polite way, the proverbial eye-roll. So, it makes it all the more difficult to write about and to help people. When people have an unexplainable/supernatural experience they often go to their church leadership who will send them to a psychiatrist because they just don’t believe what the Bible tells them. 

So I ask you to travel this path with me with your Bible WIDE OPEN. We will study encounter after encounter where Jesus deals with the realm of the supernatural. Why would we expect anything different in a believer’s life than what Jesus has modeled for us? So, step with me into understanding, read your Bible for yourself, read commentary of trusted writers on the subject. Because when we finally start believing ALL the Bible teaches us in this area, THAT is when we start to see things change in our lives. THAT is when we will gain the victories, healing and wholeness. THAT is when we will finally arrive at peace, joy and thriving. And then we can begin to help our children, our spouse and others. 

The natural world and the supernatural overlap. And that is where it can get weird. 

Today, I want to share two scriptures. Isaiah 61:1 

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
   because the Lord has anointed me
   to preach 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. 

This passage says so much more when we really think about it. We are called as believers to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from the darkness the prisoners. But, how do we know who is a captive and who is a prisoner??? Ahhhhh, now that is a fantastic question. And there is a difference between the two.

My friends, I’ve probably lost all of you since this post has gone on way too long. On Friday, we are going to discover the difference between a captive and a prisoner and let me tell you this, Christians can be one of them. We are going to explore with courage these questions, reveal truth and decimate the lies of the enemy. 

Today, all this week, if you don’t do anything else, memorize the scripture below. It is imperative that we have this truth firmly in our hearts and minds. 

Romans 8:37-39

In all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

This is our truth. This is our power and we must know this in our bones. 

Okay, I’m curious, what do you want to know about spiritual warfare? Ask your questions in the comments and let do some real work for the Kingdom. 

Real love is a secret weapon that our enemy has no answer for. When we roll it out on the battlefield, Satan falls like lightning. ~Kris Vallotton

 

I love you my friends. I really love you. Lynn

 

I've written about spiritual warfare before. Read my story about my husband here. Spiritual Warfare and My Unbelieving Husband

Self-Love And The Battle At Hand

As we leap into 2013 and prepare for the series on Spiritual Warfare, I want to set the tone for that study. In December we spent some time talking about the love of God. We talked about moving our relationship into deep intimacy. (Read Can You Pray "Good Morning Daddy?”)

What I have come to understand is that to move with effectiveness in the spiritual realms requires confidence. We must have confidence in who we are in the eyes of Christ. We must love ourselves. We must “like” ourselves and love who we are and view our lives as God sees us.

Now I know that is easy to type, “Grasp who you are in Christ and live it.” But how do we move past our past, get over our hurts and insecurities to see ourselves as royalty instead of a pauper? That is the question.

I know for some of you, you just need some truth to defy the lies. I have been reading an amazing book about this very subject. Most of you know that Dineen and I attended a conference at Bethel Church in Redding in October. Those three days changed everything in how we perceive ourselves. And from that conference we have both been hungry, seeking to move out of our fears and into our victory. It has been a fantastic journey. And I have a lot more to share with you about all that later in the month.

But to move into the realms of the enemy and to experience the kind of victories we are going to share with you later, you MUST come to a place to accept who you are in Christ and live in His love. The book I am reading is written by the two lead pastors of Bethel, Bill Johnson and Kris Vallotton. The title: The Supernatural Ways of Royalty.

If you are struggling with self-love, a pauper mentality or need to grasp firmly who you are in Christ, I recommend you pick up this book and read it now before we launch into the series on spiritual warfare. There is a link below.

Here is an excerpt from page 51: On the other hand, agreeing with God empowers us. If frees us from the power of a lie and enables us to live according to the will of God. This empowerment is not independent of God; it is empowerment because of God. When we agree with God we step into the power of truth, the momentum of the Cross. The truth is already in our favor because King Jesus died in our place. He not only die for us, He died as us. Our agreement with God, which is always the focus and activity of faith, enables us to reap the fruit of truth. Ant that fruit is freedom! Faith grows by agreeing with God from the heart.

I have been practicing this kind of agreement since returning from Bethel. My friends, MY FRIENDS, do I have some astonishing stories to tell you about how our faith and agreement with God and NOT the enemy can profoundly impact our world. I can’t wait to tell you the story about praying for my daughter. I still can’t believe all that happened. Neither can she!!!!!!

So, I leave you this week, asking you to grab this book if you struggle in this area. I also want to encourage you to fast with us beginning Monday – Friday. Each year during our fast we experience profound movement by God in our midst because we humble ourselves and pray. To read more about how to fast, click here.

I am so excited for everything this New Year holds. The enemy is scared out of his mind and he has made a serious mistake to mess with this 5’4” blonde girl. How about you?I love you my friends.

I really love you. See you Monday for the fast. Hugs, Lynn

 

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Get Ready 2013

Hi Everyone, 

I’m a bit behind in posting this brisk Friday morning. I’m hopeful that your Christmas was wonderful. I was able to drive to visit my son and his new wife on Christmas day. My son turned 30 years old and we surprised him for this over-the-hill birthday. Yep, he is my Christmas baby. We had a great time but it was a quick trip. 

I wanted to give you a peek at what’s coming for the New Year. 

If you are new to our community, we want to invite you to our annual fast. Every January we, as a community, fast together for five days. This year we plan to fast Monday,  January 7^th through the 11^th. There are many ways to go about fasting. For me personally, I am planning a day-time fast. I fast all day until sundown and then have dinner with my family. 

During this fast we pray for God’s anointing upon the year ahead. We seek His Presence and His will for our lives. We pray for our spouse’s salvation and for our children. Rosheeda Lee leads us through this fast every day posting a prayer and/or instructions. 

I’m convinced there is great power in fasting. Jesus often fasted and He is our example. It is difficult to fast but when we humble ourselves and give our basic desires for food over to God, He moves the heavens for our petitions. 

So, if you have never fasted before ask God now if you are to participate in this week of fasting. And to read more about how to fast, visit this page as we have many resources about fasting. 

Here is the Link: Fasting. Does It Work?

Following our week of fasting we will launch right into a new series regarding the spiritual realms and how we recognize spiritual battles, how we fight within them and how we bring the authority and power Christ has given us into our lives. I’m positively psyched about this series.

My friends, 2013 is gearing up to be another exciting and fantastic year walking with Jesus. Our walk with God is ALWAYS the BEST ride of our lives. Love you much, Have a great day. Hugs, Lynn

Who’s Your Daddy?

Okay, I’m totally ripping off Lynn and some tacky song thing, right? But it’s what popped into my head and those are usually my best lines. (wink)

With that said, I’m going to share a few tidbits of my past that, well, I really didn’t plan or want to but God’s giving me the nudge to be even more authentic with you. And I blame Lynn. LOL!

Just like Lynn shared about her “daddy” issues, I’ve had the same challenge as well. My mother and birth father divorced when I was two. I did see my birth father periodically, but it wasn’t an easy situation because he was mentally ill (later diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic).

I don’t remember a whole lot, but I know my mother had it rough keeping food on our table and remarried when I was around four or five, mostly for security. Didn’t work out for very long (it was clear to Mom and I both he wasn’t too keen on having a kid around).

The man I called “Dad” up until two and half years ago when he passed away from cancer was actually my step-dad. He and my mother married when I was eleven. I’m so grateful for this man. Though his own father walked out on him when he was a young boy, he did a good job filling the gap of father in my life, especially without having a good role model. It wasn’t easy for him though. He was always dad, and I was always his daughter, and my girls’ Papa. No "steps" about it.

Whew! Done with the backstory. And please don’t think I share this for attention or pity. I admit in my past I had times of sharing this for that reason but not anymore. I share it because it’s important to the rest of this story.

Fast forward to 2002. I’m at a Women of Faith conference, having a blast with my two best friends from church. We’re singing and worshiping and bam! It’s like my life zips right in front of my eyes. All the rejection I’d experienced as a child and teenager flashed across my mind's eye like a depressing movie from the ‘70s (Am I the only one who hates movies from that time period? So depressing. Blech!)

Anyway, it’s not the past I thought would have “scrolled” through the dank dungeon of my past—you know, all the school yard junk and issues with school and not fitting in, etc.) Nope, it was to do with the three men who’d played the roll of father in my life.

Needless to say it wasn’t pleasant. Thank goodness it happened fast! As it reached the end, Jesus (my first encounter with Him, though I was saved and had recommitted my life to Him almost 10 years prior) spoke to my heart these words:

“I will never reject you.”

Like the story I shared of what happened to me at Bethel, this ripped something out of me that God didn’t want festering there anymore. But more importantly, He knew I needed to hear this/know this/believe this because otherwise I would never be able to trust Him.

My friend, this was the beginning of God working things in my life so that I could one, learn to trust Him, and two, begin to grasp how deeply I am loved by Him. I’m still grasping it.

I know many of you out there reading this have similar stories. That’s the sad part, so many of us do. When we have a broken image of our father here on earth, it’s hard to grasp that our heavenly Father is nothing at all like an earthly father.

I will even go as far as to say this (and feel free to correct me if you think I’m too far “out there): We know the enemy of our soul targets marriage in huge ways, namely because it is something God designed to reflect our relationship with Him. What if the enemy is doing the same thing with our relationships with our fathers? With our children’s relationship with their father?

We see a growing trend in our culture today of absentee fathers. Of men struggling to stay in the church, to be in the church, to be the spiritual leaders of our families. I believe the enemy is attacking this area too because this father image is something else God uses in the Bible to reflect our relationship with Him.

Think about it? The biggest symbols used in the Bible—marriage and fatherhood—that show God’s love for us are the two areas most at risk. And the recovery from this takes time, as Lynn and I have shared. God has had to work in us to undo the lies and replace it with His love and His truth.

So this is what we want you to know, more than anything, right now, right here. God loves you. He made you. He can’t make things He doesn’t love and He doesn’t do shoddy work either. Nor does His love rest upon our performance because if it did then we wouldn’t need grace and Jesus suffered and died on a cross for no reason at all.

Know in your heart of hearts that you were fashioned by His hand out of a love that is all encompassing, unimaginably perfect and so incredibly powerful and passionate that we won’t fully understand it until we are with Him in Heaven. Nor can we be separated from it.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. — Romans 8:38-39

God wants you to grasp this now. Right now. Because until we do, we will use everything and anything to fill this gap to find fulfillment. Our husband, our children, our friendships, our work, the opinions of others—I know this because I’ve lived it.

Our Lord and Savior wants us to walk in freedom and victory (It is for freedom that He came to set us free. Gal. 5:1). Not when all our problems are solved. Not when our prebelievers finally accept Jesus into their heart. And certainly not when we think we’ve got it all together.

He wants this for us right now, right in the middle of all our imperfections and all our trials and challenges. And we can do that with Him through His love.

My prayers started with asking God to heal me and make me whole. I prayed to understand His grace better. I prayed for Him to help me love Him more, to free me from my fears, and to make me a bold and confident person, because I was so tired of my insecurities. I want more of God than anything else in my life. Not an easy prayer but I promise you it is one He will honor and love to hear come from your heart.

So my friends, I will leave this too long post right here with what I hope will encourage you to pursue God like never before. It starts with prayer and if you’re not sure what to pray for first, ask the Holy Spirit to show you. Pray and then believe He’s doing this in you. It won’t be something you can do on your own, make a plan to conquer, or figure out the missing key and, viola!, it’s fixed. (Trust me, I tried!)

No, the healing, deliverance, and change will come when you least expect it because it will be totally and completely God doing it. Rest in Him. Trust Him. Let Him do it.

And He will love you all the way to freedom and beyond. Because really and truly, He is our Father, our Abba, our Daddy.

Praying and believing for you!
Dineen

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God’s Unexpected Healing, Part 3

Read part 1 here.
Read part 2 here.

Last week, I ended with a promise to tell you what fear and love have in common. I left that post convinced the answer was “nothing.” But I figured I better ask God, just to be sure. After all, the Bible tells us to fear God.

So, I went for a walk and asked God about it. This is what He told me:

“Fear and love have Me in common. I am love and I created fear to be a reaction to a perceived threat in order to seek safety and protection. The enemy has taken what I intended for your good and used it against you.”

Whoa! Hadn’t thought of it that way and I’m not sure I would have without the help of the Holy Spirit. Now the rest of my healing story and how this is pertinent to the journey from fear to love.

I left Bethel the next day, still carrying the physical illness I’d hoped to be healed of, but knowing I’d been given an even greater gift of healing than I had ever expected. Or dared hope for. The results of this manifest almost everyday in the places I go and the things I do, and most dramatically with the people, those I know and love and even strangers.

Now that my fear is gone I am able to walk in God’s presence like never before. Fear and His love cannot walk together and this truth has never been more real to me. When we live and operate in a place of fear, we are not embracing the full authority and power that Jesus died to give us! Let that sink in, pray about it long and hard, and ask God to show you what to do next, my precious friends, my sisters and brothers in Jesus, because more than anything I want YOU TO WALK IN THIS TRUTH TOO!

I want you to prayerfully and carefully read 1 John 4:7-21. Twice John says that God IS LOVE. Now look at 1 John 4:18:

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Now read it again in light of the truth that GOD IS LOVE.

When we live in fear, God cannot perfect His love in us. He. Can’t. Perfect. Us. My friends, don’t give the enemy ground in your life through fear any longer. Go before God, pray, fast, do whatever it takes for Him to deliver you from whatever fear you sense keeping you from walking in victory. Name it out loud in the power and authority you have in Jesus (Luke 9:1) and tell it to return to the pit of hell and rot there!

God wants to free you, my friends. Remember, it is for freedom that Christ set us free (Gal 5:1). Claim that truth and walk in it! Your greatest faith adventure is about to begin because this is the kind of faith that shines so brightly that people will take notice. Your spouse will notice! And you will be amazed at the breakthroughs you begin to see in your life.

So that’s my story, dear friends. I pray the freedom Jesus came to give us blooms in your life like a bold sunflower, tall and strong with plenty of faith seeds to plant around you and in the generations to come. Our destiny in Jesus is to walk in freedom so let’s do so and help those who come up behind us to do the same.

Walking in freedom with you!
Dineen

Pray With Power, Real Power

I’m writing to you on a Sunday afternoon. The rain has been gentle outside. The birds at my feeder are engaged in boisterous tweets as they tussle for the seeds. My exhausted daughter is having a nap and I can hear the crowd noise coming from the family room where my crazed husband watches and tracks his Fantasy Football score. And my friends, I’m privileged to spend some precious time with you. 

Walking with the Holy Spirit this past week has been full of firsts and fascination. I’m discovering that you must protect the Holy Spirit. And in the not-far-off future I will be writing to tell you about this and why we must protect the spirit. But today I want to share another experience from the conference at Bethel. 

As I look back over our conference experiences and process all that happened, I’m especially moved by the other attendees that God placed around us. Not only did we encounter wisdom, teaching and His presence from the speakers and worship but God placed unique individuals around us that spoke enormous truth and healing into us. God KNEW what we needed and sent each one at the right moment. Wait until I tell you about the woman who prayed for us in the women’s restroom. I kid you not. It was crazy but awesome.

Maria

Today I want to tell you about Maria. 

On the last day of the conference, I “happened” to sit right next to Maria. I think we only spoke for perhaps 15 minutes but our brief exchanged changed everything about how I pray. And now I want you to know what I learned. 

Maria lives in San Diego which is only an hour away from where I reside. So funny to meet her in Redding. We introduced ourselves to one another and I can’t remember the exact progression of the conversation but we didn’t waist anytime and the next thing I knew she was sharing with me her ministry. She serves at the ROCK (church) in San Diego and is part of the church ministry that helps former porn stars escape that trade and find Jesus.   

Can I just say: AWESOME! 

Well she started to tell me how there is a lot of demon possession in those who are emerging from adult films. She then began to tell me about her conversion experience and how she was placed on the fast track to learn to pray against the devils and evil. Whoa! 

She had me at hello. 

Anyway, what follows is the cliff note version as I try to rack my brain to remember the details. 

She said, “Look up Luke 9:1-2.” 

When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 

Okay now get this. She told me that Jesus has given His disciples (that would be us) power and authority to cast out ALL demons and to cure diseases. 

Good grief I’ve read this verse a million times but on this day…… For the first time, I ACTUALLY BELIEVED IT and believed this verse applied to me personally. I believed I had authority and power over satan and his realms. 

Maria's Husband, Rick

Maria went on to give me an example of how this works in her life. “I was standing in line at the pharmacy recently. And there were two women at the counter talking to the girl who was waiting on them. They began to get loud and scream at the poor girl. The tech behind the counter was getting more and more flustered.” 

“It was at that moment that I heard God say to me, “ ‘Take authority over this.’” So I began to pray: Right now I take authority over the spirits of anger and evil that are present in these two women and in the name of Jesus, I command them to leave.” As I watched, these two just picked up and headed out the pharmacy door.” 

“When I reached the counter, I told the clerk that I had been praying for her. She said to me with relief in her voice, “Thank you so much, I needed it.” 

I’m sure my mouth hit the floor as she recounted this story. She also went on to tell a similar story about an encounter in her ministry where a woman was swearing and cussing and creating all kinds of havoc. She prayed, took authority over the spirits and then commanded them to leave in Jesus name. Immediately the woman’s demeanor changed and she settled down. 

My friends, MY FRIENDS, this is what Luke 9:1-2 is all about. Notice that we are to preach the Kingdom of God. It’s our purpose and privilege to bring the Kingdom of God to earth. To cast out the demons and bring healing. ALL of this is for us. But is for us to give away. Never forget that. 

Okay, so on the car ride back to the airport after the conference, I was sitting in the passenger seat and I wanted to pray. So I began to pray out loud and loudly with authority over my home, my husband, my daughter. I prayed authority over Dineen and her home, girls and Mike. I prayed authority over Heidi’s house, husband and children. Man, I felt the Holy Spirit descend upon me and I started shaking and fresh fire lit me up until I broke out in a sweat. God birthed in me some kind of power to pray like this. And I saw results immediately when I came home. (More on that later.) 

I also follow up these prayers asking for the Holy Spirit to then fill the person or situation for which I’m praying. I ask God to fill them with love, truth, compassion, empathy, etc. I follow the Spirit’s prompting. So not only is there a casting out of evil but a filling up of God’s Spirit. Whoa! 

I have prayed like this over many situations I’ve encountered since the conference. It’s life changing. And this is what we are supposed to be doing for the Kingdom. I pray daily now over my husband and children. I pray for strangers. I have prayed for some of you over the phone and in private. 

Luke 9:1-2 has changed my life forever. I have so much more to say about this but I’m wondering if you would be interested in hearing how I now pray? I could record how I pray and post it on YouTube for Friday. Would that be helpful? Would you listen to it? Not sure if I need to do this or not. You let me know. 

Today, on this beautiful fall day, it is peaceful. But I know that tomorrow I will confront the face of evil somewhere but I AM NOT AFRAID. I choose love! And love decimates fear every… single…. time…. 

Choose love my friends, God’s love. Pray with the power and authority that has already been given to you. 

On Friday, I will talk about how my view of Spiritual Warfare has changed as well. Let me know about recording a prayer. I love you. I REALLY LOVE YOU. Lynn