We recently learned that we each need to seek and receive God's word about the situations we face. God's word will provide the assurance and confidence we need to overcome every challenge.
As we continue to quiet ourselves to pray for and hear the Lord's word, it is important to be aware that satan can attempt to hijack this process. The devil is interested in creating chaos and confusion. One way it achieves this is by whispering lies to people. When this happens, an individual can believe the deceptive word satan introduced, bringing disappointment and disillusion. This further leads to people feeling duped and thinking God lied to them.
Alas, in such cases, the problem is that they listened to what their "itching ears" desired to hear (2 Timothy 4:3). And satan knows what humans want to hear. Remember, it convinced Eve to sin so herself and Adam could have knowledge outside of God. It appealed to her curiosity and pride. The devil continues to steer people astray till this day as we learned in the How satan Speaks Series. It is therefore no surprise that when it discovers that a believer seeks revelation from the Lord, it will try to corrupt the person's ability to hear. After all, 2 Corinthians 11:14 teaches us that the devil likes to disguise itself as an angel of light. It does this to make people think they are hearing from the Lord when in fact, it is their enemy trying to destroy them.
However, as children of God, we need not fear whatever the enemy is up to. We must remain confident that the Lord will use every means available to ensure we hear from Him alone. He will move heaven and earth to reassure us that we heard His voice. He will use scriptures to quickly disprove any lie the devil tries to plant as a seed. Or, if need be, He will send someone to speak His word. There is no limit to what or who He can use to reach His children. The more we steep ourselves in His word, the more familiar we become with His voice so we can quickly reject the serpent's lies. And as we allow His Holy Spirit to transform us, we will notice the enemy's tricks work less and less.
Jesus Himself taught that His sheep hear His voice and do not recognize a stranger's voice (John 10:1-5). His sheep are those who believe He is the Son of God, cooperate with His Spirit and obey God's instructions. If any of this is missing in your life, today is the day to erase that deficit by repenting for sins and asking God for what you are missing - more of Him. If you are concerned that the Lord expects perfection and you can't achieve it, please worry less. God knows humans are imperfect and that has never stopped Him from achieving His purpose in a person's life when they submit to Him. His objective is to take His imperfect children on a lifelong journey, perfecting them over time so they can enter a perfect place when they die - Heaven.
When you understand His goal then praying, praising, studying the word, fasting, walking in faith, putting others first, and loving people become indispensable Kingdom Keys to help you partner with a perfect Father who is perfecting you for His glory. And as those and other spiritual tools work together, the devil's attempts to stop you from getting the revelation you need will fail.
By the grace of God, we are the sheep of the Shepherd of our souls and we hear His voice. We shall receive revelation from God and God alone, our ears closed to the enemy's words, IJMN Amen.
Please come back at Noon EST when we shall praise the Lord, pray for other people and again seek God's word on another issue we need His help on. It will be a wonderful time in His presence, so come and be blessed!
To learn more about the concept of God's Word, please read the following messages
From PM -
From M22 - Abba Father I lift up mysekf and my siblings into your hands. I pray that you continue to watch over us and take care of us. I pray that you will help us to know your perfect plans and will for our lives. We hold on to your promise in Jeremiah 29:11 that you will always prosper us. Help us to continually walk with you no matter the circumstances IJMN Amen
Abba, You are my Father...
FINAL MESSAGE
I'd mentioned in a response to sis @AlexisColby that I thought it important to share the dream that led to today's post.
On Tuesday the 13th, we'd prayed to hear God's word regarding certain situations in our lives. I'd prayed at the time for guidance on how to solve a long overdue problem. It involved logistics, countries and people. The moment I said the prayer in the Last 10 Minutes Section of that day's post, I heard God's instruction and took great comfort from it.
The next morning, I woke from a very vivid dream in which I'd seen myself lying in bed with needles stuck into the mattress right beside my body. As I watched this happening, I'd wondered (while dreaming) why this was happening because needles right next to my body would puncture my flesh if I turned in bed.
As I woke, I subconsciously swept my hand over the spot I'd seen in the dream. Of course there was nothing there. I've learned that every dream I remember is something to pay attention to and address with robust prayer. So, I immediately kicked into prayers and praises, declaring God's word over myself. Because I have been blessed to hear Him and see Him fulfill His word in my life, I prayed for understanding.
The Lord immediately taught me that the enemy wanted me to be afraid and think danger was imminent. It doesn't care whether I'm feeling strong in faith, it's goal is to always try and plant seeds that will bring confusion and fear into my life. I thanked the Lord for His insight and turned to praising Him even more. I realized that if I hadn't been praying, studying the word and taking note of what I was learning over the years, plus if my mind hadn't been clear, I would have fallen for the devil's stunt. There was a time in my life where I would have prayed from a place of fear and concern instead of confidence in the Lord's promise to protect me in every circumstance.
I've mentioned that over the last few months I've seen God doing miraculous things. Not just for me but for prayer subjects and even strangers. These events have fueled me. God's word has also increased my Godfidence as I deal with the daily situations that creep up. He's helping me to shut the doors the devil previously used to attack and weaken me.
And so, today's message stemmed from His teaching that it is so important to have a sincere relationship with God before the enemy attacks and tries to speak a lie. Rooting ourselves in Christ will help us to distinguish that lie that sounds on point from the truth God washes over us. And if the enemy attacks, we'll already have a foundation in God and His word so we easily reject and renounce whatever seed the devil wants to plant in us.
See, the devil knew I was seeking God on an issue. All it had to do was read Tuesday's post, right? Of course, it had to try and attack. It thought it could do so in my sleep. But favor surrounds me and God's blessings fall on me at all times, so me being asleep and supposedly not on guard spiritually didn't matter. The Lord immediately silenced the enemy with scriptures through my lips. The enemy tried to speak but I didn't get to hear because of the Lord's faithfulness.
I am not any different from anyone reading this post. Yes, I've been trying to walk with God faithfully for a few years but never forget that Jesus has taught in the Parable of the Workers (Matthew 20) that the worker who started early and the one who only worked for an hour all got paid the same wage. My point is whenever you start walking with God isn't what He uses to measure, it's your faith and trust in Him that matters. Genuinely let God into your life and allow Him to walk with you through the challenges satan will send to discourage you. You will see God rise to every occasion because He wants you to be overconfident in His ability to rescue you from all of the devil's foolishness. He is desperate to convince you that He can overdo for you on everything. He will move all of creation to ensure you know He is talking to you and moving things for your good.
I pray that you will be patient with God. That you will truly submit to Him and let Him lead you on His path of righteousness, a journey uniquely tailored to you for His glory. Reject the lie satan wants you to believe. You belong to God. You are free from the devil's deception. God says even if you try to hide in the deepest pit of hell He'll march in there to snatch you out because you belong to HIM (Psalm 139:8). God bless you and I hope what I've shared encourages you to lean all the more on the Lord.
From AC - Lord I lift up the praise and praises of @FFJ @Mimzy22 @Jesus Is Real @Cookie Doe @Callmecheeks and sis FJ. May You receive them in faith and may Your will prevail in our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
From M22 - Happy weekend folks!!! May God bless you all beyond your expectations. IjMN Amen
From AC - Heavenly Father thank you for being such a kind and compassionate Abba to us. Forgive me when I allow the enemy to drown out your sweet voice and stray from Your path and purpose for my life. Increase my faith in You alone and help me to recognize Your voice over the evil ones whispers, and guard my heart and mind against its deception. YHWH Rapha I trust that the healing You have started in our family, You will see through to completion, for your glory! I trust that You will guide the results of the upcoming tests and grant us the favorable outcome we seek. I declare that all imaging tests and blood tests will be clear and normal. I decree healing, restoration and prefect health over us and that all disease and abnormalities will be defeated, In Jesus' name, Amen.
CLOSING PRAYER
God, we can never thank You enough for the privilege of fellowship with our fellow believers. There are many around the world who do not enjoy this blessing. Lord, we call on You to open the closed doors so Your people can worship You in safety and peace everywhere, IJMN, Amen.
As we have enjoyed the opportunity to gather in Your name, we give You praise and appreciate You. Father, I pray You will see Your children who fellowshipped with others because of their love for You. I pray You will usher them into Your abundance and favor. IJMN, hear their petitions and fulfill them with speed, oh Lord. Reveal the world they need on the issue they prayed about today and silence their ears to every lie the devil will try to speak. Your voice alone oh Lord do we seek and receive, Amen.
Thank You, Lord!
From CMC - Praise you Father today for your gifts. I praise your mighty name for the good work. I bow down to you and willfully give you all the glory. Thank you Father for your sacrifice, your mercy and your love. You are sovereign, the head of my life, and the one I will seek. Please continue to cover me in your Holy Spirit. Thank you. In Jesus name, Amen.
From AC - EL Rapha, I plead for your supernatural healing power upon my prayer subjects. Deliver them from all health alignments, sickness discomfort, and pain. Eliminate the spirit of fear and fill them with Your transcending peace. Strengthen and heal all systems, cells, bones, organs, tissue, nerve endings, and vessels. Bless them with easy access to quality healthcare and guide the hands and minds of the medical team entrusted with their care. Please grant them a healing victory for Your almighty glory! In Jesus' Name, Amen.
LAST 10 MINUTES
Once again, we are going to pray for ourselves, asking the Lord for revelation on an issue we are facing. However, today, we also highlight in prayer our desire to hear God alone so we move with His assurance and the devil's attempts to confuse fail spectacularly.
Lord, God, thank You that I can always depend on You. No matter what I do, You are always God. My failures can never cause You to fail. And this reassures me that You will hear and answer my prayer. Father, I know I am a sinner but I need Your help. Please forgive me of my sins. I repent sincerely for depriving You of the glory You deserve from my life. Have mercy, my King.
Dear God, I am experiencing things in my life that must change and only You can bring the change I need. So, God, please speak to me. Give me Your word on the situation I am laying at Your feet. Provide revelation that lights a fire in me. Let it be a wall around my heart and mind to Your glory and praise. I seek Your direction and in faith I will hear You with clarity for I am Your sheep and know Your voice. IJMN, Amen.
ETA: Listen. Quiet your environment to hear what God says. Or, as you study the Bible this week, be expectant for what God has to say. You might hear Him speak to you as you pray or praise. Write what He said down. Search the Bible for what you've heard and give Him thanks.
From M22 - Abba Father I pray over sis @FFJ and fellow Peppers that you continue to increase them in every areas of their lives. I pray you continue to bless, strengthen and renew them for your purpose and glory IJMN Amen
From JIR - I pray for the homeless and the poor. Please bless them with libations, shelter, and the strength, love, comfort and peace to get out of whatever situation they may be in. Please bless them to seek You, call on You, pray to You, speak with You, and build a relationship with You, Lord. Please bless their faith, hope, belief, love and trust in You to strengthen. Please watch over them Lord and protect them from the elements and bless them with shelter. Please bless them to know that You care for them, You love them and that You are watching over them. Please bless them with the hope to keep on going. IJMN. Amen.
from JIR - I pray for all of us who yearn for the Lord, to fully commit to Him with all of our hearts and souls. I pray that we learn to fear the Lord and through His grace and mercy we are given wisdom and understanding in abundance. IJMN. Amen.
“Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.”
Proverbs 3:13-15 NIV
Oh Lord, I pray for Peppers. I pray that in any way that the enemy has oppressed them, that Tyranny comes to an end right now in the name of Jesus, Amen.
I declare that I break the hold satan has over any area of their life. I declare that the children of God are set free and He who the Son set free is free indeed. I declare that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. I declare that Your children's minds will wake to the freedom and power they have in Christ to silence the devil and set it running. I declare that the presence of God chases all darkness away and I praise You God for being right by our sides destroying the darkness and all that comes with it.
I cover Your children in the Armor of God as they walk in the world through the powerful blood and name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
from JIR - God, please bless those who are sick in the hospital right to recover from their ailments. Please bless them with the strength, love, comfort and hope to keep on holding on. Please bless those who are able to reach out to You and seek You while they are in the state they are in to call Your name and keep praying, steadfast. Please bless the sick in the hospital with Your healing powers Lord. IJMN. Amen.
From M22 - Abba Father I lift up mysekf and my siblings into your hands. I pray that you continue to watch over us and take care of us. I pray that you will help us to know your perfect plans and will for our lives. We hold on to your promise in Jeremiah 29:11 that you will always prosper us. Help us to continually walk with you no matter the circumstances IJMN Amen
Heavenly Father, I lift up sis @qvc, @Amanda Woodward's friend LS, bro LL, sis OD, and everyone else in this fellowship seeking a change in employment.
Father, You are the God who we call on to bless the works of our hands. Psalm 90:17 - May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.
Although satan claims it has authority, we know from reading Matthew 28:18 that all authority is in the hands of our Savior Jesus Christ. We also know that You have complete power over all that is in the Earth (Psalm 24:1).
As such, dear Lord, I call on You to show favor to Your children in their endeavors and to bless the works of their hands as they seek employment. Guide them toward the place You want them to be in and may they submit to and receive Your directions, to Your glory, and by Your grace, IJMN, Amen.
From CMC - Lord, I thank you for opportunities to pray for others. I ask that you bring people to my attention who are hurting and are in need. Give them the courage to pray boldly and the words that will resonate in their heart. I pray against fear and insecurity that would cause others to stay silent. Help those to move and speak by your Spirit. I thank you that there is power in prayer and I am believing in you for blessings on behalf of those I pray for. Show up in mighty ways, as you always do. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
From M22 - Abba Father I pray for people struggling with their faith and mental health that you silence the voice of the accuser in their lives. I pray that you uproot every spirit of confusion, doubt, anxiety, fear and depression in their lives. Help them to bask in their identities as your children. I pray that they truly begin to experience how much you love and prioritize them. I pray that you strengthen their faith beyond their expectations IJMN Amen