#SpiritualGrowth
One of the fastest routes to take towards building your self-esteem is to believe in the inside of you, that God loves you.
Once you can get that into you, nothing and no one can ever make you feel worthless, weak, or insecure, ever again!
God, the creator and owner of your soul, loves you – that is all that matters! Take that to the bank!
Read Jeremiah 31:3, again!
Shalom!
Bible Base: Jeremiah 29:11
My pastor, Wade Barker of the Heritage of Faith Family Church, Rogers AR., said something recently that resonated strongly with me.
Most times we ascribe so much power to the devil, whereas it is God’ preemptive mercy at work.
Some weeks back, I was distraught because we could not meet our financial obligations to God, via tithing.
We were on our way to fellowship, but had a very tight schedule. Then we got caught in traffic, and missed that window of opportunity, (or so I thought), and had to keep another appointment.
However, after keeping that other appointment, we had an emergency: The fix of which was the same amount as our planned Tithe.
We had a vehicular breakdown deep in the woods, and needed a wrecker to get our truck out of there!
Brethren, was it good that we had that amount at hand! It would have been very embarrassing 😳 otherwise!
And there I was beating up myself for missing that window of opportunity to give, without even considering the possibility that God knew we would have need of that money. And in His preemptive mercy, helped us not to keep the appointment! I’m all so emotional as I recall that situation!
Most times, our deep-seated denominational indoctrination makes us forget that;
“Christianity is a relationship with God, based on a daily faith-walk with Christ Jesus”.
My religious mindset/upbringing says, ‘tithe goes to the church’ (period), whereas Biblically, Tithing is to God (Read Malachi 3:8-12).
Tithing is not a religious obligation but a relationship with God, that acknowledges His partnership in all your income!
The Bible says: in 1 Chronicles 29:11-12 KJV:
“Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.
Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.” (1 Chronicles 29:11-12 KJV)
What do you have that you were not given by God?
The tithe is an act of worship of God who freely gave you everything.
It has nothing to do with your pastor. It is your business with God. The pastor is just the one who executes the will of God- His custodian.
“Anyways, why should I bother how the pastor executes the will of God? He will give account to God. I have enough on my plate to bother about non issues.”
Background Story:
Decades ago, when the yoke of poverty and indebtedness was a heavy burden on my shoulders, I did research on God’s Prosperity plan for His people. I was tired of being poor in the midst of plenty.
That was how I discovered Matthew 23:23, and was shocked that tithing was still a New Testament obligation.
Prior, I was of the school of thought that tithing was one of those ordinances that were nailed to the Cross (Colossians 2:14). So. I stopped tithing.
But all those changed after my research, and I resumed tithing.
In the passage of time, complacency set in, and I forgot the hard lesson that tithing is unto God, and not unto any human.
I reverted to the religious errors of thinking of the tithe, as another religious obligation, devoid of a personal relationship with God.
Until one day, as I took out my Tithe in preparation to give in Church. Then I heard a sniffing in my spirit instead of an affirmation. It was disturbing!
I stopped and asked God, “Dad, what am I doing wrong here? I’m praying over my tithe before taking it to church, and you are not happy?”.
Then a dialogue ensued whereby God made me realize that the Tithe was His, and I had no business spending His money as I deemed fit.
Did you get that? I treated the tithe as my money, to spend as I wanted. Whereas, the sec. I set it aside as tithe, my ownership ended- it was no longer my money, but God’s.
My mind was set to take my Tithe to my church, but God’s Word says “into the storehouse” (Malachi 3:10).
And we know there are lots of God’s storehouses globally.
And if we acknowledge God in all our ways, He will direct our paths (to the storehouse that we should send the Tithe to).
After that encounter, I take out my Tithes, worship God as my provider, and wait for His direction.
Surprisingly, over the years, He has specifically directed me to some storehouses ( you have no idea!)
As I obeyed, and walked in God’s will, the yokes of poverty and indebtedness lifted, and I began to enjoy the benefits of salvation.
And then I relapsed again recently, into a religious mindset.
But I am so thankful that God’s preemptive mercy restrained me, and restored me back into acknowledging Him in all my ways.
Hence I said that my pastor’s message resonated strongly with me.
Perhaps, you are still of the school of thought that tithing expired with the Old Testament laws.
My simple question is this,
“How is that working out for you?”
#SpiritualWarfareTeachings ;
To break the yoke of poverty and indebtedness, you not only confront the forces of evils that are enforcing them: You have to obey God’s Word, which immunizes you from the devourers!
Read Malachi 3:8-12 without any religious bigotry, perhaps you will catch a revelation there.
Know God for yourself. A religious mindset will keep you in poverty and Indebtedness.
You can destroy that yoke by simply obeying and owning/personalizing God’s Word.
Search the scriptures and do what is right to do.
In closing, I pray one of the Pauline prayers for you:
“ That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory…give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ…” (Ephesians 1:17-20)
Shalom from Hephzibah Christly, Ph.D., #TheSpiritualWarrior, November 14th, 2024
Kindly make time to pray for both the west and east coast of the United States of America.
Your prayer as a Christian will call God’s power into play in our world. You are important in what God is doing in our world today.
The Amplified Classic Bible (AMPC) says, “The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working] (James 5:16b)
#PrayerPoints4Today:
(1). Thank God for where you are at, and for His protection over you and yours already.
(2). Identify with the sins of the land, ask God for forgiveness, cleansing, healings for our lands, and for His mercy to prevail over judgment.
(3). Simply ask for God to intervene supernaturally and put out all the fires 🔥, with either rainfall 🌧 or snowfall ❄️ or as He deems fit.
(4). Ask God to comfort and send help to all the people who have lost loved ones and properties in the raging fires.
(5). Pray specially for all the Firefighters 🚒, Emergency services personnel, and for the family of Jacob Lazar, (the 18yrs old volunteer firefighter killed by a falling tree).
(6). Be thankful to God for the assurance that He hears us always, “whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him” (1 John 5:15)
Thank you for making time to earnestly intercede for others.
#MyPrayer4you:
I pray that you will never have to run for your dear life, nor lose loved ones and properties to floods or fires 🔥, in the matchless name of Jesus Christ ♥️.
Have a great life!
Shalom from Hephzibah Christly, Ph.D., #TheSpiritualWarrior, November 13th 2024.
In our prayers today, we shall stand with you against the forces of evils that are influencing those who cheat, lie, steal, deny your rights, and project evils against you, in a bid to cover up their wickedness, and project you as the evil one.
Most people have a hard time understanding that God is the righteous Judge of the World, “He puts down one and exalts another” (Psalm 75:7), and there is nothing hidden from Him.
For, as the Bible states, ”…Nothing is secret that shall not be made manifest, neither any thing hid, that shall not be known…”(Luke 8:17)
People’s sin usually finds them out (See Numbers 32:23)
OUR opening scripture from Job 20:15 Says:
“He hath swallowed down riches, He shall vomit them up again. God shall cast them out of his belly” Amein!
You may be in an inheritance or custody battle, where the oppressor may have taken possession, or skillfully hidden what rightfully belongs to you.
Whoever they may be, their conscience will not rest, and will continue to trouble them until they do right by you.
And if they ignore or silence their conscience, and not voluntarily restore your rights to you, God as the righteous judge, will compel a restoration in the matchless name of Jesus Christ.
#SpiritualWarfarePrayers:
I command to go at once to the feet of Jesus Christ all the evil spirits that are influencing hatred, lies, and acrimony, against you, to lose their holds over your finances, job opportunities, relationships, self esteem, and mental health
I release to you now , the anointing of God’s Spirit that brings deliverance, healings, prosperity, reconciliation, redemption, restoration, and wellness.
I declare that because Christ manifested to destroy the works of the enemy, therefore, you are set free to enjoy the gains of salvation, have life in all its fullness, and fulfill God’s purpose for your life, in the matchless name of Jesus Christ.
Shalom from Hephzibah Christly, Ph.D., #TheSpiritualWarrior, November 11th, 2024.
It is important that you learn how not to allow fear of anything to be your first reaction when you encounter opposition.
Instead, reset your mind default to ‘faith in God for everything’.
This means that no matter how fearsome an enemy is, or how daunting the problem is, you will always tell yourself with your chest out, “Hey (say your name), relax, God’s got this.”
I stand with you against the spirits of fear, intimidation, manipulation, premonitions, hopelessness, and infirmities. As well as those that immobilize or paralizes a person with fears.
I command all the aforementioned evil spirits to lose their holds and influences over all the faculties of your soul and go at once to the feet of Jesus Christ.
I declare to you that you have been given the spirit of power, love, and sound mind, and you will keep growing in faith and in the knowledge of God, in the matchless name of Jesus Christ.
Say to yourself,
“I am victorious, for I am more than a conqueror because the One who lives in me is greater than he that is in the world” (Romans 8:32-39, 1 John 4:4; 5:4)
The Word of God works. Don’t stop saying it. Keep saying it until it forms the framework for your thinking.
Shalom from Hephzibah Christly, Ph.D. , #TheSpiritualWarrior November 9th, 2024.
Continuation:
Example 2: Pharaoh of Egypt:
Bible Base: Exodus 14:9-11
After Pharaoh experienced the final plague that ended in the deaths of firstborns of man and beast, Pharaoh finally agreed to let God’s people go.
On second thoughts, Pharaoh decided it was not a good idea to let them go. So, “…The Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army…” Exodus 14:9 KJV.
I encourage you to read the remaining verses in order to understand how unrelenting Pharaoh and his army were.( Read Exodus 14:1-30)
Even after experiencing how defensive God can be for His people, He still pursued them into the red sea, and perished there with his army .
The sea which was the pathway of deliverance for the Israelites became the pit of destruction of their unrelenting foes.
*Today, I declare that the mercy of God that brought you deliverance from oppression will become the vehicle for the destruction of all your unrelenting foes in the matchless name of Jesus Christ. (Read Exodus 14:14).
It is important to keep in view that one of the reasons God took out a generation of Israelites in the wilderness, was because they were unrelenting in their disobedience!
In addition, they were rebellious, stiff-necked, hardhearted, and unteachable (Read Exodus 32 & Numbers 14)
And God chose rather, to work with the next generation who were flexible and teachable, and whose hearts were yielded to Him ( Read Exodus chapters 32 & Numbers 14)
As we are standing against unrelenting human foes, dont be an unrelenting human foe as well.
Search yourself, and repent if you discover that there are people you are pursuing relentlessly.
Stop being that wicked, rigid, vindictive, unforgiving, uncompromising, and unyielding person.
Your obedience must be complete in order for you to punish disobedience. (Read 2 Corinthians 10:4-6)
Start being the opposite of all the negatives mentioned above. Line up your life with God’s Word and you will see how God will take out those unrelenting human foes.
Our weapon of choice for this warfare is the “Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17)
#PrayerPoints4Today :
1). Read and Apply Psalm 103:1, 3: Praise God for who He is and for the great things HE does in our world.
2).Acknowledge that your sinfulness opened you up for negative spiritual attacks, and remember to forgive all those unrelenting foes.
When you forgive them, you disconnect their hold on you, and your emotional healing and prosperity will commence.
Unforgiveness feeds hatred and empowers the demonic hordes to keep tormenting you.
3). Believe in your heart that God has forgiven you as you have forgiven others (Matthew 6:14).
Believe also that God has cleansed you from All unrighteousness as His Word states in 1 John 1:9.
4). Affirm Psalm 23, by declaring that the Lord God is your Shepherd who provides, prepares, protects, feeds, heals, and comforts you despite all the treacherous and slanderous moves of the enemies.
5) Thank God for helping you overcome all the entrapment of the enemy and for strengthening your faith in Him.
6). Ask God to adjudicate over all the charges the enemy has brought against you, while affirming that as God’s righteousness in Christ Jesus, no one “can lay anything to the charge of God’s elect, for God is for us” (Romans 8:31,33)
7). Confess that you are justified by your faith in Christ Jesus (Galatians 2:15-16),and that you are filled and led by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18, Romans 8:14-15), there is therefore now, no condemnation to you for the blood of Jesus Christ has atoned for all your sins and is speaking better things on your behalf (Romans 8:1, Hebrews 9:14,15,24; 12:24)
8) In accordance with Isaiah 54:17, command all the voices of accusations that are speaking against you to remain silent for all eternity.
9). Thank God that you are born again, blood washed and saved from the strife of tongues, for those unrelenting human foes, no longer exists.
10) Declare that God is love, and as He is, so are you in this world: therefore, as love attracts, so shall goodness, favor, appreciation, supporters and favorable circumstances are attracted to you, in the matchless name of Jesus Christ ♥️
Shalom from Hephzibah Christly, Ph.D., #TheSpiritualWarrior, November 8th 2024.
Bible Base: 2 Timothy 3:8-9:
“ …As Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was“ 2 Timothy 3:8-9 KJV.
Unrelenting foes are those human agents of darkness who have their minds set on doing wickedness to you.
Although they withstood your every move, and kept failing, they changed tactics.
While pretending to be on your side, they are slandering you to others, and subtly encouraging rebellion against you.
Unrelenting foes are hardhearted, stiff-necked, cruel, uncompromising, unyielding and unforgiving.
Don’t be deceived by how fluently they speak Christianese. They have no respect for God, instead they are focused on themselves and their statuses.
Because they are self-centered and proud, they have faith in themselves and are no part of Christ.
Their major default is the rejection of the goodness of God that leads to repentance. Therefore, “Unrelenting foes” are very vindictive, manipulative, and destructive.
There are so many on social media platforms pretending to be Christians, whereas, they are subtly spreading dissensions and lies against people who are on a mission for God.
Unrelenting foes are known by their fruits not by their languages. Beware! Don’t share in their judgments.
Example 1: Jannes and Jambres. The Two Magicians of Pharaoh: Exodus 7-8:1-19.
Their Actions:
When it was time for the deliverance of God’s people in Egypt, God raised up Moses, and Moses co-opted Aaron to go tell Pharaoh about HIS intentions.
For credibility’s sake, God empowered Moses with His supernatural power, so that Pharaoh and the Egyptians will know that there is an Almighty God, who is more powerful than the Egyptian gods.
But two Egyptian magicians tried to frustrate Moses and Aaron’s mission, by duplicating nearly all the miracles.
According to long standing Jewish tradition, Jannes and Jambres were those two magicians who stood against Moses and Aaron way back in Exodus 7:10-12, 22; 8:19; 12:38; Exodus 32; Numbers 22:22; 25; and who continued relentlessly to do wickedly against them.
Although they could not duplicate the plagues, they made Moses’ mission work more difficult. Their pseudo-miracles interfered with God’s work that He committed to Moses and even delayed the deliverance of God’s people.
Anyone who withstands you is standing against God who you represent.
Hence it is written that,
“To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not“ Lamentations 3:36.
#MyPrayer4you:
Therefore, whoever or whatever is standing against your progress and progression shall be exposed, disgraced and removed from your life.
From today, I declare that no sorceries, divination, enchantments, jinxes, curses or imprecations shall prosper against you.
I proclaim the lifting up of all bans and embargoes that were placed on your finances ministry pages, groups, and relationships.
Shame shall clothe all those who despise, malign, and are acting like Jannes and Jambres in your life and ministry.
*God will add to you reputable people, and remove spoilers from your spheres of influences.
*Your sworn enemies will see God’s elevation of you: for the harder they try, the harder they will fall, in Jesus Christ matchless name.
Continues with Example 2 and Spiritual Warfare prayers.
Shalom from Hephzibah Christly, Ph.D., #TheSpiritualWarrior. November 7th, 2024
Bible Base: Proverbs 10:28
If the Bible states that:
“The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: But the expectation of the wicked shall perish” (Proverbs 10:28), it is important that your expectations are not wicked or unrealistic.
Unrealistic expectations are one of the major problems that destroy marriage relationships.
Back in Genesis, when God saw Adam’s loneliness, He gave him Eve for companionship, with the added bonuses of
sexual intercourse, and procreation (See Genesis 2:18-25).
Additionally, God blessed both of them for the responsibility of dominionship over the world.
Marriage is not a servant -master relationship, even though the Man (husband) is the lead-partner (See Genesis 1:27-28, Ephesians 5:23, I Corinthians 11:3).
God does hold the man accountable, who treats his wife treacherously, violently, or with despise, etc. (Read Malachi 2:14, Hebrews 13:4).
When a man enslaves or subjugates his wife under the guise of submission, he has given access to anger, resentment, slave mentality, bitterness, vindictiveness and other evils, to function in His marriage. And vice versa.
*In my book Demons Deactivated 1, the subject of subjugation and submission was well discussed, so I’m not going to discuss it here.
Be that as it may, marriage is one of God’s gifts to humanity.
Hence, we are told that ‘the man who finds a wife, finds a good thing and obtains favor from God.’ See Proverbs 18:22.
If your marriage is plagued with troubles, God is not responsible for that. And instead of blaming satan, or your partner, put the searchlight on you, and your marital crisis situation will be resolved quickly.
a). All humans are ‘free moral agents’ who have the power to make choices!
Which makes you responsible for your actions, reactions, and responses – See Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Galatians 6:6-8.
b). You can choose to enjoy your marriage by following the Christ and His Church model, found in Ephesians 5: 25-29,33, or you can follow the traditional, societal, and worldly view of marriage.
c). If you are ‘born again’, you have been given everything that pertains to life and Godliness – See 2 Peter 1:3.
d).Which means, you now have the ingrained ability in your new nature, to live right in this degenerating world, and you can treat your spouse right.
e).Remember that your wife is “heirs with you of the gracious gift of life” when you treat her right, “nothing will hinder your prayers” (1 Peter 3:7)
f). Know that God who freely gave you the Kingdom will graciously also give you all things – See Romans 8:32 .
It is unrealistic to expect your partner to give you things that you’ll receive only through an intimate relationship with God.
Therefore, If you went into marriage expecting your partner to give you joy, peace, prosperity, security, love, etc., you have set yourself up for marital failure.
These are things that you internalize, and then reflect them in your relationship with God and others.
God expects that the Christian develops his/her new nature in Christ, which has been created in God’s image, in true righteousness and holiness (See Ephesians 4:24)
That new nature is evident in the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (longsuffering, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, gentleness (meekness (humility) Self control (self-restraint) See Galatians 5:22-23.
Your marriage is God’s gift to you. He wants you to enjoy the companionship of your partner and to ‘do life’ together.
It is your responsibility to ask God for your needs so that your joy will be full (See John 16: 24-26, Matthew 7:7).
Refuse to allow Unrealistic expectations become the bane of your marriage
*Thank Father God for the grace of marriage, and for giving you a partner with whom ‘to do’ life together ❤ ️.
*Ask and receive forgiveness, for idolizing and blaming your partner for your unmet needs, instead of working out your salvation, and growing spiritually.
*Affirm that God is working in you both to will and to do His good pleasure.
*Declare that you are yielded to the inworking of the Holy Spirit, and will continually produce fruits worthy of repentance.
*Affirm that you have been translated from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light, and are no longer under the jurisdiction of satan.
* Command to go at once to the feet of Jesus Christ, the evil spirits that are influencing marital strife, anger, rejections, revenge, unforgiveness, hatred, resentment, bitterness, unrealistic expectations, jealousy, blame shifting, poverty, wretchedness, divorce, frustrating circumstances, and adverse human interferences, with their relatives.
*Proclaim your authority in Christ Jesus and the ability to utilize the power given to you over all the forces of evil.
*Declare that all satanic interferences or projections, witchcraft manipulations, ingrained cultural beliefs, societal norms, ego, contrary learned behaviors, and everything else opposed to God’s righteous standards in your life and marriage, are disconnected, disabled, and destroyed.
*Declare also that you stand against the forces of evils.
*Affirm that you are a new creature in Christ Jesus, created in the image of God in true Holiness and righteousness: Therefore, your personality and characteristics will continually reflect God, who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
*Renounce all inhibitions, resentment, negativity or unrighteousness against your in-laws (family by marriage).
* Declare that love, acceptance, and forgiveness flows from you to them and that no partiality or dissensions can work against you all.
*Thank Father God that from today, your mind is renewed to appreciate the grace of marriage, and that you and your partner are mutually submissive to God.
*Pray that God in His infinite mercy will bring reconciliation to troubled marriages.
*Ask God to help those who are seeking to be married to be connected together and their expectations granted.
*Pray for widows, widowers, and elderly singles to be protected, comforted, and provided for, always, and for family members to remember to visit them also.
*Thank God for the anointing for effective and fervent prayer.
#MyPrayer4you:
I pray that as God is working within us, we will become more appreciative, be more understanding, live in harmony and unity, and also model the love of Christ to our world of influences, in the matchless name of Jesus Christ.
Shalom from Hephzibah Christly,Ph.D., #TheSpiritualWarrior, July 20th, 2024.
Updated November 5th, 2024.
It is so easy to fall into the ongoing deception in our world, if your source of information is the mainstream media, rather than the Word of God.
It is worse for those who are simplistic, gullible, do not check facts, nor have the gift of discernment.
They fall for half truths, exaggerations and outright lies.
If you stand for nothing, you will fall for everything.
As a Christian, you must develop working principles from God’s Word, that will undergird you in life. So that you will not fall for lies and deceptions.
It’s a thin line between information and disinformation.
While information centers on giving you facts about something or someone, disinformation deliberately gives you false information in order to confuse or mislead you.
No wonder scripture says- “If it were possible even the Elect will be deceived” (See Matthew 24:24)
Although some posit that the Elect of the above scripture refers to the Israelites, here is another scripture to let you know that the Believers in Christ, are the Elect of God too,
“… he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love” Ephesians 1:4. KJV
This is not the time to hate anyone based on someone else’s opinions of them.
Do not share in the iniquities of others, for you should be holy and blameless before God.
Do not fall for the lies, half-truths, exaggerations, outright lies, and disinformation ongoing in our world.
satan is the father of all liars and is also a murderer from the beginning(John 8:44)
Liars and murderers are siamese twins who are co-joined in the heart.
You will also be in error if you believe someone is a Christian because he/she speaks Christianese!
Remember that even though Christianity is “a-together-faith”; Salvation is a personal race.
You must throw off everything that will hinder your patient-run, towards the Goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ (Read Hebrews 12:1, Philippians 3:14).
Each of us will give a personal account to God of how we lived here on earth.
Therefore, ‘work out your salvation with fear and trembling’ (See Philippians 2: 12-13)
You are responsible to God for your decisions.
” Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness.: 2 Peter 3:17 KJV
#MyPrayer4you:
I pray that you will not fall for the lies of the devil and that you will stand strong in faith, be the one to discontinue evil family traditions, and be the salt and light in your world, in the matchless name of Jesus Christ.
Shalom! Shalom! From Hephzibah Christly, Ph.D., #theSpiritualWarrior, November 4th, 2024
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