‭‭Lessons From Winter:

Greetings dear people of God.

Change,  though constant, is never easy.

Leaving the warmth of the tropics for a place with cooler temperatures, is life changing.

I’m so thankful that the change gave me the opportunity to be more observant of my environment, and to appreciate God more.

As scripture says, “He who has ears to hear, let him be listening and let him consider and perceive and comprehend by hearing.” Matthew 11:15 AMPC

As my husband showed me the sights and took me on tours, the landscape was so beautiful with greenery everywhere!

The trees were so tall and luxurious. I could not help but plant a garden to transform my back and front yards. 

Then the leaves on trees started changing to red, golden, brown,  etc. Such beautiful colors and so inspiring!

Then suddenly, the weather reports said that there was going to be frost! 

Then I remembered that I was told to protect some of my plants from frost!  I sure did.

My first trip after the first frost,  provoked deep meditations! It was as if overnight,  the leaves were burnt off some of the trees!

As I looked at the trees and shrubs, I learned some lasting things. 

The bigger the trees, the worst  off they were after the first frost! They lost their leaves and looked burnt out!

Whereas, there were some frail looking trees who had luxurious leaves and still stood strong, even after the second frost attack. 

The strongest were the evergreens 🌲. They stood strong, and weathered the worst of the frost, snow, sleet, rains, etc. The inclement weather did not affect them so visibly as the others.  There were even shrubs who still survived and had beautiful leaves, through it all! 

Armed with these personal observations,  I began to consider why some Christians easily fall apart at the first signs of trouble.

Even though they may appear old in the faith and speak Christianese,  their roots may not be deeply rooted and grounded in the Word of God. 

Which leaves them bereft when troubles strike.

Do you know that unresolved root issues in life are the bane of the Christian?

When you deal with issues on the surface, without confronting the root causes of the problems,  you leave doors open for evil spirits to plague you continuously, in a never ending circle!

Therefore, If you really desire to weather the storms of life,  and stand strong like the evergreens 🌲,  you must learn how not to solve your problems with medication or behavior modifications alone! 

You must engage in Spiritual warfare and Spiritual Therapy!

Casting out evil spirits only solves a part of the problem.

For effective therapy, you must dig out the corrupt root systems in your life, and replace them with the everliving, incorruptible and indestructible Word of God. Which will effectively change your belief system and your fruits will be good.

Simply,  you must  live as light and salt in this world. Which means, you must live according to the Book- the Bible! 

Spiritual Warfare plus lifestyle changes will empower you to withstand adversities or prosperity!

As the Bible rightly states, “A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions  Matthew 7:17-20.

Even though the leaves fell off the trees, they will come on again. It’s a vicious circle! 😫 

Just like how  problems keep making circles in the life of some people, literally  stopping them from making progressions in life. 

Ask yourself, for how long do you plan on having the vicious circles of life torment you ?

I remember how someone said to me,”it’s flu season, allergies are part of life here,  go, get a flu shot to protect yourself ”.

And I’m like,  naaah! I’m not part of that equation. I am not of this world,  and the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. Divine health is my normal and not sicknesses, under any guise or disguise!

However, the allergies got to me! And some old ailment tried to resurrect!

But I fought them! 

That’s what spiritual warfare is all about- enforcing the victory of the Cross- by confronting forces of darkness and making lifestyle changes.

I dug into the root causes, confronted the forces of darkness who were taking advantage of the seasons to do wicked things, I built up my immunity, ate right, observed health laws, and I overcame it and drew the battle line!

 Enough is Enough!

I choose not to give the devil a foothold and I am victorious and remain so!. 

Many of us Christians are so accepting of the normal- just comfortable with  the usual  and the natural!

Noway! You are peculiar, now that you are born again! You are a supernatural and an extraordinary Being, recreated in Christ Jesus to display the excellent greatness of God in this ordinary, natural world!

Affirmations:

The seasons and everything in Creation works for my good 👍.  That is my belief and I’m holding to it!. No matter what is going on around me, I am confident that He who began a good work in me will be able to complete it! Hallelujah!

Let us pray:

Father God,  thank you that the righteous are like a tree planted by the riverside and we produce evidence of our faith in You.

Thank you for working in us, both to will and to do of your good pleasure. And therefore, everything we do, including our health, relationships, career, etc continually prosper well. 

 We stand against all the forces of evils who are trying to enforce evil standards and cyclical issues in our lives. 

We thank You for the grace to identify root issues,  the tactics of eliminating all, and the enabling grace of restorative healings, in the matchless name of Jesus Christ. 

Shalom from Hephzibah Christly, TheSpiritualWarrior,  Jan. 17th, 2024.

Weaponizing faith in God:

If you can just spend a few seconds to check your life in retrospect, you’ll discover that you made awful decisions, and acted in error  when you were most afraid. Which further complicated your life. 

However, if you make God your confidant, and discuss all your fears with Him in prayers,  faith will well up in you,  and you’ll act right.  

That’s why the Bible says:

“Every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. 1 John 5:4, NLT

When you weaponize your faith,  you have to trust God enough to cast your cares on Him, and be obedient to God’s Word. 

Your obedience to God disables the spirit of error and other related evil spirits. 

And when you are no longer influenced by the spirits of fears,  errors and their relatives, you’ll be victorious over all satan’s devices, and you’ll never be captive of the fear of man which is a snare/trap!

Choose your fight!

Some battles are so unnecessary!

Be wise my friend. 

It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. 

Weaponize your faith today! 

Shalom from Hephzibah Christly,  TheSpiritualWarrior,  Jan  15th 2024

God causes all things (including inclement weather) to work together for my good:

Good morning dear people of God. As we looked out our window this morning,  there it was- A squirrel!. 

The Squirrel was happily cracking nuts on the tree in our front yard, despite the snow and zero temperatures!

Are you scared 😱 of how the weather is performing this season?

I can relate! 

The weather reports though informative,  can be very stressful 😫 

However, God is bigger than the weather. 

 Therefore, Selah! Stop  and think.

 If God could protect animals in this weather, believe it when God’s Word says, ” the sun shall not smite you by day…Psalm 121:6

You can personalize that scripture by affirmation! Here we go! Say this !

‘ The Lord himself watches over me! The Lord stands beside me as my protective shade.  The sun, snow or sleet will not harm me by day, nor the moon or adverse weather conditions at night.

 For the Lord keeps me from all harm and watches over my life. And the Lord will always keep watch over me, as I come and go, both now and forever, in the matchless name of Jesus Christ 

(Psalm 121:5-8, affirmed)

Shalom from Hephzibah Christly,  TheSpiritualWarrior,  Jan. 15th, 2024.

Don’t let anyone frustrate your faith with a guilty conscience:

Dear people of God.  

You need to know Who God is and where you are with Him. 

Refuse to allow anyone to frustrate your faith in God. 

I hear it all the time how religious bigots would refuse to let your past go, and continue to throw it in your face.

Don’t let it get to you.  All you need to hold fast to is that, 

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9; BSB)

Now that you are born again, you are a new creation.  Old things are passed away! You have been given a new lease on life and have been made righteous. (See 2 Corinthians 5:17)

However, your new life needs a strong dosage of daily Bible reading for your growth to notbe stunted. 

Hence the Bible says, “Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment. (See 1 Peter 2:2)

Without daily Bible reading, your New born Spirit will be weak, and the old sin-nature will dominate it. And you will be flooded with those feelings of guilt and inadequacies. 

In that weakened state, you’ll become prone to curses, suffer mental health issues, develop psychosomatic disorders, and demonization. 

It is in your best interest to fortify yourself by what is known as the Daily Christian Discipline, which involves the following:

* Regular Prayers to God, 

* Personal Bible study (you can subscribe to a free Daily Devotional or Bible Reading Plan online- check out YouVersion, I’ve found them helpful)

* Fast intermittently- helps to develop self-control

* Fellowship with other Believers and, 

* Share your faith with others-just simply tell others how you overcome problens.

Your faith needs to grow or else you will become a casualty of spiritual warfare – demons will make your life a living hell here on earth.

Prayer:

Faithful God, thank you for giving me your Divine nature as well as everything I need for life and Godliness.

Forgive me for not believing your Word and allowing myself to follow the voice of the stranger. 

I reaffirm my faith in You and now walk in righteousness, excellence, productivity, health and wisdom.

I affirm that I have all I need in You for you are my sufficiency, in Jesus’s mighty name. 

Shalom from Hephzibah Christly, TheSpiritualWarrior, Jan. 11, 2024

#10 Abundant and Boundless Mercy: Embracing the Spirit of Wisdom

The Bible says, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom….” (1Corinthians 1:30)

ABBA Father, 

We are grateful  that Christ Jesus, the Wisdom of God,  lives in me. And I am supernaturally enabled to make wise choices and  decisions that reflect this. 

I affirm that because the Spirit of wisdom is at work in me, the spirits of error, fear, indecision, timidity, confusion and their relatives are banished from my thought processes, from my world,  and from my relationships. 

Thank You Father, that Your enabling grace at work in and through me is evidenced daily, through words  and actions are in sync with Your plans, purposes and will for my life and for the world. 

For it is You O God who is working in me, both to will and to do of your good pleasure. 

Thank You also  for the grace to function by divine insight, and to excel in all that I set out to do, in the matchless name of Jesus Christ.

Shalom from Hephzibah Christly, TheSpiritualWarrior, Jan 10th 2024.

#9 Abundant and Boundless Mercy: A prayer for marital stability. 

Text: ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭5:18‬ 

 Let thy fountain be blessed: And rejoice with the wife of thy youth. Proverbs 5:18, KJV.

The Bible says that marriage is honorable and the bed undefiled. 

Which speaks of the high value God has placed on marriage. 

That notwithstanding, ❤️ many marriages are at their worst because of unfulfilled expectations. 

Before we pray, here are some guidelines to help you overcome major marital challenges. *See Proverbs 5:15-21)

  1. Have a grateful heart attitude about your partner. Always thank God for your partner.
  1. Follow the  biblical recipes for marital success-
  1. Husbands love your wives. 
  2. Wives submit to your husbands
  3. Both of you submit to each other and to God See Ephesians 5:25-29.

   3. Flee all appearances of evil (1 Thess 5:22)   Beware of emotional communications, especially via social media,  that excludes your spouse. Do not keep secrets from each other. 

   4. Be determined to share sexual intimacy with your spouse alone, and commit to being sexually satisfied with your partner. ( See Proverbs 5: 16-17,19-20) .

    5. Renew your mind and change how you see your spouse- and be quick to forgive and let go. It helps to pray and study together 

    6. Be realistic in your expectations and share your finances, aspirations, and life goals  with your spouse,- it fosters understanding and trust.

    7. Read Proverbs 5: 21-23 to strengthen your resolve to never entangle yourself in adultery- it ends in open shame.

Say this Prayer:

Father God, thank you for my spouse.  I acknowledge my lack of appreciation, idolatrous and adulterous thoughts,  as well as other negative behaviors in my marriage.

I receive forgiveness of sins and cleansing from all unrighteousness.

I ask Father, that You enable my spouse to forgive me easily, and to not give up on our marriage.

I refuse to grant further liberties in my marriage, to anger, lies, resentment, unforgiveness,  bitterness, unrealistic expectations,  fault-finding, victim mentality, greed, selfishness,  addictions, addictive behaviors,  cheating, secrecy,  and other evils.

I command to go at once to the feet of Jesus Christ,  all the evil spirits influencing anxiety,  negative behaviors, disharmony, quarrels, disagreements,  disunity, vexation and related evils.

I pray that You bring us to unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and grant us more grace to enjoy our marriage.

Deliver us from financial ruination, and interferences from family,  friends or foes who seek to frustrate our marriage.

Let my marriage preach the Good News O God.

Today,  our marriage is rededicated to You ABBA Father, and we ask that by your Abundant and Boundless mercy, you restore our marriage to Your original ideal for Godly marriages.

I recommit to my marriage vows and declare the following:

Husband:

I, … affirm that, …  (spouse name) is my wife, whom I’ll love even as Christ loves the Church, I’ll protect and care for her: and stand with her in the faith of the gospel of Jesus Christ,  in health, prosperity and joy; and also stand with her  in the faith of the gospel of Jesus Christ against sickness, poverty, and death all our lives.

I, …  according to the word of God and the statement of my vows have joined myself to you … (wife’s name) to be your husband, friend, and partner. From henceforth, we are one.

Wife:

My Vows:

” I. .. , (your name) do affirm that … . ( spouse name) is my husband. I’ll submit to him as the head of this union, I’ll stand with him in the faith of the gospel of Jesus Christ in health, prosperity and joy and also stand with him in faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ, against sickness, poverty and death all our lives.

According to the word of God and the statement of my vows, I affirm that I’m joined to you …  (Husband’s name) to be your wife. From henceforth, we are one:

Thank You Father God for restoring our ability to Love each other and to model our marriage after the relationship with Christ and His Bride the Church.

Bless our children and bloodlines with happy marriages,  mental stability, economic successes, and the grace to serve you with their lives and wealth, in the matchless name of Jesus Christ. 

Personal:

Thank you everyone who follows this posting daily.

This marks the end of the 40 days of prayer and fasting which started by Dec. 1, 2023.

It was a very rough road paved with physical sickness and God helped me through it all.

Thank you to those special family members and friends who prayed over me during it all. I pray God to richly reward your labor of love,  in Jesus Christ matchless name ❤️ 

Shalom from Hephzibah Christly, TheSpiritualWarrior, Jan 9th, 2024.

#7 Abundant and Boundless Mercy: Deliverance from abominable behaviors 1

Text: ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:22‭-‬23‬ 

  But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, [23]  Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge].

Galatians 5:22-23,AMPC

Our picture post outlines the following 7 detestable behaviors as what God hates.

‭‭1. A proud look [the spirit that makes one overestimate himself and underestimate others],

2.  a lying tongue, 

3. hands that shed innocent blood, [Ps. 120:2, 3.] [18]  

4. A heart that manufactures wicked thoughts and plans, 

5. feet that are swift in running to evil, 

6.  A false witness who breathes out lies [even under oath], 

7. he who sows discord among his brethren.

If you are dealing with any one of the above behaviors, it is evident that you are not growing spiritually and are in the throes of demonization.

In order to overcome this physical behaviors and their spiritual enablers,  would require 2 aspects of spiritual warfare- 

1. Deliverance Prayer  2. Lifestyle changes 

Deliverance Prayer:

  1. Acknowledge your sins

Proverbs 28:13, 1 John 1:9.

  1. Thank God for forgiveness of sins and cleansing from all unrighteousness. 
  1. If you are born again, use your authority in Christ Jesus to cast out all the evil spirits influencing the actions you are ready to give up by commanding them to leave you alone and go to the feet of Jesus Christ .See Luke 10:19. ( if you are not born again, first Admit you need help, second Believe in Jesus Christ, and Confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of your life)
  1. Read Romans 8: 1- And Affirm that there is therefore now no  condemnation to you, for you walk after the Spirit, 
  1. Read Romans 8:2 and Affirm that the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, has made you free from the law of Sin and death.
  1. Thank God for deliverance from the forces of darkness, and affirm that you are victorious over the world by your faith in Christ Jesus- 1 John 5:4.

Watch out for the Conclusion 

Shalom from Hephzibah Christly, TheSpiritualWarrior,  Jan 7th 2024

#4 Abundant and Boundless Mercy; Affirming Longevity & Peace with Prosperity. 

Text: ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:15‭-‬18‬ ‭

[15] Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. [16] She offers you long life in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left. [17] She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying. [18] Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly. Proverbs 3:15-18. NLT

Greetings people of God. Before we pray, let me share briefly with you, things that I discovered in Proverbs chapter 3 that will help you enjoy a long, healthy and prosperous life.

  1. Keep God’s Word in your heart.
  2. Be merciful, truthful,  kind, faithful and loyal.
  3. Trust God from the bottom of your heart and don’t rely on your own intelligence or try to figure it all out on your own.
  4. Ask God before you do anything and he will show you the right way. 
  5. Learn to simply obey God and refuse to do wrong and your body will be healthy. Vs7-8.
  6. Honor God with your wealth or with whatever you have and you will always have more than enough.  Vs -10
  7. Pay close attention to God’s correction and take it as a warning ⚠️. Vs. 11,12
  8. Hold onto Christ for He is the power and Wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:18-2:16). Vs 13-26.
  9. Keep doing good- vs 26-28
  10. Don’t plan or do evil against anyone, especially your neighbors-29
  11. Don’t fight unnecessary battles-vs 30
  1. Don’t be violent – God hates it and violent people are cursed already by God- 31-33
  2. Be humble-vs 34-35

The list is by no means exhaustive, but it gives you clear details about how to live if you plan on living a healthy, long and prosperous life.

Let us Pray:

Might God, thank you for the words we just read which has 

illuminated our hearts 💕. 

We acknowledge that we have not lived right, and thus deserve all that’s going wrong with us.

However,  we are grateful that you are able to forgive our sins and cleanse us from every unrighteousness.

We declare that going forward, and by Your abundant and boundless mercy, we will be led by the Holy Spirit to live in obedience to Your perfect will. 

We declare that in this new year, though we are in the world, we will live above the world by showcasing Godliness in all aspects of life. 

We command all the diseases,  sicknesses, adverse conditions and other evils that gained access into our lifeline, to dissipate right away. For this cause Christ manifested, to destroy the works of the devil.

We affirm we have been set free from the forces of evil functioning in this world,  for we live by the righteous standards of God, and cannot partake of the unfruitful works of darkness.

We affirm that from today, everything that has breath in us will adhere strictly to God’s Word, to live by it and God’s Word will continually gain ascendancy in us and do what it says in our lives, in the matchless name of Jesus Christ.

Shalom from Hephzibah Christly, TheSpiritualWarrior. Dec 4th 2024.

#3 Abundant and Boundless Mercy: Praying that we be more discrete, going forward.

Text: Proverbs‬ ‭2:11‬ 

Discretion shall preserve thee, Understanding shall keep thee: Proverbs 2:11, KJV 

People of God,  Discretion is the ability to make wise choices, or  behave in a quiet and controlled manner, without attracting the wrong kind of attention. 

Many people through the mismanagement of information, have jeopardized their progression in life, frustrated their career, ministry, marriage, etc., and shut doors of opportunities. 

Let us Pray:

Father  God,  thank You fir giving us the tongue of the learned, enabling us to be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow in getting angry.

We are grateful that as we progress in this new year,  our ears are attentive  to skilful and godly Wisdom, and our hearts are seeking to understand and accomplish Your purpose for us.

By the abundance of Your mercy O God,  preserve us from mean and wicked persons, who may seek to trap us with our words, and deliver us from running mouths.

We affirm that we shall walk the paths of righteousness, uprightness, excellence and victory in this world, and be the definition of Godliness, in the matchless name of Jesus Christ ♥️ 

Shalom from Hephzibah Christly, TheSpiritualWarrior Dec 3rd  2024.

#2 Abundant and Boundless Mercy: Praying to understand and know God.

Text: ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭1:5‬ 

A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; And a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: Proverbs 1:5

Happy New Year once again.

  As I shared in a recent post,  every new year, I challenge myself to start  reading the Bible daily from Genesis through to Revelation. 

This year,  my husband set our Daily Bible Reading goals to 10 chapters everyday. Which is no mean feat, if you have a busy schedule  as I have.

But  busy-nesss  is no excuse at all.  In order to achieve any goal,  discipline is required.

In order to achieve this goal, I have had to reprioritize my priorities, and recategorize Television and reels, as non-essentials. 

Which leaves me with ample time to Read 10 chapters, and even make notes as we read along. 

This new year, what goals have you set for yourself?

What practical steps are you taking to make your goals attainable?

One of the best goals to set is, “to understand and know God” (Jeremiah 9:24)

God is personal. 

You cannot understand and know God only by ‘hearing’ God’s Word from others.  You have to discipline yourself to know God for yourself by personal Bible Reading or Study.

I challenge you today to increase your knowledge of God by searching the scriptures-learn wisdom from the Bible.  

Let us Pray:

Father, we are thankful for this new year, and the enablement to accomplish all our set goals. 

Let there be light in all areas of darkness, and orderliness in all areas of confusion,   as we divide, define and distinguish issues.

Thank You that,  as we proceed in recreating orderliness in our lives and environments, your abundance and boundless mercy, will always shield us from perpetuating errors and recycling problems.

Help us to grow in  ‘the fear of the LORD’ so that we can obey You out of love, and not from the fear of reprisals.

As we proceed in the year, we pray for strength of character so that we won’t yield to the pressure to do evil. But rather,  to eschew evil, and establish a clear distinction between us and the world. 

Thank You that Christ has been made wisdom to us, and thus we shall continuously grow in knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and reverent fear of God, in Jesus Christ matchless name. 

Shalom from Hephzibah Christly, TheSpiritualWarrior . January 2nd 2024 .