The new Breakthrough Sound

Have you sensed the shift? Had you felt the breakthrough? We have stepped into our new land, now is the time to possess it. It seems that the type of warfare that we are to fight with has transitioned into appropriating and appreciating the victory, won for us by Our Lord.

I have been hearing words about a new sound. These are the sounds of the Lord’s people in unity, in one accord. It is the sound of praising, worshiping, and of laughter. Yes, I did say laughter. It seems to be a word that echoes thru everything I am hearing and reading. Most of these words are based on the scripture that the Lord laughs at the enemy.

At a recent Aglow meeting, the speaker, Ruby Parks shared her testimony. In the midst of this she told of a time when it seemed that her family was really being attacked spiritually. She and her husband agreed it was time (again) to fast and pray for breakthrough. The Lord spoke to her heart and said that it was not time to fast but rather they were entering into a season where they were to laugh thru the trial. Her recounting of how the Lord moved powerfully thru their obedience was amazing.

There is a book by Steve Backlund called "Possessing Joy" that has so many interesting facts about laughter that I just cannot share them all here! A few tidbits are the doctor who spent most of his life’s work proving that laughter and feeling positive had well, positive affects on his and the patients in the studies health. There is the woman who laughed her way to losing 35 lbs. It wasn’t a diet of laughter; it was a substitution of laughter instead of whatever food or substance she had used before to self-medicate the pain inside. She committed to laughing from 30 seconds to 5 minutes a day. Soon she started feeling better, wanted to exercise and be healthier overall and just plain enjoyed life more.

There are studies that had patients watch comedy for an hour and tested their antibodies before and after. The results were astounding! Ok no more stories, you just have to get the book! Ok, here is one last fact from it, this one regarding how much we laugh. Did you know that children laugh about 400 times a day and adults maybe 15 in the same 24 hours? That can’t be a good thing! Jesus does say to be like the children, could it have been that laughter is one part of what He was directing us to do, as well as being more trusting, open honest, etc.?

If God laughs at His enemies and sees all of their efforts as futile, should we not do the same? Let us use such a powerful tool as much as we possibly can, for our health both spiritually and physically! Come on! Let’s do it!! My favorite line from Steve’s books is “I laugh uproariously at the lies of the enemy” Let us laugh hard, often and together!!

Declare or Decline- Time to War with our tongues

We are in a season, now more than ever before, that life and death are in the power of the tongue. Almost is if every statement immediately and directly builds something of substance here in our natural world.

We have know these things, been taught repeatedly to hold every thought captive and yet we seem to not take it completely seriously.  I believe that we have been in a season of grace, a training period where the consequences have not been immediate or dire if we speak out the negative things of the world.  I believe that time is over.  The things we do and say that are negative can and will be held against us, and our family, our community and our country.

Have you seen it too?  Have your words come back to echo in your head as you walk thru a consequence you always dreaded before but seemed to just slip by in the past?  Now, it is staring you in the face thru the hurt face of friend or family.  Now it echoes in the pains of your body as your worst fears are realized and you are fighting it, whatever the "IT" is you so carelessly spoke out!  It is as if basic spiritual boot camp is over and you are now training for the elite guard with new, sharper and much more deadly weapons.  It is said that the tongue is sharper than a two-edged sword.  This is a weapon we must use wisely and well.  I feel like the enemy is hanging on our every word and anything that does not line up with the word of God can and will be used against us!  A careless, ill thought out word becomes the noose with which we are hung, trapped by the forces of darkness.

And if you are in a place of dark sorrow of the heart, then it is time to let the Lord truly do a deep work of healing.  It is said out of the mouth the issues of the heart spring forth.  If there are deep wounds, bitterness, unforgiveness, and all the other damaging emotions of spiritual and emotional wounds, then everything we say will come thru that or those filters.  And the enemy will bind us deeper into those pits.  Get healing, get deliverance, get the sorrow of ashes traded in for joy in the morning!

So, it is time to declare the goodness of God and His promises.  My husband has been proclaiming the declarations every morning!  (from Steve and Wendy Backlund’s Ignited Hope Ministries, to read/copy them, go to www.ignitedhope.com) He has seen the Lord, time and time again, use the proclamation of His promises to created miracles in Roy’s day.  New people met and ministered to, new jobs, even the description of specific new jobs have come to Roy in the process.  Then, sometime in the day, that promise manifests, every time!  He says he is so excited to make the declarations each day and open up the “presents” from the Lord that he helped speak into existence.  God has promised that His word cannot go out and return void. So, we can declare what we want or His word.  I kind of compare them to a grenade versus an atom bomb going off! I think you know which would be which!

This will be a short article for me; I am fighting my own battle of declaration as I fight the gunk the enemy is trying to attack my body with.  It does not matter what it is called or if I was near every germ and bacteria in Shasta County!  When my Jesus took the 39 stripes on His back, it was for a different sickness, illness or infirmity!  So, anything that tries to mess up my system is illegal!  The analogy I give when sharing about God’s healing is that if someone threw a bucket of oil on you, you would never say “Oh, look at my lovely oil!” You would say this is garbage and it has to go!!  You would scrape off the oil, wash up, basically do whatever it takes to get it off you and not accept it even for a moment.  We need to be just as unaccepting of the other garbage the enemy tries to throw on us, colds, flu and on and on….  It has no legal authority, it cannot stay and you press in to the Lord and His love and grace and trust Him to take you thru the valley of darkness.

So, life and death are in the power of YOUR tongue, it is in your power to bless and to curse, yourself and others.  BEWARE of what you say AND how you say it.  And above all, if you cannot say something nice to someone or about your situation, DO NOT SAY ANYTHING AT ALL.

The battle rages, boot camp is over, it is time to get serious or to be seriously taken out of commission. Your call! Your future and your destiny hang in the balance of where you go on this crossroads!  See you there!  And before I go, let me remind you there is some good ammunition for you.  The declarations from Ignited Hope, we have been sharing them with everyone!  Try them out or write your own but declare the goodness and promises of God.  We all need to, here, now, before it is too late and we are in a trap of our own making, padlocked in by the enemy of our souls.  We will decline if all we do is be in agreement with darkness.  We must declare the light and the promises of the One who is light!

So, speak to your soul, your spirit and the natural world around you and let us start this next adventure together! DECLARE the enemy’s decline!


Ten Beginning Declarations

Declaration #1 (Romans 4:17; Romans 10:9,10) These ten basic declarations (confessions) are foundational to the building of your faith. They will increase your expectancy of Gods goodness; and, thus, will increase the manifestation of that goodness in your life. Jesus said, according to your faith, so be it (Matthew 8:13) Say these (and the other profession lists) every day for a month and see what happens to your life. It will be exciting!
1. My prayers are powerful and effective (2 Cor 5:21; James 5:16b).
2. God richly supplies all my financial needs (Phil 4:19).
3. I am dead to sin and alive to obeying God (Romans 6:11).
4. I walk in ever-increasing health (Isaiah 53:3-5).
5. I live under a supernatural protection (Ps 91).
6. I prosper in all my relationships (Luke 2:52)
7. I consistently bring God encounters to other people (Mark 16:17,18)
8. Through Jesus I am 100% loved and worthy to receive all of God’s blessings (Gal 3:1-5).
9. Each of my family members is wonderfully blessed and radically loves Jesus (Acts 16:30.31)
10.I uproariously laugh when I hear a lie from the devil (Psalms 2:2-4).  

Declarations to IGNITE Faith
Declaration #2 Remember this: Faith is the evidence of things not seen (Heb 11:1). Our evidence for things being true is not our circumstances, but Gods promises. We don’t deny negative facts in our lives, but we choose to focus on a higher reality: Gods truth. Faith indeed comes by hearing (Romans 10:17); therefore, we choose to speak these powerful truths to build our own faith.
1. I set the course of my life today with my words (James 3:2-5).
2. I declare today that I cannot be defeated, discouraged, depressed or disappointed. (Phil 4:13)
3. I am the head. I have insight. I have wisdom. I have ideas. I have authority. (Deut 28:13; Deut 8:18; James 1:5-8; Luke 10:19)
4. As I speak Gods promises, they come to pass. They stop all attacks, assaults, oppression, and fear from my life. (2 Peter 1:2-4; Mark 11:23-24).
5. God is on my side today and therefore I cannot be defeated. (Romans 8:37; Psalms 91)
6. I have the wisdom of God today. I will think the right thoughts, say the right words, and make the right decisions in every situation I face. (1 Corinthians 2:16)
7. I choose life today. I choose health. I will not be depressed today. I will not be in lack today. I will not be confused today. (Deut 30:19; Neh 8:10; Ps 103:1-3; 2 Tim 1:6,7)
8. I expect the best day of my life spiritually, emotionally, relationally, and financially in Jesus name. (Romans 15:13)   


Declarations
 
 
 
 


Speaking to Mountains
Declaration #3 Truth: One of the main methods Jesus and the apostles used (in the gospels and Acts) was to SPEAK TO things. You will notice that they did not ask God to heal people, to cast out demons, or to raise the dead; but they spoke to bodies, to demons, etc. Jesus encouraged us to speak to mountains in Mark 11:23. This set of declarations focuses much on our speaking to the various aspects in our lives. I have a covenant with God and, by the blood of Jesus I release my divine protection and divine provision (Hebrews 8:6)  My angels are carrying out the Word of God on my behalf (Psalm 103:20) I expect to have divine appointments today, to run into the right people, and to be delivered from the wrong people.Any adversity, attack, accidents and tragedies that were headed my way are diverted right now in Jesus name.

I speak to the raging waters in my life; peace, be still. I say to my mind; peace, be still. I say to my emotions; peace, be still. I say to my body; peace, be still. I say to my home; peace, be still. I say to my family; peace, be still.
Now I speak to every mountain of fear, every mountain of discouragement, every mountain of stress, every mountain of depression, every mountain of lack and insufficiency; and I say, be removed & cast into the sea in Jesus name! (Mar 11:22-24)
And I speak to this day and I call you blessed. And I declare that I serve a mighty God who today will do exceedingly and abundantly beyond all that I can ask or think (Eph 3:20). I say you are a good God and I eagerly anticipate your goodness today.     Ignited Hope Ministries 

The Kiss of Betrayal

I have been thinking about how God has been working in all of our lives.  It seems to me that He has been very intentional about healing and reconciling our relationships. And that means all of our relationships, even the ones that seem to be the most irreconcilable.   I thought about many of the people I know and the challenges they face in reconciliation and it seems that the hardest relationships to heal are the ones that were with those that were the closest to us.

 I think that it is hard to forgive those that we love who hurt us badly, whether it was with or without any intention of wrongdoing. There is a kiss of betrayal that goes to the depths of our soul.  It feels like a Judas kiss. That is defined as "an act appearing to be an act of friendship, which is in fact harmful to the recipient." And that is a tough thing to deal with.  We all try so hard to work thru problems in our relationships.  We try to share our feelings, set boundaries and navigate thru the difficult relational stuff.  That makes it harder when in the course of those relational uncharted territories, something is said that wounds or damages us to the core of who are.  I believe that many of those wounds are not premeditated but inflicted because of wounding that the friend or family member has themselves.

I have been in such a season but had something so cool happen to pull me out of this quagmire that I just had to share it!  God had been pulling apart every relationship that I have had, for the last 40plus years!  Like a knotted, tangled skein of yarn He had patiently pulled out and detached every thread, even those that represented loved ones that had passed on!  Kind of crazy to be back in the past and trying to work thru issues decades old, some of them with problems that I did not even know about.  And yes, as you may have guessed, I was not a happy camper about it!!  I was very upset that everything felt as if it was being torn to shreds as it was being pulled apart.  And I confess, I fell into every trap the enemy set to pull my soul into self pity, fear and intimidation.  Anger, bitterness and even unbelief of God’s goodness all held sway in my heart, leaving no room for the grace of God to be loosed into the broken pieces of my heart.  It had been a long process and in truth I am not entirely sure I am done.  What I do know however is that the grace of God has worked mightily in my life this last few months to conclude this part of the process.

This spring I went to our Aglow prayer explosion this spring.  This time, instead of a lot of outward prayer, Holy Spirit went inward into the inner man.  The power of God created an implosion instead of an explosion and none went home the same!  The Lord set up prophetic acts of reconciliation between all the generations.  This was done thru different people, of all ages, standing up and standing in repentance for what their generation had done to one or both of the others. (youth, the parents & the grandparents were all represented)  I will never forget the woman who shared about her sons.  She said she was driving with one of her teens in the backseat, mouthing profanities at her!  Then the Lord showed her the image of the same little boy, as she left his father due to abuse, crying out mommy, don’t leave us, mommy, don’t leave us!!  We all cried as she shared how this had broken her and caused her to seek reconciliation with her sons.  She went to each ones to repent for wounding them, for what damage her actions, even well meaning ones, had caused.  She shared how that same son now wanted to take her to San Francisco and spoil her like crazy for her birthday.  It was and continues to be a miracle of healing.

 Then a grandfather stood up and shared that he felt the Lord would have him stand in the place of all those who had wounded us, primarily women.  As your grandfather, your father, your uncle, your cousin, please forgive me for where I have wounded you.  As your brother, your boss, your co-worker, please forgive me for where I have not supported you or have done you damage.  Please forgive me for where I have not protected you from others.  Please forgive me for abusing or hurting you myself.”

   It was a powerful time that resonated with most of the women and possibly even the many men that were present, I do not know as I was too undone myself.  Many of us cried and broke as this hidden place of betrayal was exposed cleansed and healed by the Master’s touch!  There was a woman that went up to that gentleman and stood in the gap for all the women who had decided that they hated men because of all the betrayal that had come at the hands of men.  She repented of choices of bitterness, unforgiveness and anger directed toward men all her life.   She asked for forgiveness for her acts of anger and deeds toward men.  She also broke agreement with the word curses she had spoken that she would never love or trust men again.  Hearing her words, knowing that many of us identified with her, at least in part, was powerful and liberating.

So, meanwhile, many of us wept and cried and allowed the Lord, for some the first time ever, to touch those deep places of need and despair.  As I was sitting there later, processing,  I felt like the Lord was showing me the funniest mental picture!  He was taking a big chalkboard type of eraser and erasing the pain and even some of the memories of things that had happened to me over the years.  I just started laughing and laughing!  He also showed me that had if the last few years of pulling everything out and dealing with things had not happened, then I would not have been prepared or been able to bear the weight of the things He is now releasing in my life.  I would now be crumbling and shattering into a billion pieces.  For the first time I laughed as He erased out the pain and showed me that the kiss of betrayal at the hands of my Father, and others, were a thing of the past.  I was not a captive to those things anymore.  I had a free choice to be well, free, whole and healthy.

I am very grateful, a little embarrassed over all my complaints to a God who is so much more than I ever knew and overwhelmed by His love and care for me.  The kiss of betrayal may be powerful but the Kiss of the Master is life changing, earth shaking, destiny releasing and shows just how intensely passionate He is for us.

Ram in the Thicket

I heard an interesting concept about being the ram in the thicket in a teaching my pastor did today

 It was the story of destiny and purpose but not for Abraham, not even Isaac but for the sacrifice the Lord provided.   This was the third “character” in this famous tale, the ram, and life from his point of view.  As Pastor Kim said, it is certain that “he” (the ram) did not get up that morning and say “How wonderful!! I get to be sacrificed today! For someone else no less!  I will be burnt on an altar, my horns will make a wonderful shofar for Master Abraham and I will be SO famous and well loved! (well, if rams could think that is)  He was probably just minding his own business, going merrily along until suddenly this invisible giant hand hauls him into a thorny thicket and plunges his head into it!!  He is stuck there as a part of the Lord's master plan in it's and someone else's life.  If the ram had not been there, then what would have happened to the destiny of Abraham and his son of promise, Isaac?   The Lord will surely provide, Abraham said in faith and trust and the Lord did provide!

So, frankly, I related to this all too well.  And yes, it did answer some questions, well whining actually of WHY? God. WHEN does this (these) hard situation(s) end?  And the ever famous, HOW COME the other people don’t change so that I can get out of the darn thicket!!  The answer from the Lord is “because I am working on everyone involved in this situation.   And,   when you are done with the process of having all of your soul go thru my fire and lastly, what is it to you what and how I do things in their life? (Shades of Job and Jesus speaking to the disciples all rolled into one.)  Mind your own business and focus on you and I and what I am teaching you in the midst of the thicket.

I think sometimes, relationally, we are 2 (or 3)  rams in the thicket looking at each other and saying, now what the heck do we do?  We struggle and fight, succeeding only in entangling ourselves more thoroughly, until we are faint from exhaustion. We yell, we rage, we cry, we try to beg or bribe our way out of “our troubles” until we have tried every trick in the book.   And in the end, none of any of the myriad of things we do amounts to a hill of beans.  We are NOT getting out until it is time, period.  And if by some happenchance we do find a way to start wriggling out, the Lord will just redo His thicket so that you have to transform into His likeness.

We can go to a place of blame easily.  If you had not led the way up this hill, if you had not………etc etc etc then we/I would not be in this mess!!  It is so easy to play the blame game but does that really accomplish anything?  Especially if they are just as caught in the thicket as we are?

And in all of this, there is a decision that has to be made.  If life as we know it, if the thickets in our life are never removed, how are we going to live those lives.  Paul had a “thorn” that he begged the Lord three times to remove.  God only said, my grace is sufficient for you.  My strength is made perfect in your weakness.  And maybe that is the bottom line, for if we could get ourselves out of the thicket, then we would consider ourselves as gods and not need the one that created us.  Independence really is the enemy of trust and relationship.  We have to come to a place of absolute trust and abandonment, even ad Abraham and yes Isaac also came to.  Even Mary had to say “Be it unto me according to Your perfect will, to step into her destiny.  There are lessons that He intends for us to learn, no matter what.  There are skills and abilities that we have to learn to step fully into our destiny and relationship with Him.  At some point, Pastor Kim said, we do step into transition and step into the new thing.  Be careful that it is in the Lord’s timing, not our own!

So,   I am (the ram) in the thicket!  Do I like it, no, but is it good? Yes because it is of the Lord's hand and plan. I just wish I did not have a couple areas of my life that are like that! You would think that just one at a time would do!  I am still trying to process all of this but atleast I now can process that thought that sometimes, all you really can do, when you have done all you can, is to stand and see the salvation of the Lord, one thicket at a time.