Feb. 26, 2014–Guard your Mouth

February 28, 2014 By

Guardyourmouth1(Be blessed by this DWOD for Feb. 26, 2014 by guest contributor Kenneth Copeland)

A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul. (Proverbs 18:7)

We have what we say. As believers, we know that’s a vital biblical truth. We can see it in Mark 11:23, Matthew 21:21, James 3:2, and many other verses. Yet we often let it slip.

We allow ourselves to begin talking like the world instead of talking the Word. And eventually we get what we’ve been asking for–a big mess.

If that’s happened to you, remember, whatever you have in your life is a product of what you’ve been saying. In order to change what you have, you must change what’s coming out of your mouth. To head your life in a different direction–from death to life, sickness to health, failure to success–you must take charge of your words.

That’s a lot easier said than done. But that’s the key: It must be said in order to be done!

How do you start?

First, realize that it can’t be done just in the natural. This is a spiritual law, so it must be handled with spiritual power.

James 3:7-8 says the tongue can’t be tamed with the same power with which man tames animals. It takes God’s wisdom from above. God’s Word is His wisdom (Prov. 2:6). He also said His words are spirit and life. That means it takes God’s words to tame our tongues.

Second, repent before God for ever allowing your tongue to be used by anyone except the Holy Spirit. Then give Jesus your tongue. Be determined to speak His words of love, faith, joy, peace, and grace. Words of faith stop the fiery darts of hell.

The third thing to do is what Jesus said in Mark 4:24: Take heed, or listen, to what you hear. Listen to yourself! Think, Do I want what I just said to come to pass? If the answer is no, then stop and correct yourself right then. Replace those negative words with praise (Ephesians 5:4).

If you’ve gotten sloppy about what you say, change your course today by changing your words. Ask God to help you set a watch over your mouth (Ps. 141:3). Put the power that’s in your tongue to work for you instead of against you. Stop using it to make messes, and start using it to make miracles. There is a miracle in your mouth!

(This post appeared first in “From Faith to Faith”, a daily guide to Victory. To subscribe to this daily devotional and access other great resources, please go to www.kcm.org)

Filed Under: Guest Authors

Feb. 25, 2014–Teaching Pigs to Sing

February 27, 2014 By

shake the dust offPaul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. (Acts 19:8-9a)

What do you do when your message is repeatedly met with rejection?

How do you deal with critics who malign you over and over again?

What is the best possible way to handle those who refuse to receive the truth?

Here is the apostle Paul’s solution: “Leave them.”

What would Jesus do? Let’s recall his words of instruction to disciples who were being sent on a mission:

“Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” (Mark 6:10-11)

Sometimes this could result in a whole lot of shaking going on 🙂

Here is what Jesus actually did in a similar situation: As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them. Then he and his disciples went to another village. (Luke 9:51-55)

If a village did not want Him, Jesus would not somehow persuade them to receive Him or punish them for their rejection. He simply moved on to another village with his disciples.

What did Paul do when his message was rejected despite a three month campaign to persuade the Jews to believe that Jesus is the Messiah?

He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. (Acts 19:9b-10)

He took his eyes off the cynics, shook the dust off his feet and invested himself in those who received his message. Was it worth it?

According to this account in Acts 19, it resulted in everyone in the province of Asia hearing the word of the Lord. Had Paul chosen to dwell on the unbelievers, he would have never experienced the joy of spreading the Good News to ALL the Jews and Greeks.

Reading these verses from Acts 19 reminded me of a saying I heard many years ago: “Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and it annoys the pig.”

In other words, there is no point in spending time convincing those who do not wish to be convinced. It is a total waste of time persuading those who have already made up their mind. Especially after you’ve taken the time to patiently get your message across to them over a period of time, as Paul did for 90 days.

Dear DWOD friend, take a moment to examine your life today. Are you by any chance wasting time teaching pigs to sing? Do not let cynics steal your time and delay your date with destiny.

Perhaps it is time for you also to shake the dust off your feet and keep moving with a different group…

Jesus did it. Paul did it. So can you. Just do it.

 

Filed Under: Pastor Jeeva Sam

Feb. 24, 2014–Why You are being Tested

February 25, 2014 By

Leif Hetland(Be blessed by this post from guest contributor Leif Hetland)

WHY YOU ARE BEING TESTED

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds…(James 1:2)

Is your life full of adversity?

Like you, I’ve been betrayed. Hurt. Had physical challenges, including a terrible car accident and fighting a tumor. I’ve endured financial crisis. Like you, I could make a list so long that someone reading it would need anti-depressants after reading it!

But despite these hardships, I can say with an honest truth that I am smiling, not frowning. I’ve become better, not bitter. I am shining, not whining. Like you, I’ve been hit down so many times. But let’s continue to rise up. I pray that even as you read these words, there would be a grace from God on your life to be relentless and never give up.

Fight relentlessly. Choose to love, because love never gives up. Love never fails. Don’t quit. Don’t cave in. It will be well worth it in the end. We have no control over others, but we do have control over ourselves. We make the decision to fight, or to quit.

My heart is to see everything that God has placed within you to finish well. In my own life, I want to hear him say “Leif, you have pressed towards the goal for the prize that was set before you, and you have finished the race well. Well done, faithful servant.”

Friend, let’s consider it an honour and privilege when opposition comes against us. It is so interesting that hell would be so enamored to oppose us, or stop our destiny. Here is a new perspective: judging by how much hell wants to stop you, it is obvious you are so valuable and have been entrusted by the Father with so much!

Here is the one thing you must remember about being tested:

ONLY A WELL-TESTED PRODUCT HAS HIGH VALUE.

Like a high-performance car, or innovative technology, or architectural marvels–only that which is well-tested is proven to be valuable, reliable, and relentless.

You are great. You are called. My friend, consider it all joy when trials come against you. Your reliability continues to go up in value. My heart for you is that you will never give up, and you will finish well. You are being tested because you are valuable!

(Leif Hetland is founder and president of Global Mission Awareness. A forerunner in modern-day missions, Leif has brought the gospel into the most spiritually dark areas of the world. Over one million souls have been saved through his ministry. This post was first published at: www.globalmissionawareness.com/blog)

Filed Under: Guest Authors

Feb. 23, 2014–You Can’t Rush A Turtle

February 24, 2014 By

turtleSome of you may be old enough to remember a TV commercial that used to show up on the screen quite frequently. It featured an attractive woman dressed in a fancy gown eating a popular chocolate. The camera would alternate between her taking her own “sweet” time to finish it and shots of the candy being manufactured, one ingredient at a time. The music would then slow down while the tag line was intoned:  “You can’t rush a turtle.”

(Here is a variation on the same theme…except the action takes place in a church:
You can’t rush a turtle)

This is what you will read on the manufacturer’s website:

“Everybody is in such a hurry these days. Rushing here, there and everywhere. Well, there are some things you just can’t rush… like TURTLES® brand nut clusters.

Our one and only, original TURTLES® are so deliciously good they deserve your unhurried and undivided attention! We don’t rush TURTLES. We still make them the way we always have, slowly and carefully, with crisp premium pecans, creamy caramel and luscious milk chocolate. We take our time making TURTLES, so you can take your time enjoying them. Remember… Never rush a TURTLE.”

Some things in life simply cannot be rushed. Take, for example, intimacy. You cannot get to know someone intimately without spending time with them.

The reason Sulojana and I know each other more intimately than any other person in the world is because we have spent more than thirty years together. We know each other’s likes and dislikes, body language, thought process, etc.

So, for example, Sulojana can be in a room with a hundred other women. I can tell where in the room she is, simply by the sound of her voice.  There may be other women whose voices sound similar in tone and inflection, but I can pick hers out, no problem. Why? Simply because I’ve heard her speak so often that I know how to distinguish her voice from every other person in the world.

One of the keys to advancing into your destiny as a follower of Jesus is the ability to hear His voice. Jesus himself says in John 10:22: “My sheep hear my voice.”

Judith Fain is a doctoral candidate at the University of Durham who spends several months of the year in Israel. One day, while walking on a road near Bethlehem, Judith spotted three shepherds approaching each other with their separate flocks of sheep. When the three men stopped to converse, their flocks began to intermingle. Judith couldn’t imagine how the shepherds were ever going to sort out which sheep belonged to them since by now they had melted into one large flock. Several minutes later, as the men said their goodbyes, she learned the trick. Magically, as the shepherds called out to their sheep, the one large flock sorted itself into three separate flocks, with each sheep following the voice of its shepherd.

Obviously the sheep did not have to go to obedience school to recognize their shepherd’s voice. They learned to recognize it simply by being with him all the time!

Dear DWOD friend, developing intimacy with the Lord is like the manufacturing process of Turtles and the tasting of the finished product.  You simply cannot rush it. It takes time.

Make time to be with Him—in silence, in soaking, in reading the Word. And you too will learn to distinguish His voice from other voices that try to masquerade as His.

This will surely help you accelerate into your destiny.

Filed Under: Pastor Jeeva Sam

Feb. 22, 2014–The Unknown Open Door

February 24, 2014 By

dark open door

Recently we were ministering at Calvary United in St. Jacobs at the invitation of our friend, Pastor Drew Maxwell when Nature demanded that I take a quick trip to the little boys’ room.

 

I pushed the door open. Pitch black. I looked for the light switch which is usually located on the right side. No sign of a switch there. Perhaps it is on the outside of the door on the right hand side? No. Left hand side? Nosiree.

 

Aha! It must be on the left hand side of the door on the inside. Of course, to check the wall on the left, you have to swing the door open and step into the room. As I reached out my right hand expecting to find the switch by fumbling in the dark, the unexpected happened.

 

The lights came on, glory, hallelujah!

 

That’s when I spied with my little eyes the motion sensor on the right hand side of the door (where there would normally be a switch). Once it detected movement when I stepped into the dark room, it activated the light.

 

Holy Spirit started talking to me about the significance of this experience for all who aspire to advance into their destiny. He said: “I keep on opening doors for you all to walk through on this journey toward your destiny. But many of you never walk through them because you are waiting to flip the switch and see first what you’re walking into. When you can’t find the switch you back out. When you cannot see what’s ahead clearly, you hesitate and lose valuable time, thus preventing yourself from accelerating into your destiny. Or worse, you dismiss the open door that is right in front of you and keep moseying on looking for another open door that often never materializes.”

 

Ouch!

 

God loves to open doors for us. But He does not always show us exactly what awaits us on the other side of that open door. Sometimes He waits for us to step into the dark unknown in obedience before revealing what we just walked into!

 

Take Peter for example. In Acts 10, he receives an invitation to go to the house of a Gentile named Cornelius. Peter knows that he needs to accept the invitation (God had already prepared him to say ‘Yes’ by giving him the vision of unclean animals). It is clearly an open door, but he has no clue what would happen when he walked into it.

 

To his credit, Peter steps into it, even though he wasn’t sure he should’ve. Listen to what he tells Cornelius when he gets to his house: “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?”

 

In other words, Peter is in the dark about what God had in mind when He opened up the door for him. By the time he is finished ministering though, all who gathered have experienced the Holy Spirit and been baptized in water! Gentiles have been granted access to what Peter believed was only reserved for Jews!

 

Praise God that Peter stepped into the dark unknown open door. His motion activates the switch and sheds light on the fact that God’s plan of salvation includes Jews and Gentiles alike.

 

Dear DWOD friend, when God leads you to an open door, will you step into the dark in faith? It is only then that you will discover that God is waiting for you to take that step…and the light will come on!

Filed Under: Pastor Jeeva Sam

Feb. 21, 2014–A Son is not defined by his achievements

February 22, 2014 By

Son-032-notbyachievements

(Be blessed by this DWOD for Feb. 21, 2014 by guest contributor, Barry Adams)

Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” They said, “Some say John the Baptizer, some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.(Matthew 16:13-17)

 

Jesus was as much a son when He was lying in swaddling clothes in the manger as when He was doing amazing miracles. In His heavenly Father’s eyes, it didn’t matter whether Jesus was doing great exploits in full time ministry or helping His earthly father (Joseph) run the family’s small carpentry business. Jesus was the only begotten Son of the Father who was loved completely and unconditionally all the time.

 

Jesus’ sonship was not defined by what He did, but who He was. His place in His Father’s heart was based on relationship and not on His accomplishments. In the orphan world system that we live in, often the measuring stick we use to find our value is rooted in some form of achievement. Whether it is through getting a good report card as a child, or going the extra mile at work or church. In the culture that we live in, often there is a direct correlation between achieving and feeling loved and accepted.

 

It is not that the desire to achieve is wrong because it isn’t. Jesus Himself told His disciples that they would do greater works than Him because He was going to His Father.

 

But how do we feel when we are not achieving? Do we feel any less loved and valued? When we are not able to contribute to society in the ways that our society expects, then what? Who are we then? If there was ever a haven of rest from this performance-based life, you would think it should be the church, right? After all, we are called to love each other and prefer one another just as Jesus has loved us, right?

 

While the church should be the safest place on earth for people to feel loved for who they are and not what they do, it is not always the case. Often the need to sustain all of the programs of the church creates an atmosphere of guilt and shame for those who are not ‘pulling their own weight’ to keep the hamster wheel turning and turning.

 

Instead of teaching new believers to truly learn how to receive the unconditional love and acceptance from God, we prepare them for battle, emphasize their servanthood, and challenge them to do, do, do. Again, I will reiterate that doing in itself is good! Doing great exploits for the sake of the kingdom is good! Seeing the kingdom advance is good!

 

However, may we never forget that our value to our Father is never based on what we do. May we always know that the priority of His heart is that we would know that we are His kids, that we are loved and accepted because of the finished work of our elder brother and not by our own works.

 

Like any proud papa, I believe God loves it when we fulfill our destiny, whatever that may be. For some of us, especially those with a ‘type A’ personality, the greatest work that we can do for the kingdom may be to stop trying to work for His kingdom and simply ‘be still and know that He is God’(Psalm 46:10) and rest for a while.

 

My prayer today is that each and every one of us would accomplish what our Papa created us to do because we are loved…not in order to receive His love. I pray that the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation would convince us more today that God loves us simply because He is love and He created us to be loved. No matter what we do or don’t do in this life, that won’t ever change.

 

(Barry Adams is the humble vessel chosen by God to bless the world with the revelation known as the Father’s Love Letter. Along with his wife Annelise, Barry ministers the Father’s Love all over the world. Today’s DWOD is from a post he wrote for A Son’s Life Blog. Please check out his new website: http://www.aboutfathersbusiness.com)

Filed Under: Guest Authors

Feb. 20, 2014–The Father’s Heart

February 20, 2014 By

ride a bikeI remember lying on the floor of the Toronto Airport Church in 2007 crying out to God to impart to me whatever happened in that place.  This was my first time to Toronto since the revival broke out in 1994. I had been a prodigal until 2005 and did not experience the revival fires that burst there, but in my heart this was not going to stop me from obtaining the prize.

Lying there I went into an open vision. I saw myself as a priest within an orphanage. I was running down a hall and turned a corner where there were many orphans waiting to be loved and accepted. They jumped into my arms when they saw me.

 

It was a wonderful vision but I had no understanding of what it meant. I wasn’t familiar with what occurred in Toronto enough to understand that what I was seeing was the Father’s heart. I believe a big part of the renewal was the birthing of many fathers and mothers into the earth.

 

I have become a better father since that time.  My track record, if displayed, is appalling.  I abandoned my two daughters at a very early age. I wasn’t there for them at all.  My own addictions and demons kept me from really being there for them.  As a result our relationship is cold at best.

 

With my sons I have tried harder.  I didn’t know how to be a good dad to them, but I was determined to be there for them nevertheless.  Through time I have understood that fathering is about helping our children believe that they can.

 

Two summers ago, my son Joseph learned to ride his bike, with me running beside him shouting “You can do it.”  He didn’t think he could, but at one point as I was looking him in the eyes, he began to realize that he could.

 

I had a similar experience with my son Jonathan last summer.  I was teaching him to swim.  He kept saying to me, “I can’t do it.”  I kept telling him he could.  After hearing me say it many times, there was one time in particular that he looked me in the eyes as I was saying it and I knew that now he wasn’t just hearing it, but believing it.

 

I also had the same experience with my youngest son just this week.  He took his first 6 to 7 steps looking me in the eye and running toward me.  I kept saying “come on, come on” and he kept coming.

 

As a father I want to instill in the hearts of my children that they can do anything that they put their minds to do.  When I was young, my mother used to say this to me and I believed her.  I remember telling my mom one time that I wanted to be like Billy Graham.  I even remember the exact spot we were standing when it was said.  She looked me in the eye and said to me, “and you can do it.”  I knew she meant it.

 

As parents we want to unlock the limitations over the minds of our kids.  We want them to feel free to express themselves and to try to accomplish things they think they can’t accomplish.  I am not talking about forcing them to do something you want them to do.

 

The way I try to do this is that I come alongside of them to see what they are doing.  When they need to hear it, I tell them that they can, and they often do.

 

Now I pray for the fathers to rise up in the churches to do the same with their spiritual children, to look them in the eyes and say: “You can prophesy, you can heal the sick, you can cast out demons.” The Father will be pleased.

Filed Under: Pastor Darren Canning

Feb. 19, 2014–Beware the Wrong Door

February 20, 2014 By

beware the wrong door(Be blessed by this thought-provoking DWOD for Feb. 19, 2014 by guest contributor, Lance Wallnau)

It is a peculiarly American virus – the unquenchable thirst for success and the assumption that ‘Success = The will of God’.

Never occurs to us that success can be of the devil and failure of the Lord.

IF THE DEVIL CAN’T STOP YOU, HE WILL ‘SUCCESS’ YOU OUT OF THE WILL OF GOD.

I hardly know a person who would discern that a sudden promotion, an open door and more money is a TRAP to get you to leave the place of God’s anointing. Seems that if we were smart we would first go to the new geography and see if there is a company of believers we are called to be part of in that location. We treat church like it was a thing we shop for, rather than what it really is–a divine placement by the Holy Spirit.

How many marriages fall apart after the promotion? How many kids fall into the wrong crowd after one of the parents move off to where the family was never sent?

Success is “convergence” into a role that frees you to do what you do best. It’s an alignment in the place where you have authority to impact a particular people group in the geography of your assignment.

Success isn’t always God. The reverse can also be true. Failure and frustrated efforts can be of divine origin. Heaven-sent failure is designed to get you to the right alignment and positioning.

Paul sought to go to Asia and surprise, surprise, he was “forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia”so he pressed on trying to go into Bithynia, “and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas…”

While in Troas, Paul and his team were trying to sort out exactly where they were supposed to go. Finally he had a “vision in the night” and saw a man urging him to come to Macedonia. Now they had a breakthrough! (Read Acts 16:6-10)

SOMETIMES YOU SEE BETTER AT NIGHT!

There are seasons where the ‘night’ has to wrap around you before you get the vision clear. And sometimes you can’t get the vision until you fumble your way into the wrong place that is actually the right geography for an answered prayer.

The idea is to get going and keep going till you hit it, but the key that precedes it is Antioch! Paul was growing in his gifting as a teacher and prophet where he was stationed in Antioch. This was the anointed location to be in until the Spirit commissioned him to GO! Once “sent forth by the Spirit” he was able to get frustrated into the perfect will of God.

The HEBREW YEAR 5774 is the year to watch for the “open door.” Before God gives you Isaac, the devil will send an Ishmael to exit you out of the place of divine frustration. Let frustration do its perfect work and produce the patience to discern, for some successes lead to failure and many a seeming failure will position you for YOUR OPEN DOOR.

What do you think? Ever see someone run after the golden opportunity that ended up being a trap?

“Try the spirits….for every spirit is not sent of God.”

(Dr. Lance Wallnau is a world-class trainer and consultant whose students span the globe. From bestselling authors, pastors, and billion dollar CEO‘s, he has helped to transform the lives of thousands. Please check out his resources at www.lancelearning.com)

Filed Under: Guest Authors

Feb. 18, 2014–The Wind Behind Your Tail

February 19, 2014 By

IMG_0928Ever since we took ownership of the Buick Allure (along with the Royal Bank of Canada), I have been monitoring its performance on many fronts. For example, we noticed an unusual noise at the back, took it to the dealership and arranged for it to be fixed.

The one indicator that I have been watching like a hawk is the fuel efficiency. For a car of its size, it actually has a very good rating. But these figures are based on observing the speed limit in the warmer climes of California on a calm day when the air temperature is ideal and the wind optimal…or something to that effect. Naturally one could not transpose the same numbers to the rugged terrain of Canada especially in the middle of a harsh cold winter.

Add to this the fact that driving at the speed limit is virtually impossible when one’s right foot is loaded with the biological equivalent of lead J Thus, I had resigned myself to the fact that I could never expect this five year-old vehicle to operate at the advertised efficiency.

Imagine my surprise then, when the built-in gauge was suggesting that the actual fuel efficiency exceeded the posted figures on occasion. After repeated empirical verification that ruled out instrument malfunction, I had to come to terms with the fact that we were actually saving more money on gas than anticipated…praise the Lord!

As I tried to ascertain the reason for these occasional spurts in efficiency, I noticed that every time it happened there was one common factor. You incredibly smart DWOD subscribers have probably figured this out already, but let me state it for the record:

I was driving with the wind behind me.

Flashback. Flights that arrived ahead of schedule because of a tail wind. And, vice versa, those that were past the ETA because of a head wind.

The Lord used this discovery to teach me something significant that might be of benefit to you as well.

You know how Holy Spirit is described as the wind repeatedly in the Bible? Here are a couple of examples to jog your memory:

“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8)

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord[a] in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.(Acts 2:1-2)

We often associate Holy Spirit with the mighty rushing wind…or at the other extreme a gentle cool zephyr on a hot summer day. Or as the spiritual interpretation of the song “Wind beneath my wings” suggests, He can keep us afloat and even soaring.

All are valid. All have application in our lives. I have personally experienced Him in all these many forms.

But this time, Holy Spirit reminded me how when He is behind me, it increases the efficiency of all that I do in Jesus’ name. I do not have to work hard to make it happen when His power is backing me up!

Dear DWOD friend, this is one of the keys to accelerating into your destiny. Holy Spirit gets you moving faster, with less expenditure of energy and greater efficiency than ever before.

I pray that you too will discover the value of Holy Spirit being the wind behind your tail.

Filed Under: Pastor Jeeva Sam

Feb. 17, 2014–Anointed for your Battle

February 18, 2014 By

wrestling(Be blessed by this DWOD for Feb. 17, 2014 by guest contributor Lance Wallnau)

WATCH and pray is often watch and wrestle!

Paul watched the Romans wrestle and compared the warfare of believers to a wrestling match. “We wrestle not with flesh and blood but with Principalities and Powers.” We wrestle disembodied spirits that attack our circumstances in order to grab hold of our minds and emotions.

The Romans learned this sport from the Greeks. A wrestler would go into the arena with hours of massaging with thick oils pressed into the skin, the idea being that when the wrestling got intense you would work up a sweat and the sweat would mingle with the oil and make you so slippery your opponent would have a hard time getting a hold of you.

We, likewise, are anointed for our wrestling and when the battle gets tough we have an authority and anointing that corresponds with our assignment. Let the oil of the Lord make you slippery in your battles.

I like what Dalene R Black had to add to this post: “Anointing also means to massage, to rub and smeared with oil…Let the oil of His presence saturate our whole being from the inside out…so when the “heat” is on… we become too slick for the enemies stronghold.”

Let that presence take the heat off your heated spirit….cool down and get refreshed. Then as a behavioural strategy –move in the opposite spirit. When pressured to be critical, find what’s working. When pushed to look at what people do or fail to do, use it as an opportunity to put your attention and affection on the Lord and what He is doing.

This dual “presence and behavior” strategy makes you hard to get a hold of and after a while you will slip right out of this battle and hit a season of being “restored, established and strengthened.”

This is the rhythm of the life of someone who changes spiritual climates. Of course there are lots of other parts, but this is key.

I just arrived in China for some significant meetings. I’m half jet lagged and gonna practice this…

“Oily to bed and Oily to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”

Join God’s Army. “Be oil you can be!”

(Dr. Lance Wallnau is a world-class trainer and consultant whose students span the globe. From bestselling authors, pastors, and billion dollar CEO‘s, he has helped to transform the lives of thousands. Please check out his resources at www.lancelearning.com)

Filed Under: Guest Authors
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