Lessons from Jesus: Overcoming

When you are in a place of tormenting fear and can't seem to see your way out. There are two things that you must do: First, you must speak the word of God and second you must lay your will down. These are the two things that Jesus did. In the wilderness He declared God's Word to the enemy. What does your wilderness look like? What is the devil telling you about your future? Remember he is the father of lies. Don't allow fear to dictate your future begin to declare God's Word and promises. When being tempted to take shortcuts resist it by telling the devil how a real Christian should live. We do not live by bread alone...but by every word. If God didn't say it, I'm not doing it. Refuse to be intimidated by your storm instead start declaring God's Word over it.

When you are faced with difficult trials or tests remember what Jesus did in the garden of Gethsemane or the valley of decision Jesus declared, "Not my will but thy will be done." What is His will in your situation? Is He asking you to give something up? Is He asking you to let go of someone? Is He asking you to relinquish control over to Him and let Him handle it? As Christians we can never get around he mandate to pick up our cross to follow Him. What is this cross? It is the cross of denying self or saying no to what we want so we can say yes to what He wants.

How do we follow Him? By doing what he did to overcome. We need to handle the devil, temptation and suffering in the same way He did to be successful in our walk with Christ. If today you are reading this and feel like you can't go another day being buffeted by the devil read: Isaiah 53:4-6

Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Understand He was already afflicted, oppressed, sick, tempted, mentally and emotionally tormented so you wouldn't be. Receive today what Jesus did on that cross by faith. He loves you and already made a way out. Blessings.

#lessonsfromJesus

Get Your Prayers Answered!

One of the biggest complaints I quite commonly hear among Christians is that their prayers are not answered. While there may be many reasons our prayers not being answered, there are times that we fail to recognize when God does. For example I had a friend who prayed to be married for years. He had gotten a girl pregnant and the girl truly loved him. He didn't find her attractive but she was a terrific mother and would have made a great wife. Before long she moved on and she got married. He was very upset! All he would do is complain about how someone else was raising his child. She waited quite a few years on him but he was caught up in indecision and being picky about her looks. She was actually a good looking gal. I ran into him years later, he was still alone, single and wishing he could be in his daughter's life full-time. Unfortunately, he failed to recognize the gift God had brought into his life and missed out on his blessings. His expectations were way out of the boundaries of being reasonable so he did not receive what he was believing for. I hate to say but this happens more than we think. We fail to seize the moment or enter into the doors God opens. We start to put unreasonable expectations on God.

A good example of a an unreasonable expectation is to believe for a young beautiful looking spouse when we are old and mediocre looking. The truth is many people believe for things in their flesh because they have been looking at far too many magazines. Most people do not look like Hollywood stars my friend. For instance, you might be entertaining mental fantasies that has created unreasonable expectations of your mate. You may be missing out on someone who is already in your life willing to love you but your are too hung up on an ideal that no one can live up to. Our selfish desires sometimes cause us to miss out on our answered prayers!
Another way you can miss your answered prayer is if you think you are too good for a job, a person or an opportunity. Pride will keep you from receiving from God. It isn't realistic to believe for something you can't afford. I knew a brother who refused to get a used car even though he was on a budget and instead wanted a new one off the lot. The most expensive one! Well the money came and went with no car. I knew another Christian who lost a job opportunity because they decided to make unreasonable demands for a salary. The employer never called back. You have to know when you are in a position to bargain and when you are not. Perhaps you are believing for a house when you don't have a job to make the payments. You may get what you prayed for but then not have the money to make the payments. We can't allow presumption to cloud our reasoning. God wants us to operate in wisdom. We must count the cost of every relationship, purchase, decision and hear God's voice in every matter. Faith may get us what we want but wisdom will help us keep what we received by faith.

Believe it or not unrealistic expectations caused the Jews to miss their Messiah. The Jews could not receive their king because they were stumbled at the fact that Jesus was looked upon a everyday blue collar worker. "Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him." Mark 6:3 They couldn't get over the fact that they knew him and the town he was from. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” John 1:45-46 They were expecting a Moses or Elijah and expected to be delivered from the hands of the Romans. They expected Jesus to overthrown the Roman government by force like Joshua or David but Jesus came to establish a kingdom that could not be seen. When the time came and Jesus was crucified they thought all was lost. They rejected Jesus as their savior because He did not meet their expectations.

This can also happen in spiritual relationships when people create unreasonable expectations of people in leadership. The truth is they couldn't possibly live up to the expectations they place upon others themselves. They expect every call, e-mail, or glance to be acknowledged or they get offended and leave the church. The problem with that is that they are probably missing out on something God had for them but they were never were around to receive it because of offense. There are people that literally wander around for years without anyone to speak into their lives and mentor them because they continually find fault with those over them. They want God on their own terms and on their own time. It doesn't work that way. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8

In fact not being able to make to make up our mind, being hesitant, fearful, or expecting way too much are all signs of being double minded. Which really means that we are of two mindsets. The bible exhorts us this way, 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:6-7 Instability is caused by our lack of faith or double mindedness it causes us not to receive what we prayed for.


Not only can we miss God's answer to prayers because of our expectations are not reasonable but also because our expectations are too low. Perhaps we are asking God for a job with benefits and weekends off but then take a job that works us on the weekends with no insurance. Little did we know that the next call would have been our dream job but we failed to wait for it. Our unbelief can cause us to settle for less. Our desperation can cause us to be hasty.. We can't act out of desperation we need to move in revelation. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1:5 Yet, it happens all the time we get so impatient with the process of waiting that we jump ahead of God. I wonder how many people got married to the wrong people because they jumped in the sack before really waiting on God for the answer? I had a friend who desperately wanted to get married. He didn't care to who; he just wanted to be married. Well finally a girl complied and she ended up abusing him. Before long they divorced and I never heard from him again. He was the sweetest guy you could ever meet but he settled for less. How is God going to answer your prayers if you aren't willing to wait? "What are you believing God for?" What do you want? It is ok to be specific within reason.

Here is a great example from my own life. I was looking for a car and was a place of desperation because the car we were driving was breaking. We went to a car lot, quickly began the contract and went to get the money. We never signed anything they were still getting the car ready. My husband could not get peace. We called for prayer and the Pastor encouraged us not to be hasty but wait on what we really wanted. We felt embarrassed but we decided to go up the street to another lot. There it was, a natural gas car that my husband always wanted. We knew right away that we wanted it. It was what we waited for. I am so glad that we listened to the lack of peace we were feeling it saved us hundreds of dollars in gasoline. If we take the time to listen to God and wisdom we too can have our prayers answered.
You might be thinking, shouldn't someone do what they said they would do? It is better to back out of your commitment than to make a longtime mistake. We can't allow pressure to cause us to make detrimental choices. We can't ignore the red flags and sirens going off just because we don't want to look bad. Never ignore the red flags. I don't care if you already planned the wedding and caterers. God will do what he can to warn us but we need to take the time to hear Him. We can't allow ourselves to be people pleasers. We also can't be indecisive or hesitant because like I mentioned before we will miss out on God's answer for our lives. You may be asking God for a promotion but because you are hesitant to ask your boss for it you miss out on the favor God has for you.

Also, many people pray but don't follow through with their part. You have to put feet to your prayers! You can't expect to become wealthy by sitting at home without a college education, without trying to look for work or at least allowing God to prosper you through witty inventions or creative ideas. For some reason many Christians believe that somehow if they mystically put their money in the basket every week that they will automatically prosper. God's word says he will bless the work of our hands but that means you have to work. It seems like everyone wants to live off the gospel now or days. However, more than ever Christians are needed in the marketplace like places of government, medicine, education, entertainment and etc. I always hear about this wealth transfer that will supposedly come from the world. That my friends will happen when Christians leave their pews and start cooperating with God's plan to take over areas of influence. God has called us to take dominion over the earth. If you read the bible you will see God always raised up leaders among his people. Daniel, David, Solomon, Esther, Joseph and Moses were in key government positions. They were the decision makers of their day. Deborah was a judge and the general did not go to war without her! Abraham was a wealthy real estate tycoon he just needed an heir. God loves to bless his people but his people need to rise up to action.

Just to recap on how to get your prayers answered:
1. Set reasonable expectations by setting attainable goals. People don't plan to fail; they fail to plan.

2. Don't lower your expectations; God can do great things! Don't be hesitant, fearful or allow self doubt. This is unbelief and double mindedness. You will never reach solid ground in your life if you allow your mind and emotions to rule you.

3. Don't wait around for God to do everything rise up to action! Don't expect others to do things that you can do for yourself. Be proactive in what God has shown you.

4. Don't be afraid to change your mind if you have made a mistake. Please God not men!

5. Remember to get wisdom and revelation from God he is the best consultant you can ever find. Also, find people who provide good counsel to be sure you are hearing from God.

Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

Proverbs 11:14

6. Get involved and cooperate with God. Believe it or not you can miss out on God's will if you sit around and do nothing. All his promises are conditional upon obedience. "If" "You" then "I" "Will."

7. Always know that God has the best in mind for you so never get tricked into believing anything less.
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life" Psalm 23:6

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

If you find this article helpful or would like to leave a comment or visit our website:

jazizgutierrez.com

Facebook: School Of Impartation and Living
YouTube

                                     

Prophecy: Cold Hearts In Days Ahead

Jesus prophesied long ago "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold."
Matthew 14:11-12

      It will be that many will turn away from sound doctrine, follow false teachings and will fall into deception. The increase of sin in the church and poor example that they see in leadership will so disappoint real believers that some will walk away. They will start to question what is real because it will be hard to tell what if God and what is not. Many will grow cold in their faith and love towards God. We are seeing this now in record numbers. However Jesus said, "But he who endures to the end shall be saved!" In other words it is not a guarantee that you will make through unless you decide now that you will guard your heart will all diligence and endure the testing that is coming ahead. We will have to keep our hearts from offense, keep ourselves connected to God and be sensitive to the Spirit of Truth. My friends, we have no time to spend on frivolous activities for in the coming days ahead perilous times will come and we need to prepare now so that we may have the endurance to overcome. Endurance comes with resistance and training. Don't be dismayed that you are being resisted now because that is what is going to build your spiritual muscle. These circumstances may feel heavy but Jesus is helping you carry the weight until you can lift it yourself in prayer. In this season it will become very important that we pray for one another and strengthen each other. There is no room for petty strife, vain arguments and false accusations. We will need to stand together AS ONE!

Be Free From Worry In A Jobless Market

     After a year of looking for work and watching my resources dwindle to dangerous levels I was again up late looking for the newest posting on Craigslist.  Knowing that my time is also running out, I cried out in my heart, “God there has to be some better way than this relentless job search.” Now I hate to admit this but I haven’t really been making God part of my job search.  I pray that He will provide but have wondered if the reason that I’m not making any progress may be because I haven’t been giving enough money or haven’t been sowing to the right ministry. Let’s face it, when there is no income and you are only living off your savings it isn’t easy to give. You keep hearing those voices in your head about tithing but at this point 10 % of zero is zero. What can you give when there is nothing coming in?  If you have those same thoughts tormenting you and making you feel like you have done something wrong then you need to keep reading.  As I sat there at the computer a beautiful thing happened; I heard the Lord speak to me, “Seek first my kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you…” Curious about what “all these things” might mean; I decided to reread the passage in Matthew just in case I missed something.  In the past whenever I read this scripture I felt like I was being corrected by my lack of faith and exhorted not to worry. This time my eyes were opened to see this passage in a whole new light.  

Passage: Matthew 6:25-27
 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

     What really struck me in this scripture was that God has us to observe how birds neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns YET He takes care of them.  Are we not more value than a bird? Of course we are. These birds aren’t sowing and they aren’t reaping but God takes care of them anyway.  Can we change anything by worrying?  This passage also has us consider the value and love God has for us.  This passage isn’t so much about correction as it is about God’s care for even the smallest things in the earth.  God’s priorities are not confused. He knows what He needs to take care of and we are first in line for the basic necessities in life.

Let’s read on further:
Matthew 6:28-30 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
    
     Again, Jesus is giving another example of how even the wisest King could not do a better job than He can.  When it comes to taking care of us our Father knows what we need before we ask.  If he can care for something that has no eternal value which is here today and gone tomorrow; then don’t we have more value than a fading flower?  His statement, “O you of little faith” is Jesus’ way of saying, “Hello, you are more important than a bird or flower.  Why can’t you believe that I love you and stop sweating the small stuff?”
 
Romans 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

     Listen, if God could sacrificially give us His only Son than the things we need are really not out of God’s ability to provide for us.  He desires to bless us as His children.  For those of us who have been traumatized by cheap parental figures in our lives this may be difficult for us to embrace.  If you had absent or flaky people in your life it can become easy for us to compare God to a negligent parent. He is not.  God’s Kingdom is not run the way we run earthly corporations in which we step on other people to get to the top.  We are not CEO’s disposing of people to get to our goals nor do we use people to get what we want to provide for our families. We also do not need to become workaholics or revolve our world around making money to be successful.  That’s how heathens run their lives but those principles will never work in God’s kingdom.  Jesus gives us two important keys to success that will get rid of worry and stress in a hurry.  Let’s read this following passage with fresh eyes:   

Matthew 6:31-34 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

      Number one: Seek the kingdom of God; which means that you seek God first.  I used to get this confused with ministry. What I found out is that ministry sometimes is not God’s kingdom its men’s personal empires built for themselves.  God’s kingdom is not a place here on earth. It is a place in men’s hearts where God has set up His throne and is made Lord over our lives.

Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”   The Kingdom is within our reach all of the time.  Also, we can see from scripture that the Kingdom is demonstrated in power, “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ ⁸ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” Matthew 10:7-8

     Therefore, God’s Kingdom is mobile and transferable.  People enter it every time they believe on God and receive what He has for them. They can only enter it if they are humble and simple like a child to believe in what is unseen.  Honestly, the moment I started to shift my focus to making money instead of seeking God first things dried up like water in the desert sun.  I know the moment I focus on helping others enter into a relationship with Christ and sharing with them all He has purchased for them on the cross…I will once again be seeking His kingdom first.  So here I am sharing with you what He gave me. This does not mean that I have given up on my job search it just means that I have gotten my priorities in order again.

     Number two: Seek His righteousness. Well, first of all when we are speaking of God’s righteousness it is a far cry from our own.  Let’s face it, we can compare ourselves to the best Christian in church but it will pale in comparison to the righteousness that is in Christ Jesus.  We can claim to be righteous in Christ but the scripture is clearly asking us to seek His righteousness.  Jesus is not asking us to seek as if we have already attained it.  I think many times after being in church for a long time we stop being concerned about our standards and allowing things to slip by us by making small compromises in our faith.  Holiness gets thrown to the wayside as we focus more on service, recognition and position in church.  Our passion to be right with God gets diminished in light of people’s admiration of our gifts and talents.  The next thing we know, our Christian example has become a mockery before the world. This should not be.

     What is righteousness exactly?  Righteousness is being right with God.  It is not only about adhering to a moral conduct but is more about our relationship with God being right.  I don’t know why we do this but many of us wait until we are in death’s door to correct relational grievances that were caused by us or the other parties involved.  The relationship isn’t right because we might have caused the offense or been offended.  What is of utmost importance is reaching out to the wounded through our own wounds and letting all that hurt go.  Now we are in right standing again in that relationship.  This is the same with God.  Righteousness is the process of keeping our relationship right by keeping our heart from offense and or hurting God through disobedience.  As we seek His Kingdom, His righteousness first, then we will be able to say goodbye to the dry spell in our finances, relationships and every other area that we cannot get breakthrough in.  We need to remember that God cares for us more than a fading flower.

Matthew 12:19-21
A bruised reed He will not break,
And smoking flax He will not quench,
Till He sends forth justice to victory;
And in His name Gentiles will trust.”

How To Stop Spiritual Attack!

If you are struggling spiritually and are under attack please follow the instructions below. Understand that Jesus fought temptation by speaking God's written Word to combat the enemy's lies.
We must do the same!
First know you are under attack. Symptoms include:

1. A lack of desire to read the Word, Pray, Worship and Attend Church
2. You feel weak and you have lost that cutting edge.
3. You feel like retreating and doing nothing for God.
4. You feel like isolating yourself
5. You spend your time upset and worried
6. You get edgy and irritable. You are no longer walking in the Spirit.
7. You start blaming others for what’s going on in your life
8. You start murmuring and complaining to God for what’s happening

Causes of an attack can come from:

1. You are causing too much trouble to the kingdom of darkness or you are a threat to the devil. Listen to me, some of you are taking spiritual attacks way too personal. You are made in the image of God. That's enough to make the devil mad. He hates you because every time he looks at you he's reminded of his defeat. I have found that the people who are under attack the most in their lives are the ones who carry a greater call. For some of them, the moment they were conceived started a battle for their soul. It's like the devil knew which ones would become a threat to him. In the times of Moses, the devil inspired Pharoah to slay all the children under two years old. The devil was after Moses but Yahweh had another plan. In the days of Jesus, the same thing happened when he inspired Herod to kill babies. Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. (Matthew 2:16) Which leads me to believe that abortion is the devil's way of killing God's anointed. God forgive us all for allowing this mass genocide to continue for years!

2. You are compromising in your walk with God therefore giving the devil legal access. The devil is opportunistic in nature. The bible tells us to: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8) Ever watched a nature show? Lions prey on the weak, sick, young, and animals that are separated from the herd. The Bible describes the devil as a thief. A thief comes when you are unsuspecting. He also looks for a way in. We need to know the nature and ways of our enemy so we can war accordingly. The Bible calls him a liar. Check your thought life. That's the most common way in. You may be compromising in your thought life by allowing thoughts of hatred, envy, lust, and self-righteousness to affect your attitudes toward others. You also may be believing lies. Compare what you believe to God's Word or truth.

3. You have been playing instead of praying. You have been entertaining or indulging the flesh too much. I heard a Pastor say this a long time ago and it's true. Your flesh is crazy. If you would let it run your life, you would be eating all day, sleeping all day, watching TV all day and a myriad of other things that indulge it. Don't coddle (treat in an indulgent or overprotective way) your flesh when your under attack. That means you force yourself to press into God even if you don't feel like it. For me, TV is my kryptonite. I get to watching one show and it's not enough. I have to see what's going to happen next. I can become quite addicted to TV quickly. I was raised around it. You need to know your limits or what's going to stumble you back into unfruitful and fleshly behavior. I like what I heard a preacher teach the other day. He was saying that right before we fall into sin there's a little lie that comes into our mind that makes us believe that we can handle the temptation. Which causes us to put our trust in the flesh instead of God's grace to deliver us from sin. Big mistake! We also may believe that we are too weak to say no. Another lie! For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. Romans 6:14
Distractions are another way of coming under attack because we are not watching and praying. Maybe you are not indulging your flesh but perhaps you are not feeding your spirit because of distractions. Maybe Facebook is your distraction or some other social media outlet. Remember distraction and fleshly indulgence is the opposite of being sober or vigilant!

4. You are walking with someone who is living in compromise putting yourself in the line of fire. Maybe you aren't the one who is giving the devil access but someone you are in a relationship with or living with is. Believe it or not, they can cause you heartache just by having them around. I will call this the Achan principle. Achan was a man who took some things from the enemy's camp and hid them in his tent when the children of Israel were commanded not to. Joshua did not know why they were so severely defeated by the enemy until God tells him. And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? 11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. 12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.
(Joshua 7:10-12) If you read the whole chapter you'll find out that Achan caused defeat in the lives of those around him because of his idolatry and sin.

Another example is Jonah. Everyone in the boat came under a storm because of Jonah's disobedience to God. They literally had to throw him out of the boat into the ocean to calm the storm. That's when the fish swallowed him. Jonah's confession: And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. (Jonah 1:12)
5. You have disobeyed the last thing God told you and now you have lost your way. I think one of the most shocking stories in the Bible is the one about the young prophet who was sent to prophesy to King Jeroboam regarding the rulership of King Josiah. He was told not to go anywhere except where Yahweh told him. Even though he was determined to obey Yahweh He obeyed the older prophet over the Word of the Lord. The older prophet convinced him to disobey by lying to him and claiming that an angel spoke to him contradicting Yahweh's instructions to him. Paul warns us by saying, But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8) This is another principle. You don't obey man over Yahweh, that puts you in the devil's territory! It may seem unfair but disobedience still has the same consequences whether you were tricked or not. Here's the older prophet rebuking the younger one after he had lied. Now he prophesies truth after he lied!... and he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lord, and have not kept the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you, 22 but you came back, ate bread, and drank water in the place of which the Lordsaid to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water,” your corpse shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.’” 23 So it was, after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, the prophet whom he had brought back. 24 When he was gone, a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his corpse was thrown on the road, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the corpse. 25 And there, men passed by and saw the corpse thrown on the road, and the lion standing by the corpse. Then they went and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. (1 Kings 13:21-26)

This is why Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God!" The young prophet took the bait and was devoured by the lion(devil) Listen to me saint, you don't obey anyone over God's Word or the Holy Spirit! It doesn't matter who they are. You can not obey your spouse, child, friends, parents, or even a minister over Yahweh! 6. Sometimes the devil is going to call you out to see if you really believe what you say. He did this to Job. He did it to David and he'll do it to you. Look at the story of David and Goliath. David took Goliath down because he knew who Yahweh was. David put his confidence in the strength of his commander and chief! Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 46 This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
47 And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands. (1 Samuel 17:45-47) Amen! When the devil comes all suit it up and tries to intimidate you remember who is fighting your battles! Again do not take spiritual warfare personally. At times there are uniform attacks against the body so it’s not just you. It’s all believers. Think of all the times the Philistines were attacking Israel. Listen to me, the devil comes to take territory. Sometimes you need to defend your territory! Whether it be your family, marriage, finances, business, ministry, health, salvation or whatever else Yahweh has given you. Do not crumple up in a corner and feel sorry for yourself because the devil will not have pity. He'll kick you when you're down. Understand? He won't stop attacking or take a break just because you feel too weak to fight. Cry out to Yahweh and He'll protect you. Regroup, get strengthened, and get up to fight! You got this.

7. Soul wounds are entryways for attack. I have an expression I like to use. There's blood in the water. Sounds strange but I'm referring to blood in the water that attracts sharks. In the wild predatory animals are attracted to blood. The devil is a predatory entity. What I mean by soul wounds are wounds inflicted on our hearts that affect our identity. Making us believe that we are not who God says we are. That's exactly what the devil did to get Adam and Eve to have them relinquish their authority over to him. He made them question Yahweh's goodness and question their identity.

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:1-4) First, the devil comes in by questioning God's Word, "Has indeed God said?" Then he questions his goodness by saying, "For God knows that in that day you eat of it your eyes will be opened..." as if to say Yahweh is withholding His goodness from you. Then the devil brought their identity into question when he said, "You will be like God" when they already were in His image. Once he seduces us to sin he brings our soul under shame, guilt, and condemnation which separates us from Yahweh and makes us run from him instead of to Him.
The saying that sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me...is the biggest fallacy ever believed. It's what we believe through people's words inspired by the devil's lies that bring the most destruction into our lives. The bible says, Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. (Proverbs 18:21) Yahweh admonishes us to Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:23) If you want to keep the devil out of this area of your life take the big stick called the cross and beat the devil over the head with it. Declare God's truth and scripture over yourself. Ask the Holy Spirit to heal your heart. Remember the devil is a liar!

8. Number 1 way to live in torment as a Christian is not forgiving someone. I put it last so that hopefully if anything stands out it will be this principle. Jesus tells this story about a man whose debt was forgiven but he then turned around and demanded that his debt be paid. Jesus said, "Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
(Matthew 18:25) I want you to understand that the devil has the legal right to torment you if you stay in the sin of unforgiveness. This includes keeping grudges, resentment, slander, and gossip. I can't tell you all the times I've tried ministering to someone and I've felt this invisible block wall that kept any of my prayers from penetrating. I would ask them, "Is there anyone that you need to forgive?" The answer was always yes. The moment they released the other person from their debt or trespass, what they were requesting from God was now released over them. Forgiveness opens the heavens and unforgiveness closes them.


9. Anger is the devil's habitation! If you want the devil to come live with you then allow anger to fester in your heart. Go to sleep without settling the matter and think about the injustice all night until you are boiling over. Then instead of trusting Yahweh to handle it or do justice on your behalf; take matters into your own hands. This is how anger progresses into sin.
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil. (Ephesians 4:26-27) This word place means habitation in the Greek. Just like Yahweh inhabits our praises the devil inhabits our anger. Your invitation to anger will lead to sin and spiritual attack! Close the door by Agreeing with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. (Matthew 5:25)
How to stop an attack and win the battle

1. Feed your spirit!
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." (Colossians 3:16)

2. Don’t isolate yourself get around those who are on fire for God!
"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25)

3. Fasting! Example: Food, Entertainment, Social Media, Friends, and etc. Get alone with God. "However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew 17:21)

4. Repent if you have compromised and stop sinning. It closes the doors to the devil! Make full confession of your sins. Look at Galatians 5:19-21 for help. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:2) If you want heaven's help repent!

5. Pray! "Pray without ceasing!" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) It doesn't matter if you don't feel like you are qualified. "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months." (James 5:17) If you do not know what to pray then pray the Psalms.

6. Worship Him! Depression is a spirit called heaviness so put on the garment of praise! It will leave you through worship. To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; (Isaiah 61:3)

7. Get godly counsel and wisdom. Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety. (Proverbs 11:14)

8. Submit to God and humble yourself; resist the devil and he will flee.
(James 4:6-8) Humility or meekness will protect us but pride will cause our destruction. Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18) Our obedience or submission closes all access to the devil! Obey or submit to God's authority even if you don't feel like it.

9. Speak the Word of Yahweh over every circumstance!
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11)

Prayer:
Father, I humbly come before you, I submit my will to you and ask you to forgive me if I have sinned against you. I repent and take responsibility for all those whom I have hurt. Show me where I need to make restitution. Lord, I forgive those who have hurt me and pray for those who have despitefully used me. I repent of every generational iniquity in my bloodline that has corrupted my family and me such as the sins of adultery (pornography), fornication (sex outside of marriage), sorcery (drugs), pride, self-righteousness, contention (argumentive), contempt (looking down on others), jealousy, unbelief, drunkenness (all forms of intoxication), covetousness, divination, necromancy (talking to the dead), idolatry, uncleanness, hatred, reviling (abusive speech), lust, perversion, satanism, and heresy.

I pray that every assignment from hell would be canceled against my life, ministry, marriage, family, and purpose or your plans for my life. I break off, take the authority over and command all demonic spirits of anger, rage, fear, depression, unbelief, destruction, torment, guilt, bondage, vagabond, rejection, unforgiveness, lust, perversion, jealousy, offense, bitterness, mind-control, double-mindedness, confusion, passivity, stubbornness, sickness, diseases, pain, fetter and all addictions to food, alcohol, drugs, sex, pornography, gambling, or nicotine and any Spirit of Jezebel, Santa Muerte, Vodoo, Masonry, an anti-Christ Spirit or Spirit of this Age to come out in the name of Jesus out of (name the person or yourself).


I break all curses off my family, marriage, children, and relatives. I break every shackle, chain, cord, habit, craving, debt, soul-ties, and any spirit that has tried to rob, kill, or destroy my life. I command my family to be set free to know Jesus! Satan, I command you to loose them now! In Jesus’ name! Come out of your captivity. According to Galatians 3:13, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law. Therefore, I declare that every curse is broken over my loved ones and myself. I declare that my family sees God’s mighty outpouring in my life and they are moved to respond to God’s conviction. For me and my household shall be saved!

I declare that I'm walking revival of God's presence. Whenever I’m around people are being convicted of righteousness, sin, and judgment. The love of God draws them and moves them to surrender fully to God. Scores of angels surround me and protect my life, home, cars, health, family from any attack of the enemy. There is a ripple effect that my life is causing that will cause others to do the same until this nation returns to God with humility and power. I declare that I'm part of Yahweh's kingdom and that we are walking in unity, love, humility, holiness, hunger, transparency, and power. We will not think twice about laying our lives down for God’s kingdom. Father, I pray that every false teacher, preacher, and prophet would be removed from their pulpits. That deception and delusion would be broken over the church. I pray that the spirit of lawlessness, rebellion, and compromise will be removed from every heart. God cleansed the temple once again and made it a place of consecration and glory. Let every lie of the enemy be exposed that has taken God's people into captivity. May every doctrine of devils be uprooted from every place in the land. Let your remnant arise in the land taking back every territory for God!

We pray that the enemies of America and their strongholds be destroyed by the mighty name of Yeshua. We declare that this nation is returning to the godly precepts that it was founded on and will be called a Christian nation again. We declare that every idol, false religion, and stronghold of unbelief is broken over America. We speak that our troops are supernaturally protected as we come under God’s blessing now and walk in obedience to God’s Word. Father your word declares that the heart of the King is like a river and you determine its course…I pray that every leader or person of position in this nation will be moved to worship the one and only true God; Elohim. Whatever you must do to break the anti-Christ spirit, spirit of this age, and Jezebel's control over our government, this nation, and in your people so that we may be a godly testimony among the nations please do it. I humbly ask you for all of these things in Jesus' name, Amen.

If you find this article helpful or would like to donate to our ministry please do so on our home page by visiting our website:

Jaziz Gutierrez

Official Website: https://www.jazizgutierrez.com/

Facebook: School Of Impartation and Living

YouTube: How to stop spiritual attack

Are You An Angry Prophet?

For every natural disaster we have seen, there is always that one person that makes God out to be a homicidal maniac and tells everyone that He meant to judge the nation through disaster. I am sorry but Jesus paid a great price so that ALL could be saved. Why would God send something so horrific that it would take the lives of children? I am not saying that God does not send judgment because it is obvious that He does from reading the story of Noah but...He always sets in place a rescue plan. Even Sodom and Gomorrah had a shot at God's mercy through Abraham's intercession. So, if God always has a rescue plan then where is it some might ask? My friends only look in the mirror and inside a church. The rescuers are sitting comfortably on the pews every Sunday, deafened to the cries of the broken because of their judgmental attitudes. Yes, my friends we are the spiritual rescue team looking for survivors under deep piles of religious doctrine, blind from the dirt of sin, groping around in the darkness and looking for shelter from the storm. What is sad about these attitudes that are seen in some Christians is that they are actually reinforcing the beliefs that many atheists have. I have heard this from many of them they believe that God is some kind of bully and homicidal maniac. Yes, I know they say they don't believe in God but most of them are just offended with the idea that God would kill innocent people. They mostly cite Old Testament scriptures to support this idea. Then to hear Christians confirm to them what they already believe about God is sickening. Some of us run around like angry prophets and to our chagrin it is the very reason the grace movement has gained so much momentum. They got sick of the angry prophets making profits from their pockets; using the commandments of men to manipulate people to do their bidding.

Then we see Jesus. He is confronted with a decision to stone a person caught in the act of sin. There she is awaiting her punishment that she so justly deserves. She was probably trying to cover herself up the best she could and looking away in shame. Then Jesus passed his sentence, "He who has no sin throw the first stone." With no accusers left to condemn her, Jesus just let her go with this exhortation, "Go and sin no more." What a relief she must have felt when she heard those words. She could now be free to love God without fear. Mercy had triumphed over justice.


As I saw the most current natural disaster unfold, the Lord led me to read the book of Jonah. We often dismiss this book as a children's story with little or no relevance to our adult lives. However, we couldn't be more wrong. Jonah hears the call of God to go to the city of Nineveh and warn them. ¹ Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ² “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” ³ But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD....Jonah 1:1-3

Many of us don't understand why Jonah was avoiding his commission to rescue those living in a depraved city. What people don't understand is that Jonah had a biased view of the people of Nineveh. He refused  preach to them. If you read 2 Kings 19 you will find out that Nineveh was the city of the Assyrians. They were Israel's enemies and were often at war with them. Nineveh was built by Noah's grandson Cush, son of Ham. Genesis 10:8-12 They were long distant relatives who over the course of time had become quite wicked and God was fed up with their sin. Jonah's disobedience of course causes problems for everyone on the ship he is fleeing on and finally they toss him out of the boat he gets swallowed by a fish to be spit out on the shores of...you guessed it Nineveh. God has a very persuasive way about Him doesn't He? Lesson for all of us is this: Our disobedience not only affects us but everyone around us.

Jonah finally relents warns Nineveh and to his surprise his enemies repent! Jonah 3:10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.
Now Jonah is angry because really deep down he was secretly wanting to see the destruction of his enemies. How can God have mercy on such a perverse and wicked people? Jonah then explains why he didn't want to go to Nineveh in the first place. "I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness, One who relents from doing harm" Jonah 4:2 Wow! Jonah knew that if preached his message that there was a possibility that Nineveh would repent and be spared. Instead of rejoicing Jonah sulks all day in anger.

So that Jonah could see things from God's perspective he raises a plant that shelters Jonah then dies over night. Jonah of course is sad that the plant died as it no longer was there to provide shelter for him; so God uses it to explain his heart to him. ¹⁰ But the LORD said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. ¹¹ And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?” Jonah 4:10-11

After reading the story of Jonah I realized that many of us have an angry prophet attitude. Some of us are like the disciples that Jesus exhorted long ago when they wanted to call fire down on their enemies. Jesus rebuked them when he said, "You know not what spirit you are of." The truth is many of us secretly wish for our enemies to be destroyed rather than to see them saved and delivered from destruction. Our bias towards certain groups keep us from reaching them. We often think well "they deserve what's coming to them." I think we forget sometimes where we have come from. Some of the people we see in church today were some of the people we look down upon now. In reference to our world now; many of us would rather see the end of the world rather than preaching repentance to our nation so that God would relent from His anger. This Jonah complex keep us from interceding for the lost and preaching the messages that would have them turn from their wickedness. Some of us have no concern for the lost because we are already going to heaven so we feel that our job is done here. Worse, some of us are so convinced that we will not go into the tribulation that we have not prepared ourselves or bothered to prepare the people who will stand before the Judgment seat of God. This is a selfish attitude. This is not God's heart. We need to have Jesus' heart.

Let us pray: Father forgive us for being angry prophets and having bias in our hearts. For disobeying the call to go into the highways and byways. For allowing our anger towards certain groups; to keep us from reaching them for you. We choose to forgive those who have come against our nation, who are being used by the devil and those who are in authority who are pushing the agendas of Satan. We choose to pray for those who are hurting us God. Please reveal our hearts and remove any attitudes that our contrary to the love of Christ. We pray that you would relent in your anger towards our nation for turning away from you. We pray that our nation would return to it's Godly heritage. Give us a plan for reaching those we don't understand and that perhaps we fear. Help us see those around us the way you see them. Holy Spirit shed the love of God in our hearts, in Jesus name. Amen.