Surviving Trials 101

"Do you feel that God abandoned you?" Are you angry at what you feel is injustice? Do you feel like life dealt you a bad hand? Are you struggling in your walk with God?

If this is the case then I am going to share with you ten keys to surviving a trial.  First, you must know that God is on your side!  Jesus came to give you life and life more abundantly. The devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy. John 10:10 Secondly, you must know that whatever problem life has dealt us we are never without a choice. We are made in such a way that we can survive most anything and turn any situation around if we would only have faith. Our past or present circumstances do not have to determine our future.

Why People Burn Out On Ministry

    I was looking today for a way to become fully ordained outside of making payments to an organization. I have worked in church for the last five years as a lay minister or assistant pastor. I ran across this website for burned out Pastors and started reading these sad stories. Wow. I think that many of us have gotten ministry confused with the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is not the kingdom of men. Many ministries are just part of the machine that builds the kingdoms of men. This is what sucks the life out of the pastor and congregation. 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.

The problem here is that our eyes come off of doing the above and the focus shifts to building projects, raising money, programs, advertising instead of protecting the presence of God in our lives. We stop seeking His Kingdom and His righteousness first. We get careless with our salvation because now 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.

     The ministry is not really the problem it is our heart. More specifically the attitudes and motives of our hearts that have been polluted by our need to be recognized and admired. The gospel message becomes laced with covetousness and greed.  It is our ill financial planning that causes many ministers to start to manipulate people from the pulpit. The next thing you know you are threatening people by telling them that God will curse them if they do not give. This is legalism and extortion my friends. Especially if you feel like you are entitled to indulge yourself on the hard earned money of God's people. We are not entitled to anything! You will not find anywhere in Jesus ministry where he demanded a salary from his followers.  On the other hand if you have the means and are withholding  money from God's harvesters then you will have to explain why you built bigger barns instead of sending people into the harvest fields of souls. Jesus was not hung up on titles. He made his life and ministry about serving others. He went about setting people free, healing them and forgiving them.  He did not sit at an office taking calls. He demonstrated the kingdom and lived his life as an example.

     "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken"; "let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame." Hebrews 12:1-2 If you have found any of the above wrong attitudes and motives in your heart I encourage to repent and come back to the true ministry of Christ. If you are under a ministry that is has lost its way I encourage you to build His Kingdom instead of building men's kingdoms. May the Lord guide you by the Spirit of Truth and help you find the true ministry of Christ. 

If you find this article helpful or would like to leave a comment or visit our website:
Jaziz Gutierrez
http://www.loverevivalrevolution.com
Facebook: School Of Impartation and Living

Trampling Unbelief In The Gate

Prophetic Word:
For years men and women who have sat in the gate of influence in the church have kept back the move of God! They have questioned my ability to open the windows of heaven over them and refused to believe the Word of the Lord through His servants. As a result the people of God have starved behind four walls. They have fearfully stayed within the walls of containment and mediocrity. For years they have missed out on the harvest which also holds prosperity for God's people. In this next season unbelief  will be trampled down in the gate and the outcasts of society or the unknown, unsung heroes will lead the way into plundering the enemy's camp! They will realize that all that the people of God have needed was just outside the walls all along! This new discovery will cause a movement that the church has not seen in a long time. Their hunger will drive them to follow those whose testimonies declare victory in the most dire of circumstances. No one will be able to stop this forward motion and those who doubted will not partake of the plunder.  I will cause my people to move into enemy territory and the footsteps of a few will sound like many. They will learn to share with one another the things that I give them. Great boldness and courage will be the mark of these End Time Saints! They will not fear what the enemy can do because I will walk with them in even a greater dimension. They will no longer consider the weakness of the flesh but the strength of their God!

2 Kings 7: 3-4 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die? ⁴ If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also.

In this next season it will be the outcasts that will lead the way out of containment and famine. It will not be the church superstars but the unknown men and women who have spent time like Esther preparing themselves in the oil of My presence not considering their weaknesses; boldly moving towards the promises of God. They will see no other option than to plunder the enemy's camp. Have you ever felt like these lepers in this passage. Like no matter which way you go there is no positive outcome to your circumstance. There they were sitting at the gate of indecision, going hungry when they come to the conclusion that doing nothing will get them no where. Then they come up with a dangerous proposition. "Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die." Their solution was to go to the enemy's camp. I don't know about you but if I'm going hungry my first thought would not be to go and raid the enemy's camp. Yet they took the risk of going anyways.

2 Kings 7:5-6 And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there. ⁶ For the Lord had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses—the noise of a great army; so they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us!”
Earlier in the chapter Elisha had prophesied about the turnaround of events that were about to take place and a guard had mocked him. He was trampled underfoot for not believing the Word of the Lord by the people who were running to their new found provision.

Like all prophetic words in order to activate them one must step out in faith to receive them.  It's going to require that we take some risks. We can not allow ourselves to be immobilized by fear or indecision. We must step out into the realm of faith to gain access to God's blessing. If God give us something and we don't act on it someone else will. In this next move, God will use whoever is bold enough to believe Him! He does care about degrees or ordinations or the approval of men. His kingdom is not run that way. He will take two loaves and five fish to feed the masses. He will use what little you have and bring multiplication to much needed provision if you will just be concerned with feeding God's sheep who are faint from following Him. God will even use your own brokenness to pour you out and distribute you that you might become bread to the hungry. Don't count yourself out. The four lepers didn't. All they knew was that they were hungry and knew they had nothing to lose. Some of us need to stop making excuses and consider not the weakness of the flesh but the strength of our God. It's time to plunder the enemy's camp!

When the word of the Lord comes to a church it can be the greatest blessing or greatest danger because just like this city that was under captivity and famine; the word always brings two choices…to believe or not to believe…to act or not to act.

    The prophetic promise that came to bring a breakthrough can be stopped through unbelief. What if they would have hesitated, procrastinated in believing? Unbelief is disobedience to the Word of the Lord to your life. Be bold and step over into your time of fulfillment!

     Miracles are always released by acting upon faith.  Jesus said, “Come” and Peter got out of the boat.  Jesus said, stretch out your hand and the withered hand was healed.  Go wash in the pool of Siloam and the man did and he could see. Pick up your mat and the man got up.  The point is there has to be a corresponding action to the word of the Lord in faith for a miracle. So the city had a choice to believe the word of the Lord or continue in famine and accept their captivity.

          
My friends there is a gate that everyone stands at daily and we are the gatekeepers. Let's look at the gate.

     Psalm 141:3 Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth;
         Keep watch over the door of my lips.

    
Proverbs 21:22-23 A wise man scales the city of the mighty, 
      And brings down the trusted stronghold. 
       ²³ Whoever guards his mouth and tongue 
      Keeps his soul from troubles.

In the old times keeping the gates guarded was important part of keeping the city fortified. It may seem that our gate is very small compared to the size of that city; but in the book of James it gives this perspective.

James 3:3-5 "Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. ⁴ Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. ⁵ Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.: We will either boast in the greatness of our God or talk about the greatness of our circumstances.

Faith will not consider the circumstance it is experiencing, the personal limitation its dealing with or the physical condition its facing. It will believe contrary to what is sees.

Romans 4:18-22 Who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” ¹⁹ And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. ²⁰ He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, ²¹ and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. ²² And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

    
Ecclesiastes 11:4 He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who regards the clouds will not reap.

Scripture: 2 Kings 7: 19-20 Then that officer had answered the man of God, and said, “Now look, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?” 
And he had said, “In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.” ²⁰ And so it happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gate, and he died.

      

    What is the word that stands at the gate of your mouth? 

Mark 11:23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. By his confession of unbelief he slammed the windows of heaven shut over his life. Understand if you choose not to believe it will not keep others from receiving. Will we trample underfoot the words of unbelief or stay in a fortified city of famine and captivity? Who’s the gatekeeper in your life?  Is it your friends, your kids, your unbelief, your spouse, your circumstances or your own confession? Trample underfoot unbelief by confessing, agreeing and acting in faith with God’s promises.

Scripture: 2 Kings 4:8-37

Has your prophetic dream died?

    The Shunammite woman received her prophetic promise because she made place for the Lord in her life through inviting the man of God to stay with her. Prophetic destiny is birthed in the place where we have made room for God and it is sustained by intimacy. Sometimes it seems that we don’t even ask for a word from God or a dream when all of the sudden it seems that dream has died. The woman was wise in being a doorkeeper and saying, “It is well.”  Elisha did not allow Gehazi to speak to anyone on to restore the promise so that no one could speak into the situation.

    If we allow ourselves to go back into the bedchamber and put our eyes to God’s eyes, our mouth to His mouth, and allow his hands to be our hands we will see our promise came back to life again.  It will only happen in a place of intimacy and prayer.

2 Kings 7:5-6 And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there. ⁶ For the Lord had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses—the noise of a great army; so they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us!”

Earlier in the chapter Elisha had prophesied about the turnaround of events that were about to take place and a guard had mocked him. He was trampled underfoot for not believing the Word of the Lord by the people who were running to their new found provision.

Like all prophetic words in order to activate them one must step out in faith to receive them.  It's going to require that we take some risks. We cannot allow ourselves to be immobilized by fear or indecision. We must step out into the realm of faith to gain access to God's blessing. If God give us something and we don't act on it someone else will. In this next move, God will use whoever is bold enough to believe Him! He does care about degrees or ordinations or the approval of men. His kingdom is not run that way. He will take two loaves and five fish to feed the masses. He will use what little you have and bring multiplication to much needed provision if you will just be concerned with feeding God's sheep who are faint from following Him. God will even use your own brokenness to pour you out and distribute you that you might become bread to the hungry. Don't count yourself out. The four lepers didn't. All they knew was that they were hungry and knew they had nothing to lose. Some of us need to stop making excuses and consider not the weakness of the flesh but the strength of our God. It's time to plunder the enemy's camp!

If you find this article helpful or would like to leave a comment or visit our website:
Jaziz Gutierrez
http://www.loverevivalrevolution.com
Facebook: School Of Impartation and Living

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.

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Jaziz Gutierrez

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Help I've Been Wandering and Wondering

Refining and Defining for Reassigning a word for this season:
For many of us the last year has been difficult. For most of us the first few months of this year has seem to halt any spiritual progress and deterred us (detoured us) from what we felt God has wanted us to do. Remember you only find detours where there is construction. So you might as well understand that in this season you are under construction.

I can compare this season with being in a sand storm, and not having visibility. All you can see is a long distance outline of where you think you are heading. Here you are crawling forward with no idea how long it’s going to take you to get to your destination. In the process though there is sand irritating you; getting into places that you didn’t think possible. If any of you ever been at the beach on a windy day; you know that sand gets into everything including your food. It sticks to your skin, gets into your eyes and doesn’t come off easy. The good news is; that it comes off with water. The sand represents life’s problems and irritants. Let us therefore wash ourselves with the water of God’s Word and the presence of His Spirit.

But…I heard this from the Spirit of God. Open your mouth and let me fill it during this season. Allow the sand to fill your mouth and just like an oyster I will cause the irritation of the sand and pressure to form a pearl in your mouth. If you will wait on me great wisdom will come to you. James 1:5 You have the mind of Christ.  For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16

Did you know…
A natural pearl (often called an Oriental pearl) forms when an irritant, such as a piece of sand, works its way into a particular species of oyster, mussel, or clam. As a defense mechanism, the mollusk secretes a fluid to coat the irritant. Layer upon layer of this coating is deposited on the irritant until a lustrous pearl is formed. http://www.pearls.com

So you may ask what is the purpose of all of this? “I say to you that I’m defining who you are not; to better define who you are.” This is a season for those who are called but have been out of alignment. My purpose is to cause you to return to your first love. “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” Revelations 3:18 The end product ultimately is to reassign you to your purpose and destiny in God. The sooner we understand this, the sooner we will get through the refiner’s fire. “Again allow me to fill your mouth during this season.” Let your tongue become the sword of the Lord.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. Genesis 1:1-4
God is waiting for you speak over the formless void in your life to bring forth light in your circumstances. The Spirit of God is hovering over the face of your problems waiting to hear the Word of the Lord to be spoken. Speak “Let there be light!” (Light = Revelation) Ask God for revelation in your situation. As you do this, God will start to separate or define what is light and what is dark. What’s God and what’s not. What has been your soul-distraction and what is clearly Him.

For some of you God must first reduce you down to nothing so he can do something. But don’t despair for a Genesis or a new beginning is soon to come upon you. Just like in Genesis He will cause you to be separated from the things that weren’t meant for you. Even though you may feel like you are being reduced down to a stump; understand God’s purpose is to bring forth fruit.

Did you know…
Well, to start with, the task of pruning grape vines is not all or nothing--there is room for error, and the chances of you killing the plant are pretty unlikely.
If you don’t prune your plant you can be assured it will produce less fruit and in a couple years, stop bearing fruit all together. So there are not too many ways you can fail by pruning grape vines each year. The fruit grows on the shoots that are produced by one-year-old canes, so each year the previous season’s growth needs to be cut back. http://www.grapefacts.net


Prayer…
Father, we agree with heaven and we will not allow anything else but God’s Word to go forth out of our mouths. Father, we declare that a new thing is about to break forth and cause us to see what’s of you and what is flesh/soul. Separate us unto yourself. Align us. We choose this day to buy of you gold. We embrace suffering. For we know it brings forth the fruit of righteousness in our lives. Refine us like gold that we may show forth the reflection of your Son. We believe that our tears will be turned in triumph and our mourning into dancing. We pick up our swords and say no weapon formed against us shall prosper and every tongue that rises up against we shall condemn. We have the mind of Christ. Let your character be formed in us. We choose to forgive those who have despitefully used us. Matthew 5:44, Mark 11:25-26 Therefore according to Mark 11:23-24 We speak with confidence to this mountain (obstacle, hindrance) get our way in Jesus name.

Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Mark 11:23-24 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

Mark 11:25-26
“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.