Bible

Demons and Deliverance

~ Observant Servant

There’s a portion of my testimony I don’t talk about much and that portion has to do with how badly demons were tormenting me. How terrified I was. I became paranoid. Confused. Thought I was losing my mind. The first time I admitted to what I went through, I was told by a well-meaning Christian, that it was merely a “mid-life crisis”. After that, I never mentioned the depths of torment that I went through again.

In fact, the only time I have openly admitted to it was when I heard someone else talking about their experience. And at that moment I was in tears because I was so relieved I wasn’t alone in my experience.

Demons are nasty and some of the worst ones are let in when a person becomes involved with the occult. I embraced the occult at a young age while still under my parents roof. My mom had her own past that I only know bits of. I know that she was no “dabbler” but into heavy duty stuff that had serious repercussions down the family line. Even after she became a ‘Christian”, I was still raised watching shows like Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, Twilight Zone and Tales from the Crypt on a regular basis. Add to that everything Disney had to offer and well, there you see my upbringing was soaked in witchcraft.

I turned fully into the occult by the time I was a teen. That went on for 35 years but in reality, it was my entire life.

When I found myself looking in the direction to Christ for answers, the demons in my life suddenly began rearing their ugly heads. Even though I wasn’t drinking or taking drugs, my mental state went on a terrifying downward spiral toward an abyss that I only knew I wanted no part of.

They began ganging up on me with demons in other people. Thoughts would flow through my mind and the people around me would either say exactly what I was thinking or make a comment about my exact thoughts without me saying a word. It was so horrible. I couldn’t escape my mind. It drove me to God.. and when I committed to Christ, it didn’t get better. In fact it got so much worse. Because now I had switched teams. The threats and visions I got were so intense that had I not been where I was at when it happened, I would have taken myself out in an effort to escape.

Christianity is supernatural.
You can’t escape it.
There is a real unseen realm where the most intense wars are fought.
Any Christian who thinks otherwise or thinks they can skate by and avoid it is fooling themselves.
They are blind.

All of that was part of my journey of deliverance. The only thing was I didn’t realize that I was in the process of it. I still had no idea of what I was up against.

As I stated before, becoming a Christian didn’t stop the torment. When I came to Christ through this process, the Holy Spirit was literally all I had. I didn’t own a Bible and I was in a facility that had no books available. In fact there was nothing available other than a tv with super bad reception. I spent (what I later found out was) a week straight in a large “L-shaped” room with about 20-25 other people. Though had you asked me what day it was or even what time of day it was, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you. It felt like I was outside of time and space. I was aware it was passing but mentally I was outside of it, watching it pass. (Again, this was sober – I had no drugs or alcohol in my system and yet I felt like I was trapped riding a terrifying high.)

It was during this time that I began the process of learning how to hear the Holy Spirit. It was a crash-course in spiritual warfare that continued for months even after I made it back home. Initially it was like my mind was downloading all sorts of information. The veil had been pulled from my eyes and I saw the battle for souls. I watched it play out. I had visions of the wins and losses for both sides. Things that I can’t even describe.

While the enemy filled my mind with threats telling me I would never be safe, that I had a target on my back, that they would never leave me alone, cushioning me with more and more fear, the Holy Spirit would make His presence known to me, promising me that I would be kept safe just as long as I would believe and trust Him. While the enemy would manifest in the people around me and they would talk amongst themselves making their plans against me within earshot, I would pray to walk by them unseen and be amazed when those same people would pass me by as if I was invisible.

When I finally got my hands on the Bible, I began to devour it. After a particularly heavy spiritual attack one night (I was seeing demons manifest themselves outside my bedroom window) I cried out to God for several hours in prayer. I awoke the next morning with the word “Ephesians” on my heart and I began the process of learning who I was in Christ. Slowly my mind became clear. I was still being tormented but I was finally able to function mentally. I believe this was the Holy Spirit showing me how to renew my mind. I stopped seeing spirits and I began to attend church and I felt like my battle was over for the most part.

Or so I thought.

I found a church that did outreach. They had sound doctrine and were really nice people. I shared with them the spiritual side of my journey and their response was one of disbelief. It was nothing like they had ever been through so they couldn’t relate it seemed. They never really talked about the spiritual realm to a level that I seemed to have lived through.

After that, I kept things to myself. I was still suffering. I had major depression. I still had a lot of anxiety and although the urge to end my life was no longer there, intrusive thoughts would come at random. Even on my good days where I truly felt blessed by God. The most common thought I had on a regular basis was a vision of me stabbing myself in my throat. I didn’t know why.

I was often questioned as to why I didn’t have the joy of the Lord and I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t have an answer. I didn’t know that I was still in a battle. I would read the Bible, go to church, worship, pray, share the Gospel and yet I was still in chains. I wasn’t growing fast enough, praying hard enough, doing enough… These thoughts came into my mind and were echoed and pointed out by those around me.

As humans, even the best of us fall short. The enemy doesn’t fight fair and shortly after that I found myself isolated, completely rejected, and curled up in my closet sobbing from the depths of my heart begging God for mercy because I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what was wrong with me and when my first church family pushed me away, I thought God had abandoned me.

That I was a hopeless cause and a wasted effort.

Then I felt “John 6:37” in my heart.

“All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never turn away.”

I clung to this scripture, repeating it over and over to myself. I was in a state of desperation.

The next day, I got a message that told me to look into Hardcore Christianity.

Looking at the name, the thought came into my mind that this was where they send the toughest cases. The delinquents. The “rebellious individuals who refuse to surrender. A boot camp for the worst of the worst Christians who fail at being a Christian. Like when parents send their kids off to military school to “straighten them out”. I had no idea what to expect. Even after reading the information on the site I was still terrified. But I wanted so desperately to be fixed.

It was only after I watched a teaching by Mike Smith that I came to the full realization that I was still under attack. That all the thoughts I had were not my own. That there were still demons at work inside me and around me. That I wasn’t free. That they had been using both those around me and my own thoughts to skillfully orchestrate my destruction. That the images and thoughts I was having were not me but those of a completely separate entity inside me. Multiple ones at that.

It has been a process, dealing with the layers upon layers of spirits. One of the most important things is mind renewal. This is also a constant thing. An area that you can not, MUST NOT, become complacent in. Lack of mind renewal is like cracks in your armor. You MUST renew your mind and continue to do so. If you do not, the enemy will eat you up and spit you out. The demons will come back like bad relationships. You must get rid of your sin. Learn to hate your sin. Ask God to help you hate your sin.

Deliverance is a journey. The best news is that God is helping you through it. If you are born again, you have the Holy Spirit and you cannot lose.

If you suffer from anything like I have posted above, There is hope!!

Please contact mike@hardcorechristianity.com

https://hardcorechristianity.com/arizona-deliverance-center/

Symptoms of Demonic Operation in a Person

~ Observant Servant ~ 1 Comment

One major item of debate in Christianity is whether or not a born-again Christian can have demons. Fact of the matter is, the Bible does not specifically say that a Christian cannot be infected with demons. However there are several instances in Scripture showing that a person can be infected with them. I have personally been prayed for and received healing through deliverance and it has changed my life. I am so grateful to God for this. Learning about this has helped change my perspective of the world around me. This understanding has helped me to forgive others (and myself). Here is a breakdown of some of the symptoms that a person (even Christians) can be dealing with demons spiritually.

haunted

“They came to the [a]other side of the sea, to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him, and the man lived in the [b]tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with chains. For he had often been bound with shackles [for the feet] and with chains, and he tore apart the chains and broke the shackles into pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue and tame him. Night and day he was constantly screaming and shrieking among the tombs and on the mountains, and cutting himself with [sharp] stones.

Mark 5:1-5 AMP

Incapacity for normal living –
Mark 5:1-5

Just as the actions of Legion made the man unsuitable for normal social interactions with friends and family, an unusual desire for solitude, accompanied by deep loneliness, will often set in.The person will often become very passive with no desire to change.

Extreme behavior-
Mark 5:4

“For he had often been bound with shackles [for the feet] and with chains, and he tore apart the chains and broke the shackles into pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue and tame him.”

Violence will often be evident in the victims life. An explosive temper and extreme, uncontrollable anger are dangerous behaviors that control the individual and the people who love him or her.

Personality changes-
Mark 5:9 & 12

“He was asking him, “What is your name?” And he replied, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” … “And the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the pigs so that we may go into them!”

Multiple personalities exist in some of the most serious cases of demonic control. This man had a ‘legion’ of spirits within his life. All cases of multiple personality are demonic. Changes in personality, extreme or mild, is evidence of demonic activity.

Restlessness and Insomnia
Mark 5:5

” Night and day he was constantly screaming and shrieking among the tombs and on the mountains, and cutting himself with [sharp] stones.”

In verse 5, we see this man crying in the tombs “night and day”. He could not sleep. Insomnia can be a sign of a physical problem or a sign of a spiritual problem. God has gifted His children with sleep.

It is vain for you to rise up early, to take rest late, to eat the bread of [anxious] toil–for He gives [blessings] to His beloved in sleep.” (Psalm 127:2)

So when you cannot sleep night after night and there is no medical reason for this disturbance, the devil may be tormenting you. Don’t forget, you have the right to rest in Jesus!

A terrible inner anguish
Mark 5:5

This man was deeply tormented in mind and heart. Various levels of anguish are evident in those who are afflicted by demons. Grief and anguish are normal emotions for us all. Yet persistent, unresolved anguish that will not leave after normal therapies of counseling, encouragement and prayer could well be demonic.

Self inflicted injury and suicide
Mark 5:5

Here we see the demonic man cutting himself. If you read Mark 9:14-29, you will see the story of a man whose son was both deaf and mute because of a demon: “wherever it [the evil spirit] seizes him, it throws him down… Often he [the demon] has thrown him [the boy] into fire and and into the water to destroy him” (vs 18, 22) Jesus cast out the demon: “the spirit cried out, convulsed him [the boy] greatly, and came out of him.

If you or someone you know are struggling with any of these symptoms, I invite you to email mike@hardcorechristianity.com for a counseling appointment. Appointments are always free for born-again believers. They can be done via phone, zoom, or in-person. Please also visit HardCoreChristianity.com for more information, teachings and videos. This Ministry has helped me and many others immensely in my walk with Christ.

God’s Gift of Hate

~ Observant Servant

When I became a Christian, my circle of secular friends was completely uprooted and replaced with Christian friends.

For me, that was to be expected.

When I started going through and talking about deliverance, my circle of Christian friends shrunk considerably and some of the very same Christian friends suddenly didn’t feel comfortable around me anymore. They didn’t want to talk to me. Conversations with many of these believers suddenly became awkward and there was a noticeable level of avoidance.

I didn’t expect that.

One thing I will say, this is worth the cost. It is well worth the cost to become a disciple of Jesus. And it is absolutely worth the cost to be on the front lines of spiritual warfare.

I was looking at some old notes that I took when I was first born again. I didn’t have a church at the time so all of my learning came from just reading the bible and watching hours and hours of sermons on a daily basis. (I was unemployed so I could do this easily.) I realized from the notes I took that Jesus was trying to show me about deliverance although I didn’t really understand it at the time. And when I did finally get involved with a church, I was warned against watching this particular minister so I stopped because I assumed that they knew best. But I realize now that back then the Holy Spirit was using this minister to show me that I still needed deliverance. The enemy had used Christians to keep me from fighting!

This revelation has fanned a flame inside me.
I realized that I hate the enemy so much for what he tricked me into, for what happened to me at the hands of others before I was saved, and for the way he used Christians to make me question everything after I was born again. I hate that my deliverance was delayed. I hate him with a passion. I hate what I see him doing to other Christians. I hate what I see him doing in to the church and how everywhere I look, churches are compromising to please the masses. I hate what I see him doing to the lost. I hate the way I see him using people to hurt one another. I mean, I have seen it before obviously but I feel like I am seeing it with new eyes and with greater understanding. I am so angry at him. I hate him so much.

This is a righteous hatred. A glorious gift to have in your battle against the enemy. A Godly hate.

“These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him, A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” -Proverbs 6:16-19

It is important to hate the enemy. Hate produces a fight in you. It motivates you. It empowers you. It is a God-given tool against the enemy. If you don’t hate what the enemy is doing to you and has done to you, you are weak. You are a child of King of kings. An heir. A knight in the Lord’s army. A warrior. Pray to the Lord to give you the gift of hate.

Overcoming the Spirit of Fear

~ Observant Servant

Do you find that you avoid certain people, things, or situations? Avoidance is typically considered a maladaptive behavioral response to excessive fear and anxiety. Christ can help you to gain victory over the spirit of fear through deliverance and mind renewal.

When I was first born again, the Lord set me free from many things. Though I didn’t know it at the time, He had been cleansing me of strong spirits left and right. It was a literal 7 day process. All I did during that time was pray. I didn’t even eat and I barely slept. I didn’t even know that I was “fasting” – I just knew in my heart that I should not eat.

 I didn’t know what was happening. I didn’t understand it. I didn’t know what was happening to my body or why I was going through certain things.

 I didn’t know it was biblical.

“But an evil spirit of this kind is only driven out by prayer and fasting” – Matthew 17:21

I praise God for being set free of the many spirits that I had either willingly or unknowingly let in throughout my life while I was lost. He didn’t cleanse me of everything though. Things were left behind and I believe it was because I was to learn how to fight,how to get them out and keep them out.

A few days after I had gone through this process, I started hearing “threats” in my mind. They would say things like “You’ve got a target on your back. We are coming for you. We will destroy you. You belong to us. We are going to tear you apart.”

Spirits were tormenting me and I didn’t know how to stop it. I didn’t know what to do. I had no one to talk to because I didn’t know any Christians. I hadn’t even had a chance to find a church yet. I cried all day and asked God to hide me and protect me because I was unequipped and I didn’t know how to fight this onslaught. I did not know how to fight against an enemy that I could not see. The fear I was feeling was intense. I would hide in my apartment because I didn’t want to be out in the open for fear the enemy would use my surroundings to eliminate me.

That night before I went to bed, I cried out to God, begging for an answer. I prayed for over 4 hours straight because I was so desperate. When I woke up the next morning, the word “Ephesians” was in my heart. I didn’t know the Bible but I knew that this word was in the Bible. I’m not even sure if I knew it was a book.

At the time, all I had was a Gideon Bible so I looked it up and found the book of Ephesians.  I read it in its entirety learning what it means to be a Christian, and then I reached Ephesians 6:10-18. I knew that was the answer to my prayer. I knew God was showing me how to be strong and fight back. I didn’t have to live in fear.

I wrote it down. I read it aloud to myself every morning when I woke up and every night before I went to bed. I memorized it. I lived it. I breathed it. The tormenting voices stopped and I never heard them again.

This process that the Lord took me through was the renewing of my mind. I didn’t know it at the time. Again, I was still a baby Christian barely 2 weeks old in the Lord. The Holy Spirit was guiding me the entire way.

Renewing your mind is essential in being completely set free. When you read the Bible, especially after deliverance, the Holy Spirit builds you up using the promises of God. He leads you and guides you and grows in your inner man/woman. He takes up a greater amount of space so that the enemy can’t penetrate it. If you do not renew your mind, it is not only possible, but probable, that the enemy can find a chink in your armor and come back in and take up residence. And he will bring bigger/stronger friends.

“When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he has come, he findeth it empty, swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they eneter in and dwell there: and the last state of the man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.” – Matthew 12:43-45

Remember that God is with you. He wants to help you.

You may struggle with anxiety in interpersonal relationships, or going to the store, or dining alone or driving through big cities. I once struggled through all these things I just listed to a debilitating degree. I even dreaded going to counseling with other Christians because of it.  I still do struggle a little in other areas. It’s a constant battle but I have gotten stronger and you will too!

Remember that God has not given us a spirit of fear.

Anxiety is fear-based. The enemy wants you to feel anxiety. He wants you to be afraid to have tough conversations. He wants you to over-think. He wants you focused on yourself, how you are feeling, and imagining what others are thinking or saying about you because then you are taking your eyes off God.

Trust in God.

Talk to Him.

Repent for giving in to the spirit of fear and the negative thoughts that follow.

Read your Bible and renew your mind.

Your freedom will come through consistency of doing these things.

God bless you.

Sacrifice of Praise

~ Observant Servant

“And then Job arose and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground and worshiped. And said, “Naked I came out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord givith and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
-Job 1:20-21

There are many people who are not fond of the book of Job. It is full of anguish – the story of a devout man who is completely dedicated to God. God allows his life to be completely torn apart by the enemy in an effort to prove a point. Job lost his home, his land, his herds, his children, and even his health. At then at the end, God restored much of what Job had lost and then some. Through it all, Job was faithful in continuing to give glory to God. This can be a tough read for a lot of Christians. However, I find comfort and valuable lessons in this story. It has become one of my favorite books in the Old Testament.

In the first few months after being born again, I felt the Holy Spirit lead me to read through the book of Job. Looking back, I feel that I was being prepared to be tested because no sooner did I complete the book, did absolute chaos hit my life. I lost my friends, I lost my place to live, and I didn’t own a car so after I lost my friends, I also lost my transportation and my job. On top of this, one of my “friends” left me with a mountain of debt. I also lost my relationship with my daughter, and my dad had passed away. It left me broken, hurting, angry, sad, confused and full of regret. But even in this, my God was merciful to my dad in affording him a nearly instant death. I was thankful for that.

This all happened within a short period of time. And the hits just kept on coming. To say I was struggling would be an understatement.

All throughout this storm that had become my life, I was reminded of Job. How he remained faithful to God in the midst of all his suffering. He would continue to worship and praise the Lord even as he was crying out to Him in prayer. No matter what his wife said, or his friends said, he remained steadfast and true.

So I did my best to do the same. I would thank the Lord for what little I still had. I would thank Him for pulling me out of darkness, for breaking the chains, for dying on the cross. I would praise Him and glorify Him for every day that He gave me to live. I would thank Him for the very breath that He allowed me to breathe. I would thank Him for the lessons He was teaching me. Anything I could think of, I thanked Him for. I discovered that in this process, despite what was happening in my life, He gave me reassuring peace. It built faith and trust.

Just like Job was restored, I found myself restored as well. God provided me different (better) friends, a place to live, vehicle, restoration of some family relationships and so much more. God is faithful. There are still things that haven’t been restored, but I know they will be in His perfect timing.

At the time of this writing, I find myself in another situation where I remind myself to praise through the pain and the struggle. Because of what I went through in the past, I now know that God will work things out. I have peace even though I do not know where I am going. I imagine this is how Abraham felt when the Lord told him to leave everything behind. Trusting God’s process. Praising Him for the lessons being taught.

Remember that it is called a “sacrifice” for a reason. You may be going through something and your heart is hurting. Your body is hurting. You feel lost, alone and confused. Praising God through this would definitely be a sacrifice because you don’t “feel” like doing it. The enemy wants you to not praise God. Praise Him anyway!! Praise Him through your pain and suffering. Jesus will take the burden of your heartache and anxieties and He will give you the peace that surpasses all understanding. Bring a sacrifice of praise unto the Lord. It really makes a difference!

Healing of the Heart and the Role of Deliverance

~ Observant Servant

One of the biggest things I have struggled with is allowing others to get close to me. Like many of you, there have been severe wounds inflicted on my heart that left deep scars and even more areas that have left my heart raw. Lies, betrayal, abandonment, feelings of worthlessness. For years, most (if not all) of my adult life, my heart bore the weight of this burden. It manifested itself on the outside as well in more ways than one. Sure my attitude could be forced into an appearance of everything being great in my life, but there was a spirit of depression on me.

Yes, Christians can be infested with demonic spirits. I know that there is a lot of controversy surrounding this topic. The thing is, the enemy copies everything of God. We know this. He twists it, he perverts it, he makes as a appealing as possible to the masses and, sadly, fools even the followers of Christ. The subject of the gifts such as the gift of tongues and Deliverance is no exception to this. One must pray for discernment not to be deceived.

The spirit of depression manifested itself through my creativity. My inspiration always came from a wounded heart steeped in rejection and isolation, and if I am being honest, unforgiveness . Art projects reflected dismal, dreary and sometimes even dark scenes. Creative writing while pouring out my heart, always resulted in the saddest of stories. When I would create, the mask would fall away and even the most cheerful colors were laced with scenes of heartache. Repentance and surrender to Christ changes that.

Once I forgave others and myself (you MUST forgive yourself), God began the process of healing my heart. It was often a struggle. Every loving touch hurt. My heart was battered and bruised. It had areas of infection that needed to be cleaned. With any wound, the cleansing process is unpleasant. Sometimes it hurts terribly as the antiseptic is used to wash away all of the infected areas. The process of cleansing the heart is no different. In order for the healing process to be effective, God must cleanse it first. This means exposing unwanted areas. But the Lord God has the most gentle touch and the most loving way to handle tender hearts to make them whole again. The result is feeling so much lighter and freer and experiencing true joy.

God has been working on my heart. As with all healing, it takes time. It is a process. There are times that it took prayer and fasting and there were times it took something stronger. An army of prayer warriors and deliverance.  The most uncomfortable part of it was the exposing of my wounded areas to God and others. Becoming even more vulnerable. Admitting I was still hurting. Being reminded of those painful times in my life that I just wanted to bury and hide away. They had to come out. They had to be exposed. Like any wound, if you just cover it up, infection sets in. So my wounds had to be uncovered in order to be attended to. After prayer and deliverance from the spirits that were haunting me, I felt cleaner. My heart was lighter. My soul could breathe. Jesus set me free. Repentance, forgiveness and deliverance were the method. I am so grateful and I pray that each one of you can experience the love of God through being set free.

Your Christian walk is to be filled with joy despite the circumstances you find yourself in. The only way to have that joy is to surrender to Jesus.

Fruit Inspectors

~ Observant Servant

Stop me if you have heard this one.

“I’m not judging them. I’m just inspecting their fruit”
Have you had an encounter with these “fruit inspectors”?
Maybe they are watching how you worship or even how you pray. I had an encounter a few months ago where I was judged because I didn’t pray they way someone thought I should during corporate prayer. They ridiculed me asking me why I didn’t pray for/about the things they felt I should be praying about or for. And another where because I was struggling, it was insinuated that God was displeased with me. I couldn’t do anything right. It was so bad that I started feeling that God had turned His face from me. That I was a lost cause. It broke me.

So many Christians are so judgemental and not in a loving way at all. They are just straight up mean. And they do it while holding their Bible under the covering of “I’m a fruit inspector. Just doing the Lords work.”
Seriously?
I hear it all the time. The Bible tells us to judge others. We’re to hold our brothers and sister accountable.
Ok.. I get it.
Let’s see what the Bible says.

There are scriptures like Proverbs 31:9 that do say “Open thy mouth, judge righteously…” And we definitely should want our brothers and sisters in Christ to be growing and moving forward. There certainly is a time, a place, and a way to do that, that shows love and truth. The problem is that we don’t see much love and truth. The problem is we don’t fully understand the weight of Matthew 7 that says ‘ do not judge or you too will be judged for in the same way you judge others, you will be judged.

Understand what you are doing when you claim to be a “fruit inspector”. You are saying “God, I know all the ins and outs of this situation, I know every motive hidden or not, and I am just as qualified as you, God, to place judgement on them.” — When you do that, you are saying “God, now judge me.” Is that really what you wanted?

Romans 14:10 says so why do you condemn another believer? why do you look down on another believer? Remember that we will all stand before the judgement seat of God. Each of us will give a personal account to God. Then in verse 13 it says this: So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that wont cause another believer to stumble.
The truth is all this “fruit inspecting” we’re doing does way more damage than anything else. We are showing the world that even us as Christians cannot figure out how to get along. Jesus is love, joy, and peace huh? Let me see it in His followers.

Let me tell you some truth right here. If you really want to make a difference in the world for Jesus, start talking about what you’re for instead of focusing on what you are against. Can you judge other believers? Sure! Absolutely if you want to. But why would you want to? Remember John 3:17 “For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” If Jesus didn’t come here to condemn people, what makes us think it is our job? If you truly care about helping others grow and become a better person, love them to Jesus. It’s sad that other Christians, even pastors, bash other people under the cover of “righteous judgement”.

There’s nothing wrong at all with helping other people become who they should be in Christ but make sure we are doing it out of love with a pure heart. Not to make us feel better about ourselves. That is self righteousness. For we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. That’s why we all have to depend on His righteousness.
And remember, if Jesus didn’t come to condemn them, then maybe you shouldn’t either.

Author: Kelly K. www.kellykministries.com

Learning to Pray

~ Observant Servant

Prayer for Beginners

In my personal prayer life, I have found that I always begin my prayers with a thankful heart. The Lord gives us so much to be thankful for from the time we wake up to the moment we go to bed. His grace is continuous. Sometimes I feel led to just pray a prayer of thanksgiving. The Lord knows what we need even before we ask. There are times when I will come to Him with a list of people and things to pray for and about and I don’t even get to the list because I just feel led to praise Him and thank Him during my prayer time.

Every day is a gift within a gift. It’s another chance to work for Him; another chance to get close to Him. Being thankful for everything He has done, everything He is doing, and everything He will do. He is so good that it is impossible to not find anything to be thankful for even in the direst of times.

 “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” –Ephesians 6:18 KJV

  In the beginning of my walk (as a newly born again Christian) I found it a bit difficult to pray for myself. Praying for others came easily! I was surrounded by people who were unsaved. God had just revealed to me a portion of the depths of His love for us and the abundance of grace that He had to offer. I wanted everyone in my life to have that. I wanted them to experience the true feeling of what it was like to be set free. To be forgiven. To know, without a doubt, that their eternal life was secure in Christ. I would spend considerable amounts of time in prayer begging and pleading for God to intervene and soften the hearts of those around me so that they might also find the road to salvation. I would pray for everyone else first but when it came to praying for me personally, I felt hindered. I already had Jesus. What more could I possibly need?

I found it difficult to ask for even the smallest of things, let alone plead for myself and my desires. It was almost as if I felt guilty for taking up the time of my Creator to ask for anything so prayers for myself were cut short as possible. Eventually the Lord showed me that those feelings were lies from the enemy. Satan will do all he can to drive a wedge between us and the Father. I found the recognizing these feelings as actual spiritual attacks embolden me to pray for myself with the same effort as praying for others.

  It is important to pray intensely for others but remember to put forth that same earnest when praying for yourself. Think if you had a son, daughter or spouse who had a need or desire and they just barely mentioned it at all. What kind of relationship would that be? God wants us to bring our desires up in prayer. He wants to provide for us the way a Father does. It is who He is. It is His nature. Let the Spirit lead you in prayer. Move with Faith. Talk to Him every day, several times a day. The Lord never tires of hearing from us.