Ladies, so you are on a mission to do some much need inner work. You’ve taken meticulous notes at church, attended classes, read books, went to seminars and practically ate, prayed and slept the Bible. You made some mistakes in the past and are determined to get it right this time. You’ve been badly hurt and because of that big hole that’s left in your heart, you’re forced to give yourself time to heal. And while you’re at it, you figure you can spruce yourself up a bit; get a new hairdo, join a gym and maybe lose a few pounds!
It took a few years but you put in the hard work and it has paid off! Your faith is renewed, your hope restored and your soul is at peace. There you are walking down the street head held high, hair blowing in the wind, with confidence as your stride! You are glowing! Your light is shining so bright…you almost cause an accident!! That tall, dark, and handsome man was so blinded by your emanation that he slammed on breaks–nearly parking in the street–to jump out of his car just to talk to you! You…quite flattered, just couldn’t stop blushing.
He approaches you quite gentlemanly with such admiration and such adorning words. “Ok, you got my attention,” you think to yourself. As he furthers along in his adulation, thoughts are running through your mind faster than a high speed car chase! You smirk in confirmation,”this is it! This is exactly what I have been praying for!” The young man tells you that he is a Christian and that he has been praying for a wife, and God told him you are the one! Heart palpitating, in your mind you exclaim: “yes! God has answered my prayer!” Your attention is now perked higher than a Doberman Pension’s ears! “Tell me more!”–your heart is faintly uttering. As tall, dark, and handsome continues you notice him licking his lips. “Did he just lick his lips?” Now cautiously listening to his rhetoric, you notice his eyes are scanning your body like an X-ray machine at JFK airport. “Aah…hello…my face is up here!” You exclaim. “Um…did he just just do that?–RED FLAG! Ok…you squeamishly still listen. He then proceeds to ask your name, you reluctantly tell him. For the sake of tact you ask his name. He replies Ishmael!–the sound of a scratched record screeches loudly in your mind! Momentarily frozen in your tracts, you then take off running faster than Usain Bolt ran the men’s100! Poor guy is left standing there, wondering what went wrong.
As a good friend shared this true story with me of what happened to her one day on a busy street in New York, we couldn’t help but laugh hysterically at its literalasis. God does have a sense of humor! And after all, the Bible does say laughter is good for the soul! (Proverbs 17:22). But Beloved when life has taken you around the block a few times–humm…up and down the block and draged around the block too–you get to a place where you surrender it all to God. You desire the heart of God and desire to be obedient to his word and want to walk in His will. My friend and I went on to talk about how the story of Abraham and Sarah greatly influenced her in her early Christian walk. She was very well versed in the book of Genesis. She was not about to settle for an Ishmael when God promised her an Issac. Of course this story does not speak on behalf of all Ishmael’s, but in this instance, because my friend was a diligent spiritual student, she knew this man was not from God.
The problem is when we don’t know who we are in Christ, when we are not sensitive to that still small voice to hear what He tells us do. When we are not proactively studying the word, is when we entertain the enemy’s voice!
My friend put in the time to get to know God. She equipped herself with the armor (Ephesians 6:10-18). Therefore she knew the enemy when he showed up! How many of you have been spiritually blinded and a wolf showed up in your life and you thought is was a sheep? (Matthew 7:15). Beloved if a person tries to change the essence of who you are, you may need to find out who answered your prayer! Maybe you are celibate and someone is trying to convince you sex is a natural, human behavior outside of marriage. Maybe You don’t eat beef and he’s trying to give you a million ways why beef is good. Or maybe you have given your life to the Lord and she is trying to get you to go out to clubs and drink alcohol, telling you there’s nothing wrong with having a little fun and a few drinks. Or Perhaps He is trying to convince you to lie, steal, or cheat. The devil answers prayers too!
When you pray the devil will sometimes send a replica; he sends an answer that looks exactly like what you may have prayed for. But the Bible gives us wise counsel:
Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple (Romans 16:17, 18 NKJV).
Beloved, the enemy knows God’s commands for our lives and he will try to do everything he can to thwart the word of God. As Christians it is imperative to learn the teachings of the 3 voices.
There are three voices that speak into our spirit:
1. God’s voice
2. Our own voice
3. Satan’s voice
Many Christians struggle in this area of their walk. Many are often in utter confusion as what voice is speaking into their spirit at any given time or find it difficult to hear the voice of God. The Bible says:
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: (John 10:27 KJV).
Beloved, it’s our right as Christians to be able to discern the voice of the Father when he speaks to us! This is where spiritual warfare comes in. If we want to be effective witnesses for Christ we must learn how to pray doctrinal prayers. Doctrinal prayers are simply praying God’s written word back to Him; reciting Bible verses aloud. Moreover, you must learn how to cover yourselves when you go into the prayer closet. Firstly, you have to get in the habit of asking for the assistance of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26 ESV). Then you must test the spirit by asking if it is indeed God’s spirit, particularly if you are praying in tounges! God answers! You must also bind any spirit that is not a spirit of God and command it to leave your presence.
Example: “Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of your son Jesus Christ. I ask for the assistance of the Holy Spirit because the Bible says we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Father I ask that you reveal yourself to me in this prayer hour. Let your voice be tangible to my spirit. Any spirit that is not the voice of God I command you to leave my presence, in the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
A great book that teaches on spiritual warfare is “Overcoming the Adversary,” by Mark I. Bubeck. It also has a plethora of great spiritual warfare prayers pertaining to different areas of life. If you began to pray in this fashion, diligently study the word of God, and incorporate fasting into your Christian walk, God’s voice will start to become more clearer to you.
When you begin to grow in your Christian walk your ears will become more sensitive to the spirit. You will gain spiritual discernment and God will begin to reveal things to you in the spirit realm. Additionally, when God gives you a promise you have to stand still until you receive further instructions. Oftentimes we get a word from God and go ahead of Him in our flesh and that’s when disaster happens. If we go back to the book of Genesis, remember the promise God gave to Abraham?:
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir” (Genesis 15:1-4 ESV).
But we learn later in Genesis 16 that Sarah went ahead of God and gave her Egyptian hand maiden Hagar to her husband Abraham, thus Ishmael was conceived. God still blessed Ishmael’s seed, but Sarah had to endure the consequences of Hagar’s contempt.
The enemy wants to rob you of God’s promises for your life. The career, spouse, ministry, children, peace, and joy that God has ordained specifically for you!
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10 NKJV).
Beloved, the Bible says:
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning (James 1:17 NKJV).
Make time for God to ensure it is He who answers your prayers!
