When you just feel like giving up

Beloved, there will be things that will happen in your life that will not seem fair or simply, have no explanation, but hold on God has a word for you today! As a baby Christian I made the mistake of thinking that once I gave my life to God I would not have any problems. Quite honestly, my life has been the exact opposite. It’s like the devil got a memo: “new Christian convert, prepare to attack!” I was truly persecuted on every side. In my formative Christian years I went through a season of bitterness because of the suffering I endured. At the time, I could not understand how a loving God could allow me to go through so much pain and hardship. It would be years before I would grow in Christ and mature in His word. The Bible says that all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12). Moreover, Christians will endure the same trials, hardships, suffering, and even loss as the world, but the difference is we have a savior who gives us peace in the midst of the storm:

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (John 14:27 NKJV).

Moreover, in God we have hope which the world doesn’t have! God may allow hardships in your life but you will not be defeated by them. All you have to do is call out to Him. At times of duress is especially when you need go to God. But some people do the opposite.They shut down and hope the problem will go away or try to solve the problem themselves. Some people find it hard to pray at troubling times, they may feel like their prayers aren’t being answered. In the beginning of my prayer life I struggled with some of the same issues. I would try to pray to God, but often felt like my prayers were bouncing off a wall, not getting through. But I desperately wanted to know the purpose for my life and the reason I kept going through so many trials so I persistently kept seeking His face. I now realize He had to allow me to go through some things, to perfect my prayer language. Have you ever been in so much pain that you’re desperate? That situation hurt so bad it brought you to your knees, prostrate before God like King David in 2 Samuel 12:1 when his son died? That pain was the key that unlocked my spiritual door! God had to allow me to get to the end of myself, my lowest point, only then would I be able to surrender all. When I hit rock bottom, that’s when I met God in my spiritual closet. That’s how I learned to intercede in prayer. Saints you have to learn how to press in. Don’t let your prayer life be dictated by emotions and feelings. I thought when I prayed I was supposed to feel God’s presence in a tangible way. Whether you feel His presence or not, pray on anyhow. We have to learn to keep praying until we breakthrough to heaven.

Oftentimes we approach our relationship with God the same way we do with human relationships. We have expectations of God to relate to us in a palpable manner. But the difference is, when we communicate with a physical human being we have the ability to gauge body language, facial expression, emotions; then we react accordingly. But when we worship God, it’s in spirit, there is no physical body to relate to so it requires a great level of trust. Trust that He hears us, trust what His word says, and trust that the situation is under His control. The devil will try to tell you God isn’t hearing you. He will do everything he can to try to distract you from praying or have you believe prayer doesn’t work. That’s why it is imperative that you make up your mind to emphatically trust God no matter what it looks like or feels like.

It also takes a certain level of persistence in prayer. Keep pressing in, pushing through until you get through to the spirit realm. Overtime you will notice your prayer life expanding into longer prayers times and deeper intimacy. I am a living witness of answered prayer, pressing through, touching the heart of God. Some things that I have prayed years for I have seen God unfold right in front of my very eyes! I cannot begin to describe the feeling when you see how God answers your petitions.

Beloved it’s a simple fact that suffering is tantamount to Christianity. You will go through peaks and valleys, mountains and tough terrain. I wish I could say it will be smooth sailing, but it won’t. There are just some things you must go through that only suffering will produce a kind of fruit in you needed to serve in God’s kingdom. A fruit that gives you a heart of compassion, a heart for people, and a hunger for God. If we examine the Apostle Paul’s life after his conversion from Saul, he was a zealot traveling from region to region proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ; but nonetheless, in 2 Corinthians 12:7,8 he pleads with the Lord three times regarding the thorn in his side. We all have a thorns, some prickly thorns, but beloved it’s those thorns that keep us humbled, that doesn’t let us swell up with pride and arrogance and that keeps us dependant on God.

I have learned it is really about your attitude when going through a trial. Do you complain, grumble and murmur like the children of Israel? Sometimes we shorten God’s hand on our life by being disgruntled. In the beginning of my Christian walk I spent too much time than I care to admit in the wilderness because of an unappreciative attitude. Overtime, what I was beginning to see through my trials was how God was producing character, patience and trust in me. It truly was bittersweet. That’s why the Bible tells us to glory in our tribulations:

And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope (Romans 5:3,4).

For many years I struggled with this verse. I just could not juxtapose it to my misery. Why would I find glory in suffering? But After meditating on it, I learned it’s not that we are glad this bad thing happened to us but are glad because of the change in character it produced in us. We must learn to wait on God when we are going through dark seasons. Quite honestly I believe God allowed me to go through some things I went through because I was too impatient. Not only was patience a character trait I needed developed, I learned not to go ahead of God. I learned to wait on His timing, His deliverance, and His solution to the problem. When you take your hands off your problems and give them to God and learn to just rest in His peace that’s when you will begin to see how God is working things out in your life. Beloved, when you go through the fire a few times and come out unscathed, that’s when you will learn to trust God.

The more trials you face the more you will see God’s faithfulness and mercy on your life. It gives you a deeper conviction and fervor for Christ. It gives you a greater testament to the faithfulness of God. It gives you a closer more profound walk with God. Have you ever met somebody whose really been through something? Somebody who’s been to hell and back, and who God delivered out of the trenches of death? The anointing just emanates from them. It exudes the heart of God. Beloved, the book of Psalms was written out of that suffering.

I have to diligently remind myself to walk by faith and not by sight. Yes we hear that verse time and time again. But saints we must studiously incorporate it into our daily lives. Oftentimes I theorize Christians as soldiers going to the battlefield. We are gravely defeated if we aren’t suited for the war. All we have to do is show up wearing our armour but it is God who will fight the battle.

We cannot be complacent in the kingdom of God. We simply cannot just do nothing. Being a Christian involves constant change. We have to prepare ourselves in advance of attacks, and in the midst of an attack saturate ourselves in the presence of God.

These are tools for spiritual warfare that personally helps me when I’m faced with a difficult situation:

1. Meditate in the word: look up scriptures that pertain to your situation. It will not only take your mind off the problem but you will be actively committing scripture to memory.

2. Pray without ceasing. When you are going through a trial don’t just rely on others to pray for you, but you can get through to God as well. You must be proactive in your own Prayer life.

3. Books. Arm yourself with books by authors who have gone through what you may be going through to find out how they overcame the situation. Besides the Bible, we should carry Christian books with us at all times. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been encouraged and uplifted just from reading others’ testimonies in the midst of a bad day.

4. Praise and worship music. Beloved, God ministers through music! There has been many times God has ministered to my heart in song. There’s a sweet peace that rests in Christian music.

5. Podcasts/youtube. I love love podcasts and youtube. You can literally go to church right in the middle of your living room. At a click on the screen you can get a word for that situation you are going through. Sometimes all we need is a little encouragement.

6. Internet. With advanced technology, Christians today have it so much easier that there is just no excuse not to study God’s word. Just do a search on any topic for online inspiration.

Don’t take defeat lying down. As soon as the attack comes arm yourselves with your spiritual weapons and drown out the enemy’s voice. Moreover, I’ve learned to relinquish control and let God do His perfect work in my life. Yes there will be days when the enemy’s attack is vicious. Those are the times our Father is calling us closer to Him; to cast out, bind, plead the blood on His behalf. Oftentimes, that’s what it takes to get us out of complacency. To get us to be proactive instead of reactive. Moreover, there are things conspiring in the spirit realm that our physical eyes cannot see and mind cannot comprehend. If God only gave us a glimpse into the spirit world we would be terrified beyond measure. And lastly, how will you truly know God is a provider, redeemer, and healer if you never went through anything to see how He delivered you out! It should be our prayer that God would allow any fiery trials from the enemy that are meant to refine us. When you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders just know that God is working it out behind the scenes according to His plan…but for your glory!

I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread (Psalm 37:25).

Contentment vs. Persecution

If you are living according to the mandates of the Holy Bible and are being persecuted it’s because you are an effective witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. Contrarily, if you are sitting comfortable in the Lord satan doesn’t want to bother you. He see’s you sitting perched high on your religious chair–not ministering to anybody, not praying…let alone praying for anybody else, not reading your Bible, not serving in a ministry. Your ministry is your lip service, “God is good all the time!” Or, “I’m blessed, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost!” Oh, satan’s going to leave that one alone. When you are complacent you are doing his work for him, matter-of-fact he’s going to pamper you, make every thing go right for you, and build you up in false pride. He’s going to get you real comfortable so he can get you to a place of compromise. He whets your appetite by dangling the worldly carrot in front of your eyes, “sure, you can still have, fame, fortune, material prosperity, act like the world, dress like the world, talk like the world, watch what the world watches, party, drink, smoke, have sex; even with somebody’s else’s husband or wife and then tell yourself, “we are in love.” Oh, satan will have you so comfortable in him, until you start believing his lies!!! You will begin to ration in your mind, “we get along so well, God must have put us together.” In your heart you remember the Word, but out of compromise you let satan lead you by your emotions, by your wants, lusts, and the desires of this wicked world. Slowly he’s pulling you back on his side. But you know what’s the best part about it for him? Not only has he snatched you out of God’s hands, He now has you calling yourself a “Christian,” sitting up in the church doing his will! He’s now using you as his protegé to blind, destroy, deteriorate souls that God is trying to save, by your lifestyle. They look at you and say, ‘they’re just like me; they do the same things I do, say the same things that I say, and go to the same night clubs I go to, why should I follow God’? Some others will say ok well it looks like I don’t have to give up anything to become a Christian, so “sign me up!” When you compromise you are leading souls into darkness! You are telling the world a spiritual lie that you can have the world and God at the same time!!! 2 Corinthians 6:17 warns us to,”come out from among them, and be you separate, said the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” And you wonder why you don’t have any power or authority in your Christian walk so you blaspheme the person who is on fire for the Lord. Talking about them, ridiculing them. “Oh they think they are Paul, with all of that preaching and ministering! It don’t take all of that!” You wonder why God is not using you! You become jealous of their power and try to speak against what God is doing in their life! But I tell ya, to get that power you gotta suffer, you gotta go through some things, you gotta know what it feels like to be so hungry that your stomach feels like it’s eating your insides! I tell you, you gotta know what it’s like to go in the prayer closet in the morning and don’t come out until late at night. And you’re talking about this person, “if they were living right and doing God’s will they wouldn’t be persecuted. They must not be living right because they are always going through something.” But you just don’t know God has to bring them t-h-r-o-u-g-h before they can get a BREAKTHROUGH! “They are always suffering.” That’s because they are not compromising! They are a threat to satan! They are PRAYING souls out of his hand. Their ministry is breaking the shackles of sin, loosing the bonds of wickedness, feeding the bread of life to a starving and hungry generation. And you wonder why they are being persecuted. They are a threat to the kingdom of darkness! Satan is hot on their trails because they are a formidable opponent to his kingdom. He’s trying to stop the mouth of God with attacks, tribulation, war, and suffering but the more he attacks, the more he’s helping to further spread the gospel. This Christianity was built on the blood of persecution. Need a refresher course? Read the book of Mark. God will allow it for every Christian that desires to know His will for their lives in order to establish a deeper relationship with Him. Because every time they’re attacked, guess what? It’s going to drive them to their knees to seek the heart of God. Oh but when they get back up~ Isaiah 40:31 says but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint…so satan’s attacks are only creating testimonies, bringing resistant souls to Christ by the miracles that’s being done in the spirit realm , and creating a “fire” in that person that you complain about is too zealous for the Lord. God commands us in Mark 16:16 to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Complacency should not be commonplace in the kingdom of God. If you are lukewarm I ask you to reexamine your relationship with Christ. Ask Him to give you a fresh outpouring, a new anointing of the spirit. So many people have been hurt and turned away by the so-called “church.” Beloved, there are souls that are desperate, and hungry for the pure word of God, they are seeking Christians that will walk upright, and in integrity in the things of God. They are tired of being mislead. They seek a people who will speak the truth according to the Holy Bible and live according to its doctrine. Beloved, you are the only Bible some people will ever read. Let your life serve as light on a high tower, beaming ever so brightly to those who are perishing in darkness.

By Puja Nagual

Prayer: Your Spiritual Sword

The fighting is intense. Warfare is heavy on both sides. In the midst of battle you gaze around only to see your allies succumbing to their injuries. The enemy is relentless, taking no prisoners. You struggle to maintain your defense as your adversary encroaches your territory. Suddenly you are standing face to face with your foe. You study each other meticulously, your eyes are intently gazed on your opponent; you wait for a slight move to go in for the kill. Methodically, you reach down to pull out your sword. Your hand settles upon an empty holster and you realize it’s not there, in panic you struggle to find a displaced weapon. The enemy, seeing your vulnerability smirks at your unpreparedness and pushes his dagger through your heart, rendering you spiritually dead.

Though the aforementioned seems to tell of a gruesome scene from a Hollywood movie, unfortunately it is the fate we suffer when we don’t arm ourselves with prayer. The devil rages a formidable battle against us when we don’t go to God and allow Him to defend us against the pestilence that walks in darkness. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour.” As Christians, prayer is our weapon of artillery against the powers of darkness. In Romans 8:36, Paul admonishes, “…For your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Beloved, when we don’t spend the necessary time in prayer, we are blindly walking into defeat, persecution, and spiritual attacks unequipped.

There is a war raging around us everyday in the spirit realm and we must go to the battlefield suited up. Ephesians 6:11-18 tells us to, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.”

Furthermore, when we accepted Jesus Christ as our savior, we entered into a covenant relationship with Him. A relationship requires effective communication from both parties in order to grow and become a successful, healthy union. A relationship with God can be thought of as a relationship with a spouse or significant other. When you are in love, you are concerned about the welfare of the person, you think about them every minute. You want to talk to them everyday and can’t wait to see them. Our relationship with Christ should be the same way. We say we love God, but yet most Christians go days, weeks some even months without humbling themselves on their knees and reverencing God as the Lord of their life. God desires to commune with us; He desires us to come to him with our cares, concerns and the matters of our heart. Unfortunately, many Christians neglect this most important part of their Christian walk, delegating it only to a tragedy or personal loss. Many flock to church Sunday after Sunday awaiting a word regarding God’s direction for their lives. They then return back to the monotony of a prayer less, defeated life, acceding to attacks, torment, and mental bondage. While God does speak through pastors, He desires a personal relationship with us. The only way you will ever know God’s will and desire for your life is to get to know him intimately. How do you do that? Pray. We must get into the habit of praying daily, disciplining ourselves to set a time everyday to communicate with God. Beloved, if we are to be victorious as Christians we have to get our prayer life in order. If we are to conquer the demons of depression, stress, anxiety and worry we must take a stand this day and commit to prayer. It is a sacrifice. Many have families, children, work, and/or school responsibilities that may impede their time. It will require diligence in getting up earlier or staying up later to pray; it’s ideal to wake up early in the morning before everyone awakes or late at night while everyone is sleeping so there will be no interruption. More so, other areas of your lives may have to be compromised i.e. sleeping less, or less time at the gym, or hanging out with friends. In my personal experience when I seek the Lord before I start my day, I am able to handle stressful situations more readily, I’m not as easily agitated, and there’s a lasting peace that resides in my soul when I come out of the prayer closet. It’s only a joy that God can give you! On the contrary when I don’t cover my day with prayer I’m easily agitated, feel exposed, and quite simply, just don’t have the same measure of contentment. Communing with God in the morning is the best time to pray because it sets the tone for the day.

As Christians it should be our desire to want to know the heart of God and to be able to discern His voice when He speaks to us. Beloved, if we are to train our ear to become sensitive to the Holy Spirit, we must establish a consistent prayer life.

Moreover, when you pray you are standing in proxy for your sisters and brothers around the world. This is not only our personal battle; it’s a Holy war! When we pray we are stopping the hand of murder, violence, war, preventing an unforeseen accident, sending aide to the less fortunate, and saving the lives of our brethren that are being persecuted for the Gospel’s sake. I implore you, pick up your sword, bend your knee and let’s get ready to battle!

By Puja Nagual

Your worst enemy

It’s six am, the alarm clock, blaring, starts the tone of the day. You jump up disoriented, heart racing, and dash out of bed to shower before stumbling over piles of clothes strewn over the floor. Little Johnny starts screaming at the top of his lungs. “Where is that baby sitter?! She’s usually here by …” before you can complete the sentence the phone rings and you hear a quaint voice on the answering machine, “Hello…aah… hi Ms. Outtaorder, I’m not going to be able to come in today, something came up.” “The nerve of that little wench! She’s supposed to be here already!” you quip.  You sprint out of the shower, rummage through the accumulated junk compiled in your room that hasn’t been cleaned in two weeks, and find your phone book nestled underneath a plate of half-eaten, rotten Chinese food that exposed the deathly odor you had been trying to pin point. You scramble through the phone book leaving messages out of desperation to every relative, church member, ex-boyfriend, ex-boyfriend’s girlfriend trying to find a replacement sitter. “If you come to work late one more time, it will result in your termination!” your cantankerous boss’ voice resonates in the back of your mind. After leaving a barrage of messages as a result of unanswered calls, you hang up the phone in despair; hair dripping wet, car keys in hand, and little Johnny straddled across your hip. Tears start to stream down your face as scenes of a crumbling life play out in your mind’s eye. You plop down on the bed and begin to question God: “Lord my life is a mess! My husband left me, I don’t know how I’m going to pay the mortgage this month, and how am I going to raise this son that you have given me? ‘Lord, I don’t understand, I walked away from the world and gave my life to you and accepted you as my Savior, since then everything has gone wrong in my life!”

This is cry of many hearts today. You thought you had your life all figured out. You had dreams, goals and a clear direction for your life. But yet along the way you have faced nothing but wrong turns, disappointment, and despair. When you were younger you had so much zest and zeal and you started out with great enthusiasm. You may have spent years trying to climb the proverbial corporate ladder, chase a childhood dream, or start your own business only to have been faced with closed doors, rejection, discrimination, or could only go so far in your company. Ten or more so years later you find yourself at the end of own strength. You have allowed anger, bitterness, and despondency to become the lord of your life. Although you may have accepted Christ into your life you are still not walking in the fullness of His power. Every area of your life is broken and you have come to the realization that you are the common denominator. You have let years of discouragement, failure, and defeat beat down your door. Maybe you have lost all hope and cannot possibly fathom a better life for yourself.  Perhaps God has bought you to your end so He can give you a new beginning. Perhaps He is directing your steps so you could have a full life in Him. Beloved, this cross roads is where many of us make the wrong turn and walk out of Jesus’ path.

In the book of Acts in the New Testament, after God convicted Paul because of his persecution of the Christian church, God gave Ananias a vision and sent him to Paul (then named Saul) to speak the word of the Lord concerning Paul’s life (Acts 9:10-18 NKJV).  In Vs13, Ananias answered, “Lord I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem.” The Bible says that the Lord told Ananias that Paul is a choosen vessel and that he will bear “My name.”  Moreover the Lord professed, “For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” After Ananias laid hands on Paul the scales fell off  his eyes and he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Beloved, God opened Paul’s spiritual eyes and set his soul afire for the word of the Lord.  So much so that Paul traveled from the road of Damascus to as far as Thessalonia to establish the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It was out of Paul’s own oppression and reports of Christian persecution of established churches that the letter to the Thessalonian church was written.  In Thessalonians 3:3 Paul tells the church, “ that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed for this.” Paul reminds the church that when he was with them before, how he told them Christians will have to suffer tribulation.

When God called Paul out of a sinful and rebellious life, He clearly told him that he would have to endure many hardships on this journey. However, when Paul accepted God’s invitation to be filled with the Holy Spirit that allotted him boldness and courage to defeat his enemies. Many of us may have started out like Paul on the road to Damascus: full of hate, judgment, bitterness, and autonomy. You may have let wrong thinking direct your life and because of it you have become your own worst enemy. Many people are living powerless and defeated simply because they have not accepted Christ, and/or asked the Holy Spirit to come into their lives. Paul’s letters still apply to us today, he warns us that as Christians we will be afflicted for the gospel’s sake, but saints it’s the Holy Spirit that will give us the strength to overcome any trial we face.

Repeat this prayer: “Holy spirit, I ask you to come into my heart and lead me. I release the spirit of negative thinking, anger, and bitterness right now. Direct my thoughts and my actions everyday, and help me to walk in a spirit of love towards myself as well as others, in Jesus’ name. Amen!”

Beloved, if we are to be triumphant in this Christian walk it will require diligently guarding our minds. In her book “Battlefield of the mind,” Joyce Meyer emphatically states that our mind is the battlefield. To proclaim victory over any area of our life we must first win the battle in our mind! We must renew our thinking! Whatever darts satan throw at us we can render them powerless by edifying ourselves daily in the word.

2 Corinthians 10:5 teaches us how to stand against the war that rages in the mind by “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

Moreover, Ephesians 4:31 admonishes us to “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.” Many people, unmindful, speak death over their lives by their words (Proverbs 18:21). I cannot tell you how many Christians make the mistake of speaking pessimistically regarding the affairs of their lives. Words flow out of the abundance of the heart (Luke 6:45)! Saints, we must get in the habit of speaking, in the name of Jesus, blessings over our lives no matter what it looks like in the physical realm. Lastly, along with renewing our mind, and guarding our tongue must ask God to purify our hearts. (Psalm 51:10).