A Modern Woman's Perspective On The Kingdom of God on Earth


January 27, 2017

God & His Remnant: Unlocking The Prison Doors

     I was struggling about what to write about today; no clear subject came to my mind or my spirit.  Then I heard the prompting Share what you're seeing.  My first thought was, "Lord, I'm not sure what you mean.  Are you talking about specifics of what I'm seeing in the spiritual arena; or what I'm seeing in the people coming to us in ministry?"  After being convicted that it was the latter, I had to stop and really think ... "What am I seeing? And how could that benefit the readers?"
     You see, our ministry has, for lack of a better word, exploded in the last month or so.  And our activities are diverging to the point that nearly every day is a new experience -- God has expanded our duties and our manner of spiritual deliverance and interaction with people.  My husband and I have pretty much quit following an organized format for ministering to individuals and are operating under the full guidance of the Holy Spirit. By now, we have the foundation down for beginning the healing process from spiritual wounds, and getting the captives free.  Now God is showing us that the sphere of healing in which we operate is unique and distinctive to each individual.
     I tell you all this to show you that once you commit to partnering with Jesus to release people from the prisons they are bound up in, all rules are off, and Jesus will begin to show you deeper bondage that they are subjected to, and the supernatural ways you can help release them.  Needless to say, we are experiencing Jesus in more miraculous and extraordinary ways, and seeing His power manifested in methods that we could never have imagined without the help of the Holy Spirit.
     And the really cool thing is that we are seeing His power demonstrated in the lives of both faithful Christians and the decidedly Lost; in the most religious of people and in the most worldly.  And they are coming to us unbidden; without any effort on our part to invite them to be healed by Jesus.  And in some cases, we are being presented with people who aren't even at the stage where we can begin the healing process.  They don't even know Jesus and without that knowledge, real spiritual healing cannot take place.  At first, we considered what some who are being called to heal the spiritual wounds of satan's captives do ... they decline to work with anyone who does not have a saving knowledge of Jesus.  After all, it is He who does the healing, not us.  And if one doesn't recognize His authority, then He can't do the work in their lives -- it's a two-way street, and necessitates at least some level of relationship with Him.
     But we strongly believe the Word when it says that God doesn't want anyone to perish, so it is our responsibility as members of His Kingdom on earth to do what we can to introduce each person to Jesus.  We know that He can take our efforts, and if the person is willing, He can begin a relationship where there was none.  We are seeing that in two separate and contrasting situations that God has brought to us.  In the first, we received a phone call from a dear friend who we've been praying over for years; a woman I will call Ashley.  Although she didn't approach us with any obvious spiritual wounds, she sent me a text one day out of the blue ... Should you read the Bible chronologically, or front to back (Genesis to Revelation)? In order for you to understand how shocked (and ecstatic) I was to receive this text, you need to know that I have known Ashley since she was in her early 20s, and she is now in her mid-40s.  My husband and I are Godparents to her daughter, and we have prayed countless prayers that we might plant a seed that would cause her and her husband to seek Jesus.  They have always politely declined to accept our offer and in recent years they have become quite successful financially.  The temptations of trips to Europe, second homes in the mountains, and all the trappings that money can buy have lessened any thoughts that they might one day need Jesus.
     But after nearly 20 years, God is showing me that we can never discount Him, and patience is truly a virtue.  We followed up that initial text with a phone call to find out why she was suddenly interested in the Bible, and found out that she has been attending some Bible study classes at the Christian school where her daughter attends (at least our encouragement to go that route with our Goddaughter bore some fruit).  While the primary reason for attending may have been to be included in that social circle, she soon realized how limited her knowledge of the Bible was, and she knew she could come to us.  So now, my husband and I alternate a weekly Bible study with her (by phone since she lives a few hours away) to introduce her to the Jesus of the Bible, with all the expanded knowledge we have been shown.  She is seeing and experiencing Jesus from the Truth of the Word, and He is fascinating to her! There is no external doctrine or manipulation; just the facts of the Bible.  While at this stage she is unaware of any deep spiritual wounds that need to be healed, the Holy Spirit is already convicting her of the manner in which she has lived her life, and we will be there if any of Satan's lies surface that reveal any spiritual bondage.
     In the second situation, we were asked to speak to a woman I will call Martha, who lives several states away, and who has been gravely wounded by the Church -- 25 years of an affair with a married Pastor, who subsequently dumped her and moved away when he was approached with accusations of inappropriate behavior with other women.  Of course, she thought he loved her; she was the only one; etc., etc.  But now she lives in a deep depression, realizing that she gave up her youth and any hopes of a husband or family, only to realize that she is in her mid-50s and alone.  And as Satan will do, he has convinced her that because no one in the Church reached out to help her, that they are all hypocrites; and sadly, she still professes to love the degenerate pastor, and longs for that relationship again.  She reached out to us through a connection from another person we were counseling, and asked us to help her get her life back together.  Not only was she depressed and angry, but she was hearing voices that told her she might be better off if she ended her life.
     After an initial consultation, and some encouragement to fill out a questionnaire regarding specific details about her life, her family, and her faith, we got her to admit that her free will choices had played the majority part in her circumstances.  When she revealed that she had been in Church all her life, but didn't feel she knew Jesus (and the 25 years she sat in that immoral pastor's church, it was to pursue her relationship with him, not Jesus), I asked her the pivotal question.... Do you believe that Jesus is real?  She said, "No, not really".  So while she was hoping that we could somehow magically do some mind tricks to get her to stop thinking about her illicit affair, and to miraculously give her a new life, we had to tell her that we couldn't proceed with the spiritual healing sessions at that point.  BUT, if she would be willing to let us introduce Jesus to her through a study of Him in the Word, and IF she could honestly seek Him and come to an authentic relationship with Him, He could begin to heal those spiritual wounds, and the counseling sessions could be back on the table.
     I have to admit, she is one of the most skeptical and willful people I have ever met.  She admitted that all those years she sat in Church she never considered God's will for her life; she just wanted what she wanted.  Isn't that the sin we all share in the flesh?  My husband agreed to begin a Bible study with her, and asked her to get quiet and seek God each night for the next week... to ask Him to reveal Himself to her and show her He is real.  This is proving to be very difficult for her.  She is asking questions like, How will I know that God hears me? That He's working on me? Am I too far away from Him? At least those are questions that show she has not dismissed seeking Him.  And these are questions that reveal an honest heart, and honest fears.  And after just two nights, she is able to talk to God, and finds herself sobbing, wondering how He could ever love her.  I explained that this is actually good news!  Her spirit is being touched by the Holy Spirit, and if she will keep on asking, she will get the answers she so sorely needs.  Keep her in your prayers; Jesus wants to heal her, and I want to see her life restored.
     So these are just a couple of the different ways that God is bringing people with varying needs to our doorstep-- people outside the circle of wounded Believers who are in spiritual bondage.  But, don't get me wrong -- we are still partnering with Jesus to help set His Body free!  And with each situation, we are encountering new spheres of spiritual warfare -- Believers who are seeing [in the spirit] warring angels come to their defense; Believers who are approaching the Court of Heaven [with their Authority] to answer charges by Satan and to protect family members; Believers who are reconnecting to the wounded parts of themselves and bringing them into Jesus's healing Light -- each and every person is different, and the means by which Jesus is healing them is unique to each individual.  And, all I can say is that He is blowing our minds!
     When I stop to consider all the people in my small domain (both Followers of Jesus, and those of the world) who are fighting to get out of their spiritual prisons, my spirit cries out for the Church to recognize the need for us all to understand Jesus's power and authority that is available to us!  As I now see with spiritual eyes, I cannot ignore the pain and fear I see in so many lives.  I am encouraged by those who are now willing to see and hear, as Jesus asked us to do, and who I know will join us in doing God's work in His Kingdom.  God is starting a spiritual revolution and the Enemy is quite aware of it.  He will not sit idly by, allowing the Body of Christ to get up to speed, without intensifying his efforts to lock more people up in spiritual prisons.  It is my prayer that God will supernaturally download [to every Christian] our ability to fight spiritual oppression!  I pray that each successful deliverance from bondage will be magnified and multiplied! And I pray that the Glory of our Lord in healing the multitudes will be evident to all His creation on earth, thereby nullifying the lies, temptations, and deceit of the Enemy!  I pray all this in the Powerful and Mighty Name of Jesus!

Proverbs 1:5   "Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance..."


   
     

2 comments:

  1. What a beautiful picture of absolute obedience and trust in God. Just like Jesus, you meet people where they are and encourage them to grow. We are praying for you daily as God uses you.

    I love that you started with a model but now operate completely in the Spirit at His guidance. He has the freedom to take you where He needs to because you're not bound by any box a model would put you in. Confidence in the Spirit is a true blessing indeed!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for the encouragement! And, although we received a strong foundational model from Dr. Charles Kraft, he also taught us to be unafraid, and that if we are operating in [and with] the Spirit, there is no fear of doing it "wrong". When you invite the Holy Spirit and Jesus into your ministry, they take over and provide the Power for the healing, and you are the willing partner. Once you put your trust in Them, they will take you to exciting places in the healing process and show you the depths They are willing to go to set those in captivity free. All they need is more willing partners!

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