The Lies And The Truth

"When the Spirit of the Lord comes upon my heart, I will dance like David danced"

      I want you to contemplate the following post that appeared on Steve Harmon's Facebook page. It's really hard to describe exactly who Steve is -- he's a deliverance minister, a warrior for God, and an ambassador for the Kingdom ... and he just makes a lot of sense when he writes about the tactics of the Enemy to destroy our relationship with God. His latest Facebook post struck such a compelling chord with my spirit that I had to share.
     He writes, "The Demonic know that they can't separate you from the Love of God. So, because of that, they have to do things to convince you that God doesn't love you or care [about you]. So they work to cut off your communication with Him. They work to stop your prayers from happening. They work to dictate the circumstances in your life so that you believe that God is ignoring you, or has left you. The whole purpose of this is so YOU will let go of God and turn away from Him in your life. Since they can't get God to turn away and let go of you, they have to get you [to let go of God.]
     When one turns away and lets go of God, it doesn't mean God has stopped loving them. It just means that their connection with God is now cut off because they shut the door of their heart. So their life starts to feel hard, difficult, hopeless, and dry because they sever ties with the Life Source. And all because they believe the Life Source left them -- which never happened.
     This is how the game is played. You can't ever let your circumstances dictate how you believe who God is, and what He is like. Jesus always stands at the door and knocks. Open the door again. He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you, no what it feels or looks like."
     And here is the last sentence I would add to that post ... So we have to stop listening to the lies of the Enemy. I will further tell you that what he wrote perfectly describes the tactics of Satan in every single Inner Healing session we do. As Paul wrote in Romans 8, there is nothing in all creation that can separate us from the love of God. And as Steve Harmon wrote, it is never a question of God letting go of us, but of us letting go of God. The Enemy will take the difficult circumstances of our lives and try to convince us that God was never there; that He abandoned us in that moment [or sometimes years]. He will try to convince us that all the promises in the Bible are a lie, when in fact it is he who is lying.
     Those promises include the truth that He will fight for you (Exodus 14:14); that He will strengthen the weary and increase the power of the weak (Isaiah 40239); that no weapon formed against you will prevail (Isaiah 54:17); that He has plans to prosper you and not harm you; plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11); that He will be with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9).  So when the hard times come -- and they will -- either from our own rebellious sins, or the times someone else's sins caused us pain, we must not allow the Enemy to convince us to cut off our communication with God. We must not turn away from Him nor let go of His hand.
     There is no amount of addiction, adultery, molestation or sexual sin that will cause Him to stop loving you. He will always be knocking at the door of your heart, waiting for you to open it to Him. And even if your childhood was filled with physical or emotional pain, He never abandoned you! I have experienced indescribable joy -- and many tears -- when [during an Inner Healing session] the Lord shows a person exactly where He was when the pain was being inflicted, and they see His face as He delivers them from that painful memory. And then Jesus walks them out of that situation and shows the Beloved that His blood now covers that memory and it is sealed from causing anymore pain. The lies of the Enemy have now been blown to pieces and the person knows in their body, soul, and spirit who God, the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are, and what they are like.
     I had the amazing privilege this past weekend to witness the encounters that 24 military veterans and first responders had with the Risen Christ. It was indescribable! Jesus paid the price for their pain and they were willing to be vulnerable enough to give Him what He died for. It was one of the most beautiful weekends of my life. My spirit is still soaring high! These men are no longer prisoners to the lies of the Enemy!
     And that brings me to my last witness that I want to share. A most cherished friend and Sister in Christ has a Prison Ministry and I want to share her testimony about her experience this past Sunday ... There were 116 men at Sunday services at the prison where she ministers. The Spirit of God broke out as the worshipers led the men to stand and sing Alleluia to the Lord. She then led them through a time of forgiveness where they could see Jesus with them [during the episodes of their life]. She led a man who lives in the segregation unit of the prison to the Lord, presented him with a Bible and he will be baptized next week!
     Then during the song "Dance like David danced", the Lord said to tell the men that if they used to dance in the clubs [when they were on the outside], it was okay for them to dance here in the prison church. Men began filling the aisles and dancing; men with tattoos covering their heads; tall men, short men, Hispanic, White, and Black men. They formed a circle and men went into the middle and danced [with sheer joy and abandon] -- just like David! The officer on watch said they felt the presence of God inside those prison walls.
     So, you see, there are all kinds of prisons, both physical and spiritual. But Jesus can enter into both and bring freedom with Him. And Steve Harmon is right -- we can never get God to turn away from us or leave us alone. Never! We simply must leave the door to our hearts open to the Life Source of the Universe. Grab on to Him and never let go!

Romans 8:37-39     No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.