Therefore I say to you, whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you will receive it, and it will be so for you. (Mark 11:24 CEB)
It’s really quite simple, but we overcomplicate things by overthinking, by relying on our natural senses, and by being afraid.

The way a small child hangs on every word of their parent, they have confidence that what was said, is what will be done regardless of what else is happening. This is the level of faith we need to have if we expect to receive all the blessings of the Lord. We have to have faith, faithfully. We have to continue to believe even when the math ain’t mathing. We have to continue to trust even when it physically hurts. We have to know, that we know, that we know, that God, our Father WILL do what He said He would do.

Since I was a very young girl, I would get boils. Boils, if you’ve never had one, are awful. They are painful and sometimes hard to get rid of. Some people are so troubled by them they have to seek medical intervention to give them relief from the pain. At 20, I was that person. I had several cysts removed that I was told were responsible for causing the boils I had been expirencing for many, many years at that point. The procedure went well and after a short recovery, I was boil free. Imagine my surprise when I began to get these boils again recently. To put this in perspective, that surgery was completed 20 years ago.

When I started getting these very painful symptoms, I immediately knew what it was. “Here we go again” I thought. I would get rid of one and another would appear. It was a nightmare. And after the 3rd (or 4th) consecutive bout with a boil, I was downright depressed. It was painful to sit, uncomfortable to lay, and hard to stand for too long. Also, it’s pretty hard to feel anything but gross with a marble sized pimple in your hard to reach places.
While in church, the Mother that was ministering began to speak in the prophetic. She asked, “who has a boil? Who has been been suffering with boils” I answered “me” and she responded, “receive your healing in Jesus name”, and I replied “I receive it”. Within hours the boil I’d had began to shrink and dry out. By the next day, it was gone. It worked! I had faith and Yah provided for me. I was grateful. And I made up in my mind that I would never suffer with boils another day in my life.

Several weeks had passed and I felt a very familiar stabbing in the area where I tended to get boils. The voice in my head told me that I was getting another boil, I told the devil he is liar. As the day went on, I continued to feel the stabbing sensation that I’ve felt too many times to count, and all day that voice tried to convince that my God had failed me, I wasn’t healed, and that I, in fact, had ANOTHER boil. I repeated over and over that I am healed and everything else is a lie.
As I prepared to shower that evening, the area began to throb. The thought occurred to me that I better take look and see if there was a boil formed. I mean, I wanted to to treat it if so so it didn’t get out of hand. But something rose up in me and said “have faith”. I began to pray and thank God for healing and delivering me from the infirmity causing these boils all this many years. I praised Him for always coming through and for being faithful. Then He told me that faithfulness is required of me as well. I have to have faith, faithfully.

I repented for my unbelief. You see , God made a promise to me thousands of years ago. He promised me that by the stripes (lashes that received during crucifixion) of Yeshua I was healed (Isaiah 53:5). It’s my job to have faith in this promise. So I owed Yah an apology. Then I thanked Him, over and over again for delivering me by the power of His blood , and through the proclamation of the church Mother. The stabbing pain, the tingling, the tenderness all disappeared and I still haven’t “taken a look” to see. I just know that I know that I know, I am healed. I trust God and I believe in his promises.

Is there a promise that You are having trouble believing in? Find your foundational scripture and stand on it! Believe even when your eyes can’t see. Have faith, faithfully, and God will be faithful to do what He said He would do.
Have faith in your “failing” marriage, have faith in your “poor” heath, have faith in your “lacking” finances. Have the kind of faith that looks beyond what can be seen or even what is logical to our carnal mind. Believe for what you want, for what God says, and let everything and everyone else be a lie. With a childlike faith, have faith. Faithfully. And you will never be ashamed. Shalom.

Satan uses us against each other to distract us from our God given assignments. Be it your marriage, an assignment to pray for someone or assist them in some way, or your duties as a parent, the enemy does not want to be successful in any of these things. Success in these areas bring salvation and repentance to many. Success in these area damages the kingdom of darkness. Success in these areas brings Glory to God. Don’t be distracted by the distractions friend. In those moments when anger arises, or frustration, or annoyance, stop and think. Look at the bigger picture and identify the real enemy at play. The enemy, Satan, stalks about like a roaring lion seek who he can devour.(1 Peter 5:8) His mission hasn’t changed since his fall, neither has his character. He is a liar. And he comes to steal, kill, and destroy. It is he, and his army, that you are up against when problems arise. Certainly not your spouse (even though what they said was stupid!), not your child (even though what they did was foolish!) , not your sister (even though what she said was petty, or your mother (even though how she treated you hurt you). He is not above using your spouse, your children, your family and friends to devour you, my challenge to you this day, don’t let him. Learn to recognize your enemy and fight as he does, in spirit, but with truth. And through Christ, you will always be victorious and able to overcome the attacks of the enemy, as long as you are able to identify him as such.

 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:12

 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

…..Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
2 Chronicles 20:15 (excerpt)

Recently, and when I say recently I mean in the last 7 days, I was talking to God, and I asked Him why I don’t seem to be making any progress in areas of my life that I should be seeing success, namely in my career. His answer was pretty simple, unforgiveness. I had unforgiveness in my heart for the now ex-friend that I mentioned earlier.
During the course of this friendship, I was there for this person in just about every way imaginable. If she was short of cash, I helped, if she was hungry, I feed her, when she was without a car, I saw to it that she got to the places she needed to go, when she was sick, I took her to the hospital and held her hand, and when there was nothing that I could physically do, I prayed for her. I prayed with her and for every single day. I welcomed her into my home and into my family. She began attending family gatherings and just hanging out. She was my friend, and I loved her, until she wasn’t. I’ll spare the details, but one day, seemingly out of the blue, it was made clear to me that this person was no friend. She slandered me. She spread personal things that I had confided in her and gossiped about me. She even went so far as to try to get me fired from my job, even though I had gotten her the position she had there. Crazy right? So needless to say, when it all came tumbling down, I was left bitter and wounded.
So, when God revealed to me that I had to forgive her, I did. I honestly wasn’t even consciously aware that I was harboring unforgiveness, I thought I was over it, so it wasn’t hard for me to do. I repented, asked God to forgive me and change my heart, and I forgave her as I asked the Lord to sever the soul-tie that kept me bound to her.
That same night, He gave me a dream of her and she was crying. So I prayed for her. I prayed hard for her that whatever was wrong would be made right and that she would be ok.
The next day at work, Yah revealed to me something sinister. This girl had been practicing witchcraft on me. Talk about shock. I could hardly believe it. But the proof was in the containers of water I found all over my office space. Mind you, she hasn’t worked with me in many months at this point, and I just “discovered” what she left behind. How? How could it be that in all these months I never noticed these things? The answer, that unforgiving spirit was keeping me blind. The forgiveness was key in my deliverance from this evil. Mind. BLOWN.
The moral of this story I guess is obedience to the ways of our Father is always the key to freedom. We live in world where service to God is made to look like bondage but in reality, it’s the opposite. When we follow God, He makes us free. He shares secrets that we didn’t know (like any good friend would), He protects us, vindicates us, and exposes the thing(s) that we are truly bound by. John 8:36 says “So if the Son (the human incarnation of God) sets you free, you will be free indeed.”, but there is a proper order to all things.

In the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:9-13) we are given a model for how to pray. In it, it is made clear that when we pray , we have to repent for our own offenses and forgive other’s of theirs. In this scenario, it’s now been made clear to me that we must forgive if we expect to receive God’s mercy. After all, He has forgiven me time and time (and time) again, so who am I to be holding something against someone. Unforgiveness, even if you are unaware of it, causes a stumbling block. I interpret a stumbling block as something that impairs your vision of the road. It keeps you blind. The same way I was blind to containers or water in a space that I occupy every day. Unforgiveness is non-negotiable. Matthew 6:14 reads, If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. So if we want God’s best, if we want His blessings to overflow, we have to do what He does, we have to be faithful to forgive. No matter what the person has done or said, forgive them. Not for them, but for you. I’ve heard it said that unforgiveness is like taking poison yet expecting the other person to die. Ponder on that for a moment.
I’ve said all this to say, whoever you are holding something against, let it go. Forgive them and give it to God. What they did doesn’t matter, what matters is you moving on with your life and walking in all the blessings your Father has stored up for you. God wants to show you things that you won’t be able to see with unforgiveness clouding your vision. Once God revealed to me what I could not see (the witchcraft I was under), I was able to to dispose of it. And it shouldn’t be a surprise that within hours, my situation at work changed and I made more progress in minutes than I have been able to in months. That’s the power of seeing the what is hidden. That’s the power of forgiveness. Shalom.

“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:25

“Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.” Proverbs 17:9

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence.”
Ephesians 1:7-8

“But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Matthew 6:15

This is the period of time where any peace that existed ends and confusion begins. Instantly indifference is birthed when someone responds this way to the other party showing that the one who uttered those words was already indifferent. At this point the receiver guards themselves emotionally because this lack of clarity or direction signaled that there could be a breach of emotional safety and the relationship is open for compromise.

In Matthew 5:37 it tells us to let our yes be yes and our no be no, and anything more is from the evil one. So when serious decisions are not met with yes or no and there is an element of vagueness or long words that give you a clear answer you are entering into the gray zone.. the blurred lines…. The fence so to speak. This is exactly what lukewarm is describing. Not hot or cold but in the middle. The riding the fence into oblivion where nothing is accomplished just delayed. There are people who reserve the two most important areas of their lives for the fence and those areas are usually God and marital affairs.

Having said that, the fence is the safe zone for the enemy. The souls that are lukewarm are free from the kingdom of heaven so Satan spends little to no time monitoring those who have yet to pick a side. They believe but delay purpose, the accept some biblical principles but reject those they view as outdated and inconvenient like sobriety and purity. The fence is a designated post of stagnation. As a double minded man is unstable in all his ways a double minded man is a confused undecided person who has capped his own capacity and so how can the creator who created this vessel for purpose now use this vessel for that purpose when their free will is wrapped in indecision? He can’t…

Demons believe in God too so not much is to be said about the one who believes because little is accomplished with belief and no fruit. The fence rider works for the enemy because they won’t be very receptive to the road of consecration that God requires because they cannot fathom not being able to no longer “just do them”. When this is the case they inadvertently tell God “I can’t commit to you because I see a better way to get to you” or “I’ll get to you later God” or when questioned on their walk or relationship with God this person may commonly reply with “God knows my heart”. As if God is not the author of time and they are.

Do you see why Jesus said he will spit the lukewarm out of his mouth (Rev 3:16) ? These will be the ones He never knew. The ones that road the fence… the bench warmers at the church that didn’t bear the fruit he needed them to. They thought they could have God and their idols. Their favorite singer and gospel music. But just as you are unable to build a life with someone on the fence is the same way you cannot build a relationship with the Most High.

The benchwarmer at church holds a seat there but lacks the fire that comes with being sold out. The fence rider is interesting because they can consistently go to church, have a bible app but they lack the courage to develop their relationship. They lack the spiritual discipline that it takes to pick a side that is required to start and fulfill their assignment. I used to think the lukewarm was harmless until I spent too much time around them and I see that the enemy thoroughly uses them because not picking a side by default is choosing the devil.

You can’t really have one foot in and one out with God because at the slight blow of a good breeze you will blow wherever the wind takes you. So the indecision represents indifference and though you were once a strong believer a few years in a lukewarm space lends to the great falling away.

Steer clear of the indifferent because even if you are firm in your posture they will influence you to adopt their same on the fence/ lukewarm perspective. The creator that created you and your life for purpose, not so you can remain indifferent and ride the fence. But know that this is a dangerous place to be and the author of time is the only one who knows when your number is up. You don’t want to be caught in this zone when that time comes and the God who you said knew your heart will be the same one who said “I never knew you”.

Ecclesiastes 3:8

3 There is a time(A) for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

8     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

I’ve seen a lot of information over the internet and amongst certain circles that spoke about peace. What all these things have in common is their worldly/secular viewpoint of what peace looks like and how it should be obtained and I noticed they are all absent of a walk with Christ. 

I’ve read instances in Bible history where there was a time for peace and a time for war and there was a purpose behind every war that Israel was involved in. 

In the book of Jasher, Jacob’s only daughter Dinah was taken by force and defiled by a Canaanite Prince named Shechem. In Israel this was a grave abomination because Israel was commanded by Yah to not give their sons and daughters to Canaanites or uncircumcised people and they were not to intermarry outside of their own. When Jacob heard of the event he sent his servants to retrieve Dinah and they came back with the report that let him know an abomination against Dinah had occurred. Instead of retrieving his daughter himself, in effort of seeking peace at all cost, he simply sent servants for Dinah to the house of Shechem and spoke nothing more about it. However, when the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi and the rest of Dinah’s brother heard of what came of their sister they were exceedingly angry and in the midst of the discussion Shechem and his father came to discuss the matter of how the two can properly wed. Now after the damage is done these two men are now seeking the proper blessing from Jacob after defiling his only daughter an even bigger insult. Simeon and Levi devised a plan to take their sister but not without delivering justice to this nation first. Simeon had a God-given idea to tell Shechem and his father that if they wanted to intermarry with their women and vice versa that their men would have to be circumcised. This was a good deal as far as Shechem and his father were concerned and they went back and discussed this with the other men of their nation who were also in agreement. However one of the leaders spoke against this saying in so many words all of this to marry a Hebrew woman? Why not marry a Canaanite instead? As a result the whole nation with the exception of about two men were all circumcised and while they were in recovery Simeon and Levi killed all of them except the two who would serve as witnesses to this event incidentally. 

Surprisingly, Jacob was upset and fear came over him. From his vantage point he could no longer live peaceably in the land. He was so overtaken with fear and anger for the disruption of his peace that he did not discern that this was the will of the Lord because He wanted them to take over the land(Jasher Chapter 33-35). The whole event had been orchestrated by the Most High God of their fathers so that as they multiplied the land could accommodate their size. Not only would His justice be served for the defilement of Dinah, but this served to benefit Jacob and his sons in the end and bring glory to the name of the God of Israel forever as here we are reading the story of the terrifying God of Abraham till this day. Judah encouraged his father Jacob to put his cowardice perspective down and reminded his father of the God they served. They relayed the matter to their father Isaac and they all prayed to their God and he filled terror in the hearts of the kings of the other nations who decided they didn’t want any smoke with the Hebrews or their God and abandoned making a war with them. In the end nations till this day are in fear of the Hebrews and their God because of the testimonies from days old. 

Here we see you can have “peace” and lack purpose. One thing that this shows us is God is a God of war and He incites wars and fights for His own. It is this same God that stirs the hearts of kings to set their hearts the way He wants them to turn and for his purposes. It is the only true God that has ways that are not our ways so at times where we should speak and the words that come forth seem strange to others may have in fact have been orchestrated by the Most High himself as we read in the story that again, it was God that put that suggestion in Simeon’s mind for a compounding outcome.

Our God may cause us to stir up wars and give us peace while doing so. He will cause us to incite wars for purposes much as we seem him do today using his sons to stir war to invoke the awakening that was prophesied for this time. There is a time to speak and a time to be quiet a time to war and a time for peace. Sometimes when there is turbulence it is for an event to take place and the peace that is obstructed is allowed from God to train you how to fight and not abort a mission or shrink. At times the lack of peace is because someone is out of the will of God and an action is required to change circumstances. Sometimes it’s warfare obstructing the plans of God and it is a call to fight in the realm of the spirit. We can either act in courage and battle alongside the God of the Bible or we can cower in seek of peace at all costs and abandon our harvests. Had Jacob and his sons sought peace at all costs they would have forfeited the inheritance Yah had for them. Had they sought out peace the glory of Yah and the vengeance He wanted for their sister would not have not been obtained. Sometimes our callings, purposes and responsibilities call for war before obtaining our promises but with war requires bravery and faith in God and this walk is not for the faint of heart. Unfortunately people wake up everyday choosing peace that may accommodate the lusts of the flesh, or cater to their fear or the unknown or the separation that prompts elevation. Everyday, people cling to situations or lifestyles for comfort because the challenging thing or person does not seem to bring “peace”. The world religions people seek bring “peace” yet they have the total absence of God. Many have  misconstrued warfare and the seemingly absence of “peace” as a sign against the actual will of God and run away in fear and never level up spiritually to His plans. Sometimes that push for peace and conformity is of the enemy when what is being promoted is against the laws of God and nature.

One thing I’ve observed is that He has always had his people fight for their promise lands and sometimes whole groups of his chosen people never entered in because they didn’t want to fight and complained about the battles required showing their lack of faith and courage. If you are not careful you may never come into the promises of the Most High who planned for you before the womb because you could not discern His plans and in fear you ran and lost it all in search of peaceful pastures. Shalom

In these 10 years I:
Ended a long term relationship with a restraining order, leaving town to hide
Was stalked and followed on multiple occasions by different people
Learned to fast
Learned to see the power of God
Dealt with depression and suicidal thoughts
Dealt with mental and spiritual torment
Lost my job
Nearly lost my car and home
Got married
Gained a family
Almost lost my life
Lost several family members
Lost two pregnancies
Lost best friends
Gained new friends
Learned about deliverance
Stopped caring about what others thought of me
Faced rejection from those closest to me
Got alone with God
Realized God was all I needed
Stood alone on faith
Thought I’d lost my marriage
Started ministry work

At the end of this journey, my husband had me wear a blindfold as he led me to my surprise birthday party. I couldn’t see where we were going, I could only feel the ups and downs and twists and turns of the road. It felt like a rollercoaster ride. It was nerve-wracking. But, he kept telling me he was still there, still with me. It seemed he was driving around in figure-eights. I was disoriented and confused but I didn’t know he was waiting for the right parking spot, right in front. Still blindfolded I let him lead me by the hand to the event hall. He kept talking to me, telling taking me by the hand and telling me what to do. Then at his cue I could take the blindfold off and see what was awaiting me.

Some said to me that they couldn’t believe that I would let him blindfold me, they said they would never go for it.

I trusted him.

What I’m now realizing on this last day of my 30s is that the love of the husband represents the love of my Heavenly Father. And that journey to the event hall was like my 30s. It felt scary, but all I needed was to trust my Heavenly Father. He never left me. He’s always been there. And He will continue to be.
He has a reward waiting for me, I only need to put my faith in Him and trust the process.
I’m not the same person I was 10 years so …God is transforming me. And at midnight, when I cross over to 40, to the number of a generation, I will enter a new chapter- and this new me will take hold of my Father’s hand so that He can lead me forth.

1. a person killed or injured in a war or accident.”the shelling caused thousands of civilian casualties”.
2. a person or thing badly affected by an event
   Similar: victim, fatality, mortality, dead, and injured/wounded missing in action

Similar: Victim, Loss, Loser, Mortality, Sufferer, Missing in Action

In the insurance world Casualty insurance is a type of insurance that covers you if you’re legally responsible for another person’s injuries or property damage. It basically always entails incurring a loss or suffering harm. The interesting thing about this is that casualty claims are the most stressful part of the insurance business. There is a lot of money on the table when you handle casualty claims because the high level of stress you are under when you have to interact with people who have suffered from these losses. It can be so extensive and there are a lot of details that most people outside of this industry don’t ever consider. Say for instance there is a car accident and there is damage to the car as well as bodily injuries. The adjuster would not only handle the damage to the persons vehicle if it was repairable or not but also consider the other people in the same car. Were there passengers, children, etc. Was there a loan on the car if so did the driver possess gap insurance to cover the loan? Was the insured at fault and is the insurance company going to be pursued for subrogation, meaning that the insurance company of the driver who is responsible for the accident will be pursued for damages that were incurred to the other person and their vehicle. Are there medical bills? Is the car totaled? Did anyone die? Is there long term injuries? The questions are numerous. Having said that, one persons potentially careless decision to speed, text and drive or watch sports on their phone while driving an 18 wheeler (yes I’ve seen and handled these claims) have so many compounded consequences and can affect so many people it is unbelievable. These claims can really bring you down mentally as you have to adjust and speak with the hardest people to talk to and hold your composure when someone tells you their child was ejected from their vehicle and not cry on the phone as a professional despite of any negligence on behalf of the claimant.

I used this example because I never paid much attention to the word casual and casualty until I adjusted claims. I find it interesting how a word associated with death and loss can be applied to sex and I find it is perfectly suiting to the consequences of doing just that having casualty sex. The enemy always puts everything in our faces like casual and casualty and sex and then distracts us so that we don’t make the connection or notice that there is one. Sex outside of the protection of marriage is just that casualty, death, loss, missing in action, suffering calamity sex in both the natural and the spirit realm which we are now unprotected from because we are sinning.

One act can cause generations of devastation and it almost reminds me of a snowball effect even if you only did it once because so much more took place beyond that act that our eyes cannot see right away. It was an invitation for confusion, anxiety, death to the relationship, loss of respect and gain of demonic covenants that only Jesus Christ can free you from the effects that are tremendous even if you only did this one time.

It’s really devastating how casualties are normalized and how this word is strategically associated with sex outside of wedlock yet we all seem to miss that part and I’m speaking for myself at some point as well. You may as well sign yourself up for death for the wages of that sign that may look like anything and come through as any form sickness, rage, anger, jealousy, rejection, witchcraft all things that we really don’t get to chose. What comes through our doors when we open those doors by breaking spiritual laws our out of our control and we can’t discern what is happening to us because we don’t make these laws we only need to know and follow them. Don’t think you got away because you have a “strong pull out game” or because you are disease free for this time being, or because there is no “proof” of your act (children) because just know this one act can load you with a bondage we are sometimes too human like and unsophisticated to imagine despite of the fact you think you did this in secret. There is no secrets to God He sees it all and it is just a matter of time before He allows you to reap the seeds of your fornication. Sex before marriage is not your “preference” this is a Lust Spirit and it may be a generational one. Repent and Bind that spirit and cast it out. That ex God said leave alone that you keep looking back at still is not for you it is a soul tie and if you are looking back at more than one ex then there is more than one tie, all ties that bind when we establish bonds outside of the will, order and directives of God.

It does not matter if the majority says “you should live with each other first” or “test drive the car before you drive” it it’s a lie from the pit of hell. Don’t get me wrong God has allowed these things to occur because we have free will choices but we were never free from the consequence of those choices. It’s fascinating to watch people be mocked and ridiculed for striving for purity or celibacy after becoming single parents as if it is too late telling them “why bother now”. I consider that to be the same thing as telling someone who has been on drugs who wants to stop “well you have been on drugs forever why get clean now?”

I would just really like to add that fornication is not just a bad thing, it’s a sin one that requires deep deliverance and repentance from which the word repent means to turn away. THIS MEANS DON’T DO THIS ANYMORE. It does not matter to God how much you try to make it ok or how long you have been in it or “it’s like we are married” or “I intend to marry her eventually” or “it’s cheaper we live together” Yah does not change. He is the same no matter how outdated we have allowed society to try to convince us his laws are. He is the same yesterday and today and his standard that we remain pure vessels that he can use is still the standard. Malachi 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not.

If God said there will be judgment for the whoremonger, the fornicator and the sexually immoral he meant that. He did not change his mind.

God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Numbers 23:19