Desire for Joy.

It is so easy for us to not always see the joy in our lives. It is our sin nature to get caught up on what we don't have, what we don't like or what is unhappy about our circumstances, but that is not the way the Lord designed for us to live. We are to have joy in our hearts and songs of praise to Him. So how do we get that joy that we are supposed to have? How do we put a new song in our hearts while we may be in the mist of sadness or pain? By making Davids cry in Psalms 51 our cry.

⁸ Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
⁹ Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.

¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
(Psalm 51:8-11, New King James Version)



Lets ask the Lord to open our eyes that we may see His wonderous things (Psalm 119:18). One way to see His wonderous ways, restore joy and to have a new song placed in our hearts is to get into the Word of God. As I was reading and doing my study suddenly a song was placed in my heart.

Show me Your way.

"Show me Your way Lord, that I may walk with you.
Show me Your way Lord, I put my trust in You.
The cry of my heart is to Love you more, to live with the touch of your hand.
Stronger each day, show me your ways."

Be encouraged in the Psalm 30:5

⁵ For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5, New King James Version)

There may be something in your life that is robbing you of your joy. Maybe your wanting that promotion at work, or a house, or a husband, or maybe a family. Whatever it is trust me, someone not so patient and someone who has allowed my joy to be taken, don't be discouraged. Trust in the Lord and ask Him to make His face shine down upon You. To give you peace and joy as you wait upon Him.

¹⁴ Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the LORD! (Psalm 27:14, New King James Version)


Lord, I cry out to you! Open my eyes, Lord, that I may see You and the path You have for me. Help me not to rob myself of Your joy for me. Place a new song in my heart that I may sing praises to You all the day. You are good to me, may I never forget that above all, You died for me. What else can I possible need or desire other then You. Forgive me and restore me. Amen.

Notes on: "Lord, I want to be Whole"

Step 3: Deliverance (continued)

This next part is a little confusing to me. I have been hesitant to write notes on it because I was at a loss, but the best way to figure something out is to dive right into it and to see what the Word of God has to say. So here we go...

Stormie writes that her counselor spoke to her about being delivered from demon-oppression, not demon-possession. I understand what possession is, but I don't understand what oppression is in regards to us being demon-oppressed.

As born again Christians we can not be demon possessed. When we have Christ dwelling in us Satan can not touch our spirit.

⁴Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4, King James Version)

Now, even though Satan can not dwell in our spirit he can however, dwell in our souls. Which is what demon oppression is referring to.

We are of body, soul and spirit. Your spirit is the core of your being. You body is of course your outer layer. You soul is in between the two being made up of the mind, emotions and your will. Satan can get a hold of your body and your soul. He can attack both but if you are born again he can never touch you spirit, for that is the Lords.

So when Stormie and her counselor talk about demon-oppression it is referring to the attacks that Satan has on our body and soul. It is a very real thing but our Lord wants to deliver us from it.

Now that we understand the difference between oppression and possession and we know that we can not be demon-possessed as born again Christians lets look closer at being demon-oppressed.

The dictionary definition of oppression is-

Verb: come down on or cause to suffer
Adjective: burdened psychologically or mentally

How many of us can say that Satan many times has caused us to suffer or burdened us mentally and emotionally?

Here's some passages in the bible showing oppression.

⁷And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression: (Deuteronomy 26:7, King James Version)

³⁹Again, they are minished and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow. (Psalm 107:39, King James Version)

⁹I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? (Psalm 42:9, King James Version)

So we begin to understand that it is a real thing. How do we get deliverance from it? Before we can get to being delivered from it we need to understand how it can happen.

Demon-oppression can happen...
1. Whenever there is direct disobedience to God's laws.
2. Where there are long-term negative emotions.
3. During times of involvement in any occult practice.
4. During times of tragedy or trauma.
5. During times of great disappointment.
6. By hardening the heart against God.
7. By inheriting spiritual bondage.

Satanic bondage begins with flesh bondage. Flesh bondage is about your wants, your way, your desire. If you continue to give into your fleshly desires then you give entry to the devil to establish a stronghold. We are what allows the devil to rule in our lives. We need to ask God for deliverance.

Some clear signs that you need deliverance are:

You have memories of past hurts and failures that never go away.
You have a hard time forgiving certain people even though you have tried.
You are addicted to drugs, alcohol and/or food.
You have a hard time controlling your emotions and/or anger.
You had adulterous affair or sex outside marriage.
You can not frogive your parents enough to feel love and compassion for them.
You are doing everything in the Lord you know to do yet are still depressed.
You can not sense God in your prayers or worship.
You feel empty, distant from God and don't feel as though you are growing in His path.
Small task and decision making are hard for you.
You have a hard time keeping and making friends.

If any of this sounds like you then you need deliverance. Ask the Lord to show you what it is in your life that is keeping Satans hold on you. Deliverance wont change you but it will let the real you come through. The you that the Lord wants you to be.




Now onto the Seven steps to deliverance that Stormie takes us through.

1.Confessing-The devil will continue to have a hold of you wherever there is unconfessed sin. If God shows you the work of an evil spirit in your life you must repent of anything you may have done to give that spirit control.

2. Renouncing-Confessing is to speak the truth about your sin but to renounce it is to take a firm stand against it and removing its right to stay. Know what it is and cast out that evil spirit. Pick a verse that applies to your situation and say it every time you are tempted. Make it clear that you will no longer entertain that spirit and it is to be removed from you in Jesus' name.

3. Forgiving-Any unforgiveness will hinder your deliverance. Ask God to reveal to you anything that needs forgiving and as it its brought forth in your mind give it to the Lord and forgive, no matter how long ago or how painful the memory was.

4. Speaking-Proclaiming your deliverance cements in our minds what God has done for us. Say it "The Lord has delivered me from _____ and I refuse to give way to it anymore. Amen!"

²Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; (Psalm 107:2, King James Version)


5. Praying-Deliverance happens by praying from the depth of your heart.

¹⁷The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. (Psalm 34:17, King James Version)

Your prayers are more effective when you fill your mind with the Word of God. The knowledge and truth of His Word can liberate you.

³²And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32, King James Version)

6. Praising-Worship invites God's presence and in the presence of God deliverance happens.

7. Walking-The devil will always be there trying to kill the work the Lord has done and destroy you hope for a life different. Combat that by walking in the Lords way. Refuse to go back to your old habits, instead create new ones. Stay far away from the things that tempt you and say to Satan when he tempts you "Away, I will not be tempted by you, for I have been delivered by Jesus Christ."

The Lord never gives up on us and praise Him for that. He will continue to deliver us when we fail to walk in His ways but we will suffer because our wholeness is delayed.

⁴³Many times did he deliver them; but they provoked him with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity. ⁴⁴Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry: ⁴⁵And he remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his mercies. (Psalm 106:43-45, King James Version)

If we continue to reach out to the Lord and gave place for Jesus in us then He will restore us and deliver us. We will find that eventually we will be rid of the negative emotions and habits that keeps us from being all that God desires us to be. It wont happen overnight or even in a week, a month, a years time. It is a continual work in progress. You can't just read these notes or a few books and verses then be all better. It takes steps and time. Don't let Satan oppress you by telling you things like "it will never happen, you will never change, your not good enough or worthy, God has forgotten you." These are lies! Lies that we too often believe. Meditate on the Truth of the Word of God.

⁷Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. (1 Peter 5:7, King James Version)

Remember Always,
He Cares for You.

Lord, I pray that I may take the necessary steps to be delivered by you. I admit I am a sinner and I need your help. Help me, Lord, not to be discouraged. Not to loose hope as I go through this journey of being delivered. Help me to be all that you desire for me to be and help me Lord to always remember that You, the creator of all, cares for me. Give me the ability to stand strong against the evil one. Set me free from anything that keeps me from being all that you made me to be. I love you, Lord.
Amen.

Facebook Group

Hey there everyone!

I started a group on facebook called: Proverbs 31 Lady. If you are on facebook request to join the group. It is an easy way to get notified of when I post new notes on here.

Hope you all are having a wonderful day. I myself have had a great start. Spoke to some family via skype and got to see my beautiful nieces. They have grown SO much! Then spent some time in the Word of God and continuing my study on deliverance. Will post it soon. Now we are off to spend time with some great christian friends. This is the day the Lord has made! What are great day. Most special is that I have my hard working husband home for a week. YEA!

Take care friends. Hope you are blessed today.

Rebecca

Notes on: "Lord, I want to be Whole"

Step 3: Find Deliverance

Deliverance is all about becoming free of anything that keeps us from becoming all that the Lord intends for us to be.

Stormie starts by explaining that there is no need to fear the word or the action of deliverance. It is simply a "severing of anything that holds you, other then God." It could be a spirit of fear, anger, lying etc. or a behavior you have acquired for self defense like withdraw, overeating, loss of temper, etc. Being born again delivers us from death but we still need to be delivered from the dead places in our lives. Jesus is our deliverer.

² And he said:

“The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; (2 Samuel 22:2, New King James Version)


In Mark 9, Jesus is brought a son that had a "dumb spirit" (vs.17). Jesus delivered this boy casting out the spirit. Jesus said unto them that "all things are possible to him that believeth" (vs.23).

In Mark 16:17 Jesus says that "In My name they will cast out demons." He gives us the power to drive out all that is not of God, when we do it in His name.

Stormie writes what deliverance really is:

Behind every sin is an evil spirit. When you sin you give that spirit a foothold into your life. Deliverance is getting rid of the devil and refusing to let him have hold of you or any area in your life. We have to want deliverance. We have to want to be free. God's desire is to remove the burdens and evil spirits from our lives but we need to take the first step.

Deliverance is gradual. It takes time, little by little. He will deliver you one step at a time as you allow Him to work in you and as you are able. In some ares you may be set free at once but in others it will take time and more work. There is no one way to receive deliverance. Sometimes it happens in alone time with the Lord. Sometimes it is with others who counsel you or pray with you. It is in His timing and His way. I believe it is important to allow as many ways for the Lord to work in your life as possible...church, prayer groups, bible studies, private devotion and prayer time. I know that I want to give the Lord as many opportunities to work in me and deliver me as possible.

Notes on "Lord, I Want to be Whole."

Step 2: Obedience (continued)

The rest of this chapters talks about other very important areas of obedience.

By Renouncing the Occult: Practicing in any form, even as small as a so called game of Ouija board or checking your horoscope can open the door for Satan. Each experience small or large will ultimately lead to depression, fear and confusion. It will take you away from Gods desire, truth and blessing for your life.

There shall not be found among you anyone who...practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are in abomination to the Lord. Deut. 18:10-12

By Saying No to Sexual Immorality: Sexual immorality is having sex with anyone whom you are not married to. Sexual immorality is not just a physical encounter but it invades the soul. It joins one person to another. It scars our souls more then any other disobedience.

He who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.
1 Cor. 6:18

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity , lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry...You used to walk in these ways...But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these.
Col. 3:5, 7-8

By Cleaning out Your House: Pray that the Lord will show you if there is anything in your home unpleasing to Him and get rid of it. Pray for each room in your house, that the Lord may clean it out spiritually. Replace anything that you get rid of with something of the Lord, like Christian music or movies. The less contact you have with things that are not of God the more contact you can have with God.

Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you like it will be set apart for destruction.
Deut. 7:26

Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
2 Cor. 7:1

By Taking Care of Your Body: There are seven different steps to taking care of your body (these are the steps she writes about in her book "Greater Health God's Way." I have notes on this book as well). 1) Ask God to show you about the stress in your life. 2) Ask God to show you the truth about the food you are eating. 3) Ask God to show you about exercise. 4) Ask God to show you about drinking water. 5) Ask God to show you about prayer and fasting 6) Ask God to show you about spending time daily in fresh air and natural sunlight. 7)Ask God to show you about getting enough rest.

Therefore whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,
do it all for the glory of God.
1 Cor.10:31

By watching what you say: God created the world by speaking it into existence. We are made in His likeness and His Spirit dwells in us therefore we have the ability to speak our own world into existence too. When we speak negative about our lives and circumstances then we create our own negative world and can't give a possibility for it to be different then what we have spoken. Our words are powerful. Not just the words you speak out loud but words you speak to yourself as well. Words have the power to bring life or death to any situation and person.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue.
Prv. 18:21

There is one who speaks like the piercing of a sword,
but the tongue of the wise promotes health.
Prv12:18

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.
Prv. 25:11

By fasting and prayer: There are more then 80 references to fasting in the Old and New Testaments. In Isaiah 58, God describes benefits of fasting. He say the purpose of fasting is to "loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke."

And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing but prayer and fasting.
Mark 9:29

Pray that the Lord shows you any and all area's that you are not living in obedience to His will. Reread this from time to time to reevaluate your obedience.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.
Do what it says.
James 1:22


Therefore, to him who knows to do good
and does not do it, to him it is a sin.
James 4: 17

How do I start this post? Where do I begin?

I guess by first Praising the Lord for what He has done and is doing in my life. If you have read my notes on the book "Lord, I want to be Whole", by Stormie Omartian then you know that I am on a journey to becoming Whole. There is deep wounds that I didn't realize I had from my past that has caused me in areas to not be Whole according to His will and crippled me from being who the Lord desires me to be. I praise the Lord that He is working in me and revealing these things to me so that I may forgive what needs to be forgiven and release the grip that keeps me from being all that He calls me to be.

A few days ago was a struggle for me. I was tempted in the area that I am most weak in and unfortuntaly I gave in to that temptation. I gave in to my "feelings" of failure and giving up. Feelings that I will never be who the Lord desires me to be. Feelings that my goal in life for me and my marriage was never going to be a reality. But I praise the Lord that He kept me save and has provided a husband that will never let me fully give into those feelings. Even in the mist of his own struggles and temptation to give in, the Lord gave him the strength to lift me and our marriage up to Him. Praise the Lord that He is faithful in His Word.

He restores my soul. Psalm 23:3

As I read over my notes I come across the verse in Isaiah 43:18-19

Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?

It has been my struggle since that night to jump back on the journey. I have felt unforgiving of myself for my struggles but Praise the Lord that after I confess (1 John 1:8-9) He was faithful and just. Not only to forgive me but make me new. I am not to dwell in the old. The Lord is making me new!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17

So I end by asking fellow Christians to pray for me and my struggles. Pray for my dear husband as he leads us in the right direction. Pray that the Lord continues to work in both of us and in our marriage. Pray that we are obedient to Him and all that His Word says. Thank you Christians and Praise the Lord for His unwavering faithfulness.

Thank You,
Rebecca