Current Mood: On Fire 4 God! & Anointed

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. -2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV) 

1. The Big Problem Least Acknowledged
2. Intimidation Defined –Exhaustive
3. It was Bigger than Just Me
4. Spiritual Giftings Doesn’t Mean Spiritual Purity
5. Even the Anointed and Pure Hearted Can Be Affected
6. How Intimidation Binds the Strong Man to Plunder the House
7. Coming Next:  Breaking the Chains!
8. Prayer For Overcoming Intimidation
9. Other Scriptures to Study

Minister Naima Williams.  Originally posted on June 23, 2009

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THE BIG PROBLEM LEAST ACKNOWLEDGED

t’s amazing how much time and energy the enemy is willing to invest in order to close the mouths of the saints.  Revelations 12:11 tells us that we overcome by the blood of Jesus and the word of our testimony, so it only makes sense that he would try to influence or stop the spoken word of the saints.  This has been one of the many spiritual battles I’ve experienced throughout my life, and it seems to have intensified over the last few weeks.  If you’ve read my eJournal entries titled Stand In Your God-Given Authority and A Call to Take Authority, then you know that one of the spirits the enemy used to try to close my mouth is the spirit of intimidation.  It’s interesting how we use this word so loosely in today’s society not realizing how it can spiritually, mentally and emotionally cripple its victim.  Additionally, many do not know that intimidation is actually a spirit, and this spirit seldom walk alone.  The spirit of intimidation is often accompanied by the spirits of insecurity, inferiority, shyness, control and manipulation just to name a few.  Up until recent, I used to get clobbered by the spirit of intimidation, and was its slave most of my life.  But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ! (2 Cor. 2:14a). God has recently delivered me from the spirit of intimidation, and He is teaching me to walk each day in the power, love and sound mind He’s given me through Jesus Christ! 

ou know the old cliché that says never judge a book by its cover?  Well, I admit to doing this myself over the years.  I am grateful, however, that the Holy Spirit is helping me to steadily UN-learn this behavior so that I’m less inclined to judge others.  This is not only because the Lord tells us to judge not lest we be judged in Matthew 7:1, but also because I myself don’t like being judged.  I’ve had people misjudge me because I look a certain way and/or have a particular style, and as a result, many would make up their mind about me before even speaking to me, much less knowing me.  Throughout the years, I’ve been frequently mislabeled as either conceited or overestimated as a woman with great confidence.  I guess between the two the latter would be much preferred; however, neither was accurate.  I was very insecure, shy and timid, but this was often hard to detect because the nervous energy I had would somehow transform into what appear to be an outgoing personality.  I never really understood why this was neither did I plan it to be so.  It was as if I had a built-in fail-safe that would self activate when needed. 

INTIMIDATION DEFINED-EXHAUSTED

ntimidation was a problem for me for as long as I can remember, but it was just recent that I began to realize how destructive this spirit is and how it can quench the Spirit of God in any believer (See Stand In Your God-Given Authority to read more).  John Bevere, the author of Breaking Intimidation expounds:   

The objective of intimidation is to restrain you from action and coerce or force you into submission.  Intimidation wants to overwhelm you with a sense of inferiority and fear.  Once you’ve retreated into submission, either knowingly or unknowingly, you are a servant of the intimidator.  You are no longer free to fulfill the will of God but are doomed to the desires of your intimidating captor. 

Consequently, the gift of God, His spiritual ability in you, is inoperative.  Now your authority has been stripped from you in order to be used against both you and those in your sphere of influence. 

The origin of intimidation is fear, which has its roots in our adversary, the devil.  He is the originator of all fear and timidity (Gen. 3:1-10), especially v. 10).  He will attack us by way of thoughts, imaginations and visions, or he will use circumstances and those under his influence to intimidate us.  Either way, he has one objective:  to control and limit us.  (Page 46) 

IT WAS BIGGER THAN JUST ME

hen the Lord began revealing this to me, I asked Him to show me how this rooted in my life.  A few days after that prayer He began showing me flashes from my childhood, and how as a little girl living in an abusive home, the doorway was opened for these spirits to set up strongholds.  Without my knowledge or consent, these spirits attached themselves to me and my life at such an early age that I mistook their whispering lies for my own thoughts.  As God began revealing this to me, I began to see how intimidation played a major role in my life, preventing me from living in the freedom and abundance that Jesus offers His believers.  

SPIRITUAL GIFTINGS DOESN’T MEAN SPIRITUAL PURITY

ontinuing down this path of discovery, I also began to see how this spirit infiltrated the body of Christ.  This spirit is so camouflaged and so subtle that it often goes long periods of time without being noticed.  Consequently, it gains enough strength and control to form strongholds in the church.  I believe the answer to why it goes unnoticed for so long can be found in 1 Samuel 16:7, “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.“  Because we have the tendency of looking at the outward appearance, we make the grave mistake of thinking giftings, anointing or ministry “success” indicate purity in heart and motives.  Think about it.  If you were living during the days of Jesus’ earthly ministry, would you’ve been able to discern the heart and spirit of Judas Iscariot?  This is a man who ate, traveled and somewhat lived with Jesus!  Furthermore, did not Jesus himself charge him as an apostle?  Did he not also heal the sick and cast out demons as well?  (Read Matthew 10:1-5).  SELAH 

If that doesn’t do it for you, Jesus makes it very clear in Matthew 7:22-23 that anointing doesn’t mean a pure heart.  “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”  I really don’t think you can get any clearer than this.  

The author of the book Breaking Intimidation speaks a little about ministry success and relationship with God: 

Even though the church is experiencing a refreshing at this time, sin must be dealt with.  It is wonderful that people are so hungry for the power of God, but let’s not neglect purity of heart.  We have seen too many ministers fall.  But they didn’t fall when they committed their first act of immortality.  No, they began to fall earlier—the day success in ministry became more important than their intimate relationship with God.  We’ve not only seen this among ministers but also within their congregations. (Page 23) 

EVEN THE ANOINTED AND PURE HEARTED CAN BE AFFECTED

n the other side of the coin are those who are anointed and have a heart after God.  It is these that the spirits of Jezebel and intimidation seek to neutralize.  The unfortunate fact is that these spirits are oftentimes successful, even when going against those who we believe are mighty in the Lord.  An example of this can be found in the story of one of the most powerful prophets in the Bible, Elijah.  The story of Elijah begins in 1 Kings 17, with chapter 19 showing how through intimidation and fear, Jezebel put this prophet to flight.  During my study of intimidation, I stumbled upon a website that provided an excerpt from a book titled The Tactics of the Enemy (author unknown): 

For seven years, God had carefully protected Elijah. God fed him in the wilderness. When Ahab’s armies sought to kill Elijah, they were unable to lay a finger on him. 

Finally, in a showdown at Mt. Carmel, Elijah called down fire from heaven and resoundingly defeated and killed the priests of Baal. All Israel fell at his feet in repentance, worshipping the true God. Elijah was the man of the hour. He was vindicated, victorious, and clearly in charge. 

Nevertheless, when Jezebel sent Elijah a single threat, he suddenly turned coward and fled to the desert. Anxious, depressed, and miserable, he begged God to kill him! 

Think about this. It makes NO sense. Elijah enjoyed supernatural protection for seven years. He watched fire fall from heaven and defeat his enemies, yet when a single angry woman threatened him one time, he lost every shred of vision and ran away. He moaned in self-pity and depression, begging God to kill him! 

This is a great example of Jezebel’s powerful demonic “anointing” to intimidate, create fear, and cause men of God to withdraw. Jezebel steals your vision. Jezebel will even make you depressed and anxious when there is nothing significantly different in your circumstances. If there are difficult circumstances, this spirit will tell you they are insurmountable, impossible, and overwhelming. Jezebel will make you feel like dying when in reality, you are God’s man of the hour. 

WOW!   The writer continues: 

Jezebel’s witchcraft will attack key leaders in her targeted area through intimidation. Those under attack may awaken one morning to find it takes effort just to breathe. All joy seems to depart. Spiritual life seems irrelevant. Demonic voices will echo in their minds “something’s wrong with you!” They may suddenly find themselves in unreasonable anxiety, fearing tragedy or death. Much of what is called “depression” in the ministry is simply Jezebel! 

his is exactly what I had experienced that day I wrote about in the eJournal entry titled A Call to Take Authority.   I woke up to a series of mental attacks and didn’t understand why.  Later on in the morning, the Holy Spirit told me to “take authority” and I did.  In retrospect I now realize that He was preparing for what was to come a few days later (See Stand in Your God-given Authority).  Not even realizing it at the time, I submitted to the spirit of intimidation, and as a result, I was knocked out of the spiritual authority God had positioned me in. I immediately began to experience the symptoms of intimidation and each day the symptoms grew progressively worst.  

An intimidating spirit unleashes confusion, discouragement and frustration.  Its goal is to cause you to lose your proper perspective.  Everything will seem overwhelming, difficult or even impossible.  The stronger the intimidation, the greater the discouragement and hopelessness.  (Breaking Intimidation, Page 48) 

These were the very feelings I had experienced; however, what was worst was that the Holy Spirit within me was quenched, the anointing went dormant and the sweet communion with God was interrupted.  At the time I still didn’t understand what was going on, I just wanted it to stop.  I prayed, repented, rebuked and bound evil spirits, and nothing I did seem to work.  It was a few days later when God began to give me insight and revelation as to what was going on.  Originally I was looking at what I was experiencing from a “me” perspective, but God then let me know that what I was dealing with was bigger than just me. He began to show me the spirits I was dealing with and have charged me with responsibilities I really can’t say that I wanted.  BUT, when you’re used to communing with God and then that’s interrupted, you do whatever it takes to get back into communion. 

HOW INTIMDATION BINDS THE STRONG MAN TO PLUNDER THE HOUSE

here are still lots to tell, as this is a meaty subject, and it is one that I will be sharing with you over the weeks to come.  What I want to make sure that I leave with you is the absolute awareness that intimidation is in fact a spirit, a spirit that is sent by Satan; for God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV).  Since this spirit is sent by the enemy, we know that the ultimate agenda of this spirit is to kill, steal and destroy all of mankind, especially the saints of God.  In effort to help the enemy accomplish his ultimate goal, this spirit, which works closely with the spirit of Jezebel, looks to enter the strong man’s house and plunder his goods; but they must first bind the strong man (Read Mark 3:27 and Matthew 12:25-30).  

If the Spirit of God within a believer is quenched, then the believer is in fact bound, and this almost always causes a domino and/or rippling effect.  The book I’ve been referencing throughout this entry, Breaking Intimidation, mentions: 

What would happen if all believers functioned in their place?  What tremendous things we would see.  Revival is not for the preachers but for the entire body—when every person takes his position. 

Remember, the gift is the ability God gives us.  We are not responsible for that which we were not entrusted with.  The leg is not responsible for sight.  Even so, the will of God can only be accomplished by the enabling of the Spirit.  “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.” (2 Cor. 3:5). 

It is the joint operation of these gifts the enemy wants to stop.  When successful he can severely hinder out growth!  He knows he cannot stop God from giving these gifts, so he is after our freedom to exercise them.  Intimidation is the primary way he hinders this.  (Page 40) 

If there is a spirit other than the Holy Spirit that is controlling a person, family or church, than that person, family or church is in fact bound; and again, this almost always causes a domino and/or rippling effect.  The author also makes another valid observation and point: 

There are those who bear the title of pastor or leader, yet they are controlled by the manipulation and intimidation of others—usually the people who should be undergirding them, such as wives, associates, board members, deacons, intercessors and so forth.  They run the show behind the scenes by controlling the person with the title of leader. 

This also happens in homes.  Parents are intimidated by their children; husbands are intimidated by their wives.  They are not the head of their homes.  It is important for a leader to consider the counsel of those around him, whether in his home or his ministry.  (Breaking Intimidation, Page 52) 

You may be thinking to yourself that you wouldn’t or couldn’t be a victim of such a thing (spirit) or that you would be able to spot such workings (manipulation, control and intimidation) a mile away.  However, you must keep in mind that the working of these spirits is often camouflaged and subtle, and they can do an enormous amount of damage for years while going unnoticed.  The enemy rarely comes at us in his true form because he knows he would have a fight on his hands.  However, coming disguised allows him to do serious damage for long periods of time because your guards are down and unsuspecting.    

Below are a few other quotes from the book that I wanted to share in this entry: 

People who have strong personalities will use intimidation to make a lie look like the truth.  You must stay in the spirit to overcome the strength of such attacks.  (Breaking Intimidation, Page 86) 

Usually intimidation will accuse you of the very weakness it seeks to hide.  Those who act pure outwardly but have an impure heart will always attack the pure in heart.  (Breaking Intimidation, Page 87) 

Naima- I personally have had this happen to me a lot! 

Jesus constantly faced intimidation.  The impure Pharisees and lawyers tried to discredit Him or catch Him in His words.  If they could only intimidate Him, then they could control Him.  So they said He was a traitor, a glutton, a drunkard, and a demon-possessed sinner, which were the very characteristics many of them possessed.  By refusing to come under their control, Jesus exposed their hearts. 

Why do the impure seek to intimidate the pure?  To relieve themselves of conviction and to maintain control.  If successful, they don’t have to examine their hearts and repent.  (Breaking Intimidation, Page 87) 

COMING NEXT:  BREAKING THE CHAINS!

n closing, I have seen people smilingly admit to being intimidating, not realizing that in essence what they are admitting to is allowing this spirit of fear work through them.  For many years of my life, I used to be that way myself.  After having the revelation God has shown me, I now understand what this truly is and this spirit can do damage to individuals as well as the body of Christ.  

PRAYER FOR OVERCOMING INTIMIDATION

In weeks to come, I will begin sharing on how to break the chains of intimidation from your life.  In the interim, if you are serious about learning more about this subject, then I recommend that you read the book titled Breaking Intimidation by John Bevere.  He does an excellent job at exposing this spirit in great detail as well as how this spirit has impacted the church.  Additionally, you can begin your deliverance out of the world of intimidation by praying the following prayer: 

Father, I come to You in the name of Jesus, confessing that intimidation has caused me to stumble. I ask Your forgiveness for thinking of myself as inferior, for I am created in your image, and I am Your workmanship. Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is in me. Therefore, the power that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in me and causes me to face life with hope and divine energy.The Lord is my Light and my Salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the Strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Lord, You said that Your would never leave me or forsake me. Therefore, I can say without any doubt or fear that You are my Helper, and I am not afraid of anything that mere man can do to me. Greater is He Who is in me than he who is in the world. If God is for me, who can be against me? I am free from the fear of man and public opinion.Father, You have not given me a spirit of timidity– of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear — but You have given me a spirit of power and of love and of a calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength.

Scripture References:
1 John 1:9
Luke 17:21
Colossian 1:29
Hebrew 13:5
Romans 3:31
2 Timothy 1:7
Ephesians 2:10
Ephesians 1:19-20
Psalm 1:27
1 John 4:4
Proverbs 29:25
Philippians 4:13 

(Prayers that Avail Much by Germaine Copeland, page 102) 

OTHER SCRIPTURES YOU CAN STUDY:

1 John 4:18  

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 

Matthew 21:23-27 

And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. 

© 2010, Ms. Lady Nai. All rights reserved. A part of Shekinah Glory Outreach Ministries International

Current Mood: Anointed & Faith-filled & Humbled & Radical

The entry below is another entry from what I call The Vault Series, which are entries that I’ve written up until about a year on my eJournal at www.NaimaWilliams.com/blog.  The entry below was originally posted on August 24, 2009, and though that is the case, the principals and lessons to learn are still relevant to today’s issues.  I pray that you’re blessed by it and that the Heavenly Father brings you to a place of fruitfulness, obedience, and an abundant life to the full till it overflows, in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

August 24, 2009  

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life (Philippians 4:6-7 MSG). 

Over the weekend, I taught at the monthly Bible Study we have for our Singles’ Ministry.  The lesson actually came from Joyce Meyer’s book The Battlefield of the Mind.  The two chapters I taught on were chapters 12 & 13 which are, “The Worried, Anxious Mind” and “The Judgmental, Critical and Suspicious Mind.”  From a personal standpoint, both lessons were very fitting to me since I was going through things that would definitely fall underneath the umbrella of these topics.   The class lasted for two hours and I believe we were all blessed by how God moved. 

After teaching that lesson, however, I was bombarded with a series of demonic attacks against my mind – especially as it pertains to my current circumstances.  You see, right now I am facing opposition on every side, dire circumstances as it pertains to my livelihood, medical concerns, my car is inoperable and I’m dealing with a lot of rejection.  Making it worst is that I had to deliver a ‘not-so-happy’ message to someone who’s really important to me and I am not sure of what the response may be.  To top this all off, the things God is telling me and showing me are completely opposite to what I’m actually seeing, yet, He wants me to trust Him.  Having all of this going on, needless to say, the enemy seized the opportunity to shoot arrows of ‘what ifs’ or worst case scenarios; all of which led to worries and anxieties.   

Though most of these circumstances didn’t’ occur overnight, it really hit me like a ton of bricks this weekend.  The reason why it didn’t hit me earlier is because God has been my focus.  What holds me together is His Word and His grace to grow through these turbulent times, keeping my eyes fixed on the Prize which is Christ.  This is the only reason I’m able to experience joy and peace during these times; for it is the peace of God that allows me to stand and it is the trust in God He is cultivating in me that allows me to stand strong.  Though that’s been the case, for some reason, after teaching the lesson it seems like the rest of God I finally entered into got disturbed.  It got pretty bad yesterday and it seemed like all the hurt from the rumors and rejection had came to surface yesterday during service and all I could do is cry.  Once I got home, the ‘what if’ scenarios replayed in my mind over and over again, and the next thing I knew, doubt and fear began to rear its ugly head.  I knew this was nothing but the work of the enemy; as my spirit was at peace (if that makes any sense) and I was confident in the actions I had to take.  What was tormenting me was the ‘what ifs’ and worst case scenarios that was repeatedly playing in my mind courtesy of the enemy.   

Later on in the evening I went downstairs to bake a cake (carrot) and I brought all my worries and fears into the kitchen with me (sad but true).  My usual routine when cooking or baking is to always bring my Ipod, Bible and notepad with me so I could listen to sermons / teachings, read Scriptures and/or write down notes God will give me.  As I put these things down on the kitchen table, there it was, a copy of the Pursuit of Peace Agreement I made for the class on Saturday (you can receive your own copy by clicking on the link).  I read it and signed it and began to speak aloud the Scriptures that were listed on the agreement (I have it on my fridge).  That then gave me the strength to fight the enemy by using the Word of God.  Every time a negative thought would enter my mind, I’d smack it down with the Word of God.  As I’m sure you can imagine, I was up quoting Scriptures most of the night. 

So here we are today, Monday, August 24, 2009.  I prayed and I started my day.  When I later went onto my computer, I received an electronic utility bill that was in the triple digits and was much more than I had.  Additionally, I called a former co-worker and asked him if he knew of a reason why a car wouldn’t shift into reverse and his response was that this is an indicator of something wrong with the transmission.  He gave me the least and the worst case scenario which then put me in a state of panic once I hung up the phone.  Lord, what am I going to do?  Where are YOU?  Next thing you knew, I was right back in worry and anxiety; however, this time they brought along a few of their friends.  Their friends were Hopelessness, Despair and Terror amongst others.    

Not too long after the pity party began, the Lord had one of my sisters-in-Christ call me.  I completely admit to you that by the time she’d call, I was a mess!  I told her how I was fighting worry since I taught the class (she was at the class) and some of the things that were going on.  The Lord used this sister to minister to me and she did it in such a way that the devil got real nervous real quick, to the point where he disconnected the phone call.  It was so obvious to the both of us!  You see, up until she began to minister, she spoke about her day and I spoke about my circumstances and our phone connection was fine.  As soon as God had her to serve me a big dish of ‘faith food’, the phone call got disconnected and her ministering was interrupted.  BUT GOD….we were able to reconnect and she continued to minister and I received what God gave to me through her.  After our phone call, it was like I remembered that I was and am actually in spiritual warfare and it wasn’t just about me.  The fact that the enemy tried his best to prevent her from encouraging me shows me that he was scared and desperate—wanting to keep me in the place of feeling closed in, alone and scared so that I would be no good to anyone!  His (the devil) disconnecting the call also shows me that I am right where God wants me to be for His glory and that I am one pinky toe away from my blessing and deliverance.  FURTHERMORE, the fact that I’ve been bombarded with these thoughts since I taught on Saturday just let me know that somebody received what they needed on Saturday.  Teaching and preaching is never about the person doing it; it’s always about everyone else BUT the teacher or preacher.  As a vessel, God pours into you for you to then pour into the hearers – so that God’s Word and Spirit can convict or strengthen the hearer/receiver and begin to transform their lives. 

I wanted to share this with you to encourage you.  Though temporarily my circumstances show a different story right now, I am actually blessed.  I’ve determined some time ago that I will pursue to live a rich, full, abundant life as only Christ can give (John 10:10).  God takes pleasure in the prosperity of His people (Psalm 35:27) and I take pleasure in God; for He is my reward.  He is teaching me to rely less on me and more on Him, His Word and His provision.  I cannot say that His ways are conventional but rather unconventional, yet I firmly believe when all is said and done, there’s a mighty testimony that will come from it and many will be edified while God alone is glorified!  I believe that the testimony He’s giving me will be so outrageous and so outlandish that there will be people who will not believe it at all.  However, YOU will be able to convince them otherwise because you are witnessing my journey through my eJournal.   

God bless you and I want you to know that you are actually a blessing to me.  You see, everything that I experience means nothing if someone cannot grow from it, and my sincere desire is not just to grow myself, but also to help many, many others to grow as well.  But do understand that the ability and anointing to effectively minister to others does come with a price.  Jesus says in John 12:24 that “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”  This Scripture isn’t speaking of our physical death but rather our death to self (carnality, our desires, our will, etc.) in order to produce more or much fruit.  This process usually isn’t pleasurable; as you are like an olive that first must be crushed before the oil can be extracted and distributed to the masses.   

In closing, I just want to personally thank you for taking the time read my eJournal and I pray that the Holy Spirit met you right where you are and ministered to you.  I conclude by praying this prayer for you and your household….

Blessings for Obedience

  ¹ “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. ² And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God:
³ “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.
⁴ “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
⁵ “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
⁶ “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
⁷ “The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.
⁸ “The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

⁹ “The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. ¹⁰ Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you. ¹¹ And the LORD will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you. ¹² The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. ¹³ And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.

In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Deuteronomy 28:1-13 (NIV) 

Original post on www.NaimaWilliams.com/blog on August 24, 2009

© 2010, Ms. Lady Nai. All rights reserved. A part of Shekinah Glory Outreach Ministries International

Current Mood: Humbled

The entry below is another entry from what I call The Vault Series, which are entries that I’ve written over a year or so ago on my eJournal at www.NaimaWilliams.com/blog.  The entry below was originally posted on January 22, 2009, and though that is the case, the principals and lessons to learn are still relevant to today’s issues.  I pray that you’re blessed by it and that the Heavenly Father brings you to a place of fruitfulness, obedience, and an abundant life to the full till it overflows, in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

January 22, 2009

One of the most pivotal moments in my life happened early last year.  At this time, I knew God was calling me to put away my selfish ways and to dedicate my life to Him.  I was already saved and had a prayer life; however, I was still trying to “do my own thing” and was far from living a surrendered life unto Christ.

One day during that time, the Lord had my sister to call me by accident.  It was nothing less than a miracle that I even answered the call because I was at work and I keep my cell on silence, in my purse and in my desk drawer.  When she called she was puzzled that I was on the other end of the line; however, I heard God telling me that there was something she MUST tell me that I NEEDED to hear.  Still hesitant, at that time, to fully trust God, I just told my sister “you might see me today during my lunch break” – all the while my spirit was actually screaming “YES U WILL BE THERE”. 

Needless to say, I was there during my lunch break, and what my sister didn’t know at that time was that I was in spiritual agony and deep depression.  Many people didn’t know it.  When I got to my sister’s, I’m not sure if I even said hi to her…I just grabbed her hands and told her to begin to pray.  I was mindful to keep my ears open waiting to hear whatever it was I was suppose to hear.  I didn’t know what it was but I knew God would let me know once I heard it.  The Spirit of God is moving through the prayer and eventually I began to pray.  We were on the floor by this time.  I began saying to God, “I am here…I am here!”  Still nothing.  I continued to pray, and being that my sister and I was doing what I call “tag team praying”, my sister prayed again.  While she prayed, the Holy Spirit had her say something that CHANGED MY LIFE!  She didn’t know it when she said it but I did by the power of the Holy Spirit.  The life-changing words were, “God, help us to fall in love with You.”  When I heard that, I knew I could now return to work and shortly thereafter, I did.

What was so important about that to me?  Well, first let me tell you I had a little “old school church” in me, and as a result, I would’ve never prayed such a thing believing that doing so was one step away from blasphemy.  I thought that being in love with God was something that was just suppose to happen and nothing you were to pray for.  Additionally I didn’t want the world’s definition of “love” but the true definition of love which can only be defined by its Creator.  Jesus made it very clear in John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”  I wanted to finally say “Jesus I love you” and know that I actually loved Him as He defines.  Ultimately, the prayer was so changing because, up until that point, I was very emotion-led.  Consequently, I would only do what I felt like doing in my heart at that time. 

Did it work?  Yes.  Jesus tells in His Word that whatever we ask of the Father, in Jesus’ name and believing we’ll receive it, we SHALL have it!  After I prayed that prayer for myself, it was not long after that He answered that prayer.  I’m not sure when I started praying that prayer, but the first time I did, I prayed it with a broken and contrite heart.  You see, I was tired of being miserable, and I was miserable because I kept believing the lies of the enemy over the power of God.  I thought that living a surrendered life meant signing up for lifetime boredom filled with rules impossible to follow.  Additionally, I didn’t know what to do with all these wild passions and lustful desires I had and that had intensified over the years.   All I knew is that God had a call on my life and after many years of running from that call, I had finally come to the conclusion that I would never be happy until I fulfilled my purpose by answering that call. 

Since then, my life has changed in ways I couldn’t even imagine at that time.  Now, my heart is flooded with such a great love for my awesome Creator that I often am unable to find the words to truly express the magnitude of it.  Furthermore one of the most exciting moments in my life was when I was finally able to say, “Jesus, I love you” and know I was actually loving Him by His definition.  I still pray this prayer periodically, but now it goes something like this, “Jesus, FLOOD my heart with love for You in such a way that it overflows onto Your people.” 

All of this happened from the one little seemingly-insignificant prayer request.  I thank God for the Holy Spirit and for using my sister to say something so simple yet so profound.  He knew that I would take it and run with it.  He knew that nearly a year later, I would be sharing this with you, and not just with you, but with millions across the world. 

I pray right now that if your life doesn’t reflect the true meaning of loving Christ that He helps you to fall deeply in love with Him right now in the name of Jesus.  May He penetrate and flood your heart in such a way that your life is completely changed – to the glory of God – in Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

Original post on www.NaimaWilliams.com/blog on January 22, 2009

© 2010, Ms. Lady Nai. All rights reserved. A part of Shekinah Glory Outreach Ministries International

Current Mood: Faith-filled & Anointed & Broken & Delivered & Humbled & Still-Standing

Joy eludes me and anger is trying to consume me;

Nothing is coming up roses;

Everything is coming up thorns;

Yet You still say, “Trust Me”

But I am angry with You, Lord;

~~~

When You told me to leave all that I knew to follow You, I obeyed;

When You told me to forsake my evil ways and give up my lustful desires, though I at times fell in the process, I obeyed;

When You told me to resign leaving my only source of income, as terrifying as it was, I still obeyed;

When You told me to speak no matter how hard the message or how high the cost, I cried then I obeyed;

When I was confronted with persecution and accusations, You told me to keep on going, and I obeyed;

When all seemed lost You still said, “My child, there is more that I require of you”, and I said, “Yea, Lord” and I obeyed.

~~~

But now Lord, look at my heart as it bleeds and see how everything and everyone has fallen down around me;

There are some who think I’ve caused these calamities upon myself, while others simply question the level of my sanity;

The good name I worked so hard to establish has been utterly destroyed;

And the only means of transportation I had has been repossessed;

My home, the beautiful home You blessed me with has been foreclosed, and now homelessness awaits me;

I turn to the left just to find that I’ve lost a child and to my right are the remaining children seeking my strength and direction;

But I have nothing to give but pain and despair, yet, through it all You tell me to trust and follow You.

~~~

Burdens and hardship continues to mount up on every side;

The brook has dried up and You no longer command the ravens to feed me;

I cry to You, “Lord, what’s next?  Where is the provision?” Yet Your answer is deafening silence;

All the while the devourer lurks in the shadows seeking to do more than just destroy me;

He wants to use me to hurt You;

He uses soothing words to entice me and makes all kinds of promises in hopes of seducing me;

He even says he can give me beauty for ashes and gladness instead of the aching pain I feel inside;

All of these are mine, he says, if only I serve him.

~~~

But who can stand against the Lord and live?  And though I am broken, I am not ignorant of the enemy’s schemes and lies;

I know that no matter what, You are still God and there is NO ONE, including ALL of hell, who can stand against You;

Great and Mighty is Your Name, You are the Lord of hosts, the Great I Am, the great King of Glory;

You are everlasting to everlasting and there is NO wisdom, NO insight or NO plan that can succeed against You;

Though I am cast down, my heart still burns for You and aches for You, and I so seek Your glory, Oh Lord;

If You say You will never forsake me, then it is that which is true; therefore, somewhere provision lies and awaits me;

Arise, Oh Lord, and let Your enemies be scattered; renew my joy which is my strength; anoint me afresh with Your Spirit and bring me higher in You;

Restore me, Oh God, so that I may war for You, and through all of this mayhem, show me Your glory.

~~~

Your Word says the prayers of the righteous avails much and I know it is these prayers that brings me strength on this day;

While I continue to walk through this valley of death, continue to press their hearts to pray for me;

And let their words be not their own words but the words of the Greater One within them;

And help me, Holy Spirit, to keep my eyes steadfast on the Father and not on the place of isolation and desolation;

Forgive me for any and all sin, and even in my suffering be magnified and glorified, let the people of God be edified and the body of Christ purified;

And let me be healed now in Jesus’ Name, let my mind not wander to dark places but let it be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work and Word of the Lord;

You say in Your Word to let the weak say they are strong, so in Jesus’ name I confess now that I am strong!

Thank You, Lord, for rescuing your servant and for leading me down the path that brings a greater glory to Your wondrous and sovereign Name.

Real talk. 

Amen.

Originally written December 23, 2009 by MIT Naima Williams

© 2010, Ms. Lady Nai. All rights reserved. A part of Shekinah Glory Outreach Ministries International

Current Mood: Anointed & Blessed

WHEN YOU DON’T EXERCISE…

     When God created us, did He give us the same powers that He gave Jesus?  He gave us free will and He gave us authority.  There is a difference in having authority and exercising it.  According to Luke 10:19, “Behold I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and to overcome all of the power of the enemy, nothing will harm you.”   God makes it clear that we have authority over the enemy.  There is nothing the believer can’t do when operating with faith and righteous living.  Our authority extends to moving mountains, healing the sick or changing plans devised by the enemy.    

     Authority means you have the legal right to use the name of Jesus (Matthew 28:18)   It is delegated power.  How much power depends upon the force behind the user.   I am a Reference Librarian by profession and if I had to assist you in researching the word authority, I would tell you to use synonyms such as liberty, power, right or strength.  In simple terms authority is persons who exercise control over others.  I have been guilty of not exercising my authority.  I have had many seasons in my lifetime; however, the longest season that I have experienced was on a job that God would not allow me to leave.  I had an assignment there and I was not paying attention in class.  When exam time came, I failed.    God allowed that trial in my life to bring me to a certain place.  He wanted to get my attention.  Through it all, I was able to see myself and value the parable of the four soils (Mt. 13:21).   I was able to see myself in regards to how I received the Word in addition to my foundation that was based on the Word.  I was not able to stand strongly against tribulation and persecution.  Thank you God for your grace and love that helped me through.   

     If you read, my article, Graded by the Holy Spirit, you will recall me telling you about being persecuted by my supervisor, crying and praying every morning on the way to work.  I did all the spiritual things, I read scriptures and spoke them over my situation.  I did these things without force.  One tearful morning, I heard God speak to me audibly.   Through my sobs and tears, I heard Him say, “I don’t need no coward soldiers.”   I did not get it then but He was telling me to be strong, gird up, stand and fight.  I was in a spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:10-12).  God’s words reveal that we are not fighting flesh and blood, but demonic powers.  Our fight is not against people but with spiritual forces influencing them.   I did not recognize the role that the spirit realm played in my life.  The enemy was influencing, controlling and using that supervisor.   Satan as well as God can speak through and use people in your life.  We have to be able to discern whose voice it is.  The ‘ole’ Saints used to pray, I thank God for a sober mind, I thank God for being clothed in my right mind.  God has not given us a Spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).  A sound mind is focused on God and not distracted.  It was evident that I was not trusting God because I was living in fear.  Soundness means soberness, whole, healthy and being calm.   I have a better appreciation of those words today after my wilderness experience.    In that particular season, I had to be treated for anxiety.   Stress really does hurt. Stress is defined as the process by which we respond to challenges (physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually).   My mind was muddied.  I feared falling to sleep because I thought I would not wake up.  My mind was messed up.  I was spiritually out of shape.  I was not exercising.  I did not take a stand against the words spoken to me.   I did not recognize that I was in a spiritual battle because I was looking at things in the natural.  All I knew was that I was being persecuted.   It did not feel good and I wanted God to deliver me.  There was an enemy I had to learn how to deal with.  In exercising authority, courage is needed and fear of nothing but God.  When God spoke to me and told me that He did not need any cowards, it reminded me of a day in my childhood.  I was quiet and would not fight.  On this particular day, I went home crying to my mama because a playmate wanted to fight me.    What my mother said shocked me and it was not what I wanted to hear.  She told me if I did not go back to fight, she would whip me.  I went back to face the battle.  On that long walk back (only three houses down the street); I could feel my mother watching me.   I did not know that she had also watched as the person bullied me, she had watched me leave crying.   When I went back to face my enemy (the playmate) looked surprised.  She was ready to fight.   To this day, I do not know what was said or who threw the first punch.   It was an outer body experience.   I was crying and I was swinging.   When I came to myself, I was swinging at my brother too.  He had come to pull me off the girl.  My Mom had sent him.   How did she know I would win?  I feared her more than I feared my playmate.  Sometimes God is like that parent who wants to teach their child to stand up for themselves.    Disclaimer, I am not saying parents want their children to go around fighting.  This is only an illustration. The enemy can underestimate you.  Give the enemy that element of surprise.   We must fight our battles as they come but the battle has already been won.   God is not the cause of evil or persecution but He will allow it because it will bring you to a place of healing and wholeness.  When these trials come, how can we exercise our authority? 

1.  Purge and examine yourself
2. Dwell in the Holy Spirit in us. God uses the Holy Spirit to teach us.
3. Build your faith (Mt. 16:16, 18, 19).  It is important that we listen when God’s Word is being taught because this is how faith is built (Romans 10:17)
4. Use the name of Jesus (Phil 2:9-11)
5. Use the word to defeat the enemy (Ephesians 6:17) when the word of God enters your mind strength comes.  Conquer your mind.  Read Pslams 91, 119 and 37.
6. Fast and praise

     I told you that in this season, I failed.  I told you that God was graceful and loving.  He had prepared me for every attack that I had to face.  Yet, I failed sitting in church under excellent teaching.  Pastor A. Ray at the time preached a series of sermons on seasons.  I purchased the tapes and took them to work so my co-worker and I could listen to them.  The sermons blessed her also.  I would hear the sermon on Sunday, listen to the tape again on Monday and on Tuesday fall under attack.  After an encounter with the enemy, I would go back to my office wounded and faint.  I would share with my co-worker what I had endured and she would say to me, “didn’t your Pastor just preach about that?”  Then it would come back to my remembrance. Needless to say, when you are in battle, you may have all the weapons you need to fight but if you can’t remember how to use them or if you are too afraid to use them, you have been defeated.  That happened to me several ocassions after instructions were given to me.  I was standing in battle with nothing in my hand.  One of the sermons was titled, “What’s in your hand?”   Sometimes God will send a prophetic message to get our attention but not all who have ears hear (Mt. 13:9).   When the message or Word comes, apply the word and make sure your exercise with force.  Always seek God before exercising authority.

By Ann Cannon

© 2010, A. Cannon / Online Team. All rights reserved. A part of Shekinah Glory Outreach Ministries International