Christian Prayer Challenge # Day 1 : Breaking The Strongholds

(Please read aloud and with authority)

Father God, in the name of Jesus, this is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. Although there is death and destruction all around me, I shall not fear. For you have not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. I will not walk in defeat, because greater is He that is in me than he who is in the world. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pull down of strongholds. Therefore, I walk in the power and authority that I have in Christ to destroy every work of the enemy in my life, and the lives of every man, woman, and child.

In the name of Jesus, I declare a state of emergency in the spiritual realm. A fight between darkness and light, love and hate, and good versus evil is taking place. The enemy has seized and taken hostage all aspects of society including the church, but it’s time for our voices to be heard. It is time for us to rise up in collective prayer and take back all the enemy has stolen from us. For when a thief is found out, he must restore what he has stolen some 10, 20, and 100-fold. Satan, in the name of Jesus, we strip you of your power and ability to steal from us any further. To steal our rights, our health, our livelihood,  our peace of mind, our joy, and even our very lives.

In the name of Jesus, we bind all assignments against us and declare them null and void. In the name of Jesus, we strip you of your power to pillage the people of the earth. You will not succeed. Your power and the power of those who serve you are NOW being taken away, and all that they do will be thwarted and stopped. Those in power, whose hearts are corrupt and filled with darkness shall not be able to stand. They are losing their authority everywhere to govern and rule.  Their evil laws shall be abolished, and the people of God will rise up once again to declare the light and the glory of God.

Those leaders walking in truth, love, and integrity will be elevated and guided by the Holy Spirit in all aspects of governing and life. They will bring peace, abundance, freedom, and prosperity to the people of the earth, instead of fear, death, and destruction. For their aim is to steal, kill, and destroy, and to that we say an astounding NO!

Father, we thank you in advance for exposing the evil that is all around us, for bringing the hidden to the light. Let the whole world see it. Let there be no denying it, and in the name of Jesus, let all those involved in these evil practices be evident for all the world to see.

Father, we ask that you to blanket me, my family, and all of your children with love, joy, peace, abundance, and divine protection. Though the enemy tries to come in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord shall rise up a standard against Him. None of his assignments shall succeed because his days are numbered.

I give all praise and glory to the King of Kings, and the Lords of Lords. The One and only true God. The One with all power and all might. I let the praises of the Most High continually come from my mouth. For as the praises go up, the deliverance of God comes down. I declare that the joy of the Lord is my strength and I rejoice in the God of my salvation.

Because I know that  God is for me, He is more than the whole world against me, I can walk in victory! I declare that God is in completely control and renounce the spirit of fear!   I stand in faith,  love, joy, prayer, and agreement with all my praying brothers and sisters to see the kingdom of God fulfilled, reigning, and restored upon the earth. I turn my eyes from the worthless lies of the media and agents of fear, and I look only to the promises of God! He is the only truth I shall follow! 

This is my prayer and declaration for today! Amen!

PRAISE AND WORSHIP!

If you have time, top off this prayer with some praise and worship. Thank God for the victory. Here are a few of my favorites. Please send me any of your favorite victory or worship songs!

Your Love Never Fails- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoezWBPGRAc

God’s Great Dance Floor- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-WOneEXr00&list=PL7LMUZ3doV1E6NWcDBOeK4MvCiL_eoses&index=2&t=0s

Relentless- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N9mCUsTapY&list=PL7LMUZ3doV1E6NWcDBOeK4MvCiL_eoses&index=2

Like Oil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWrUjhMsUb8

FYI- We may have to go back to the early church and have prayer meetings and worship on our homes. Maybe God is trying to wake us up!!!!

Forgiving Yourself.

Forgiving Yourself 

What do you do when the grudge you hold isn’t against anyone but yourself? When your inner critic takes control of your thoughts, shouting things like: How could you do that? Shame on you. You’re unforgiveable. 

When you feel like you can’t forgive yourself, you’re in a battle you can’t afford to lose. Because here’s the hard truth: forgiving others isn’t possible without first forgiving yourself. So there’s no time to run away from this internal battleground. It’s time to suit up in the armor of God and take control of the war in our heads. 

I know it feels overwhelming—insurmountable even. But we can fight this war as long as we know we aren’t fighting alone. 

When the weight of what we’ve done is too much, here’s our battle cry: 

Whenever our hearts make us feel guilty and remind us of our failures, we know that God is much greater and more merciful than our conscience, and he knows everything there is to know about us. My delightfully loved friends, when our hearts don’t condemn us, we have a bold freedom to speak face-to-face with God. 1 John 3:20-21 TPT 

Powerful ammo, right? Another translation of that verse says that God is greater than our feelings. Our minds may make us feel unforgiveable, but our Father (who created every part of us) says we have freedom. 

The enemy tries to convince us we’re condemned, scheming to get us so focused on our mistakes that we hide from God. It’s a pretty dirty trick, because the enemy knows all he has to do to win us over is to disconnect us from our Savior. 

So we hide. And we sit in our own darkness, certain that “we made our bed so now we have to lie in it.” But when we step out of condemnation and into the place of God’s redemption, we have bold freedom to speak with the God who forgives our sins, rights our wrongs, and loves us despite our mistakes. 

We don’t have to live in the enemy’s lies any longer. Through Christ, we have the power to take our thoughts captive and find real forgiveness. 

Here are some tools to help when your own grudge is too heavy to carry: 

1. Acknowledge your feelings. Feeling guilty is good when it leads to God. We all make mistakes. It’s natural (and healthy) to feel remorse when that happens. So when you’ve messed up, acknowledge that you’ve made a mistake and pay attention to the feelings that come with it. Take responsibility. Process and pray about those feelings, but don’t let them fester.

2. Ask God for forgiveness, and confess to others for healing. Tell God your mistake, ask Him for forgiveness, and pray that He’ll help you avoid that mistake in the future. Then confess it to others. Sin grows best in the dark, so bring it to the light of Christ and others. 

3. Take action. Sometimes there actually is something you can do to right your wrong. If that’s the case, do it! If you hurt someone you love, have a hard conversation and repair the relationship. Embrace the natural consequences of your action while also receiving God’s supernatural compassion. 

4. Seek help. If you’re still struggling to fully receive God’s grace or fully forgive yourself, it may be time to bring in professional help. Sometimes there are underlying issues from past hurts that may need to come to the surface. A counselor or a therapist can help you uncover what those might be and give you even more tools for fully experiencing freedom through forgiveness. 

If you’re harboring unforgiveness against yourself, you’re not alone. All of us have made mistakes, yet God chose to pay our debt anyway because He loves us and wants a relationship with us. So don’t allow the enemy to keep you in hiding. Go to God and receive His limitless love that conquers all. 

—Alli, breaking out of the darkness 

Pray: God, help me to receive Your forgiveness and to forgive myself. Show me what steps to take to fully take hold of Your mercy and grace. Surround me with the right people who will point me back to You, and show me what next steps to take to embrace forgiveness, not only for myself but also for others around me. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Ephesians 6:10‭-‬18 NIV : 

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

2 Corinthians 10:4‭-‬5 NIV :

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

1 John 3:20‭-‬21 NIV :

If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

James 5:16 NIV :

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Romans 5:6‭-‬11 NIV :

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Your Pain Often Reveals God’s Purpose

Your Pain Often Reveals God’s Purpose

Read today's verses.

Your pain often reveals God’s purpose for you. God never wastes a hurt! If you’ve gone through a hurt, he wants you to help other people going through that same hurt. He wants you to share it. God can use the problems in your life to give you a ministry to others. In fact, the very thing you’re most ashamed of in your life and resent the most could become your greatest ministry in helping other people.

Who can better help somebody going through a bankruptcy than somebody who went through a bankruptcy? Who can better help somebody struggling with an addiction than somebody who’s struggled with an addiction? Who can better help parents of a special needs child than parents who raised a special needs child? Who can better help somebody who’s lost a child than somebody who lost a child?

The very thing you hate the most in your life is what God wants to use for good in your life.

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 1, verses 4 and 6, “God comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things” (NLT).

This is called redemptive suffering. Redemptive suffering is when you go through a problem or a pain for the benefit of others.

This is what Jesus did. When Jesus died on the cross, he didn’t deserve to die. He went through that pain for your benefit so that you can be saved and go to Heaven.

There are many different causes for the problems, pains, and suffering in your life. Sometimes the stuff that happens you bring on yourself. When you make stupid decisions, then it causes pain in your life. If you go out and overspend and buy things you can’t afford and presume on the future, and then you go deeply in debt and lose your house, you can’t say, “God, why did you let me lose my house?” You can’t blame God for your bad choices.

But in some of your problems, you’re innocent. You’ve been hurt by the pain, stupidity, and sins of other people. And some of the pain in your life is for redemptive suffering. God often allows us to go through a problem so that we can then help others.

Grudges & Forginess

Forgiving Offenses 

Have you ever found yourself frustrated by people who aren’t paying attention in traffic and inevitably force you to slam on your brakes? I certainly have. After an eye roll and a possible snarky comment, I may have wished a citation upon them. 

Why do we allow such trivial matters to dictate our days? Why in the world do we get so easily offended by the actions of others?

It might be likely that we identify too much with being right. Think about my traffic example. Maybe you think: I’d never cut someone off—because I’m an excellent driver. 

Essentially, we get angry because we assume we’re a better person than the bad driver. We too quickly forget we’re all in the same boat: the imperfect boat. We all fall short of God’s perfection. 

We might even assume others are intentionally trying to provoke or hurt us. We form instant negative opinions about others based on this hurtful assumption. We can’t allow our unfounded feelings to wreak havoc in our lives. Feelings are meant to indicate, not dictate. Recognize them, but then focus on the facts.

Here are three ways to help you avoid becoming easily offended.

1. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Proverbs 19:11 gives us the wisdom to overlook an offense. People don’t always intend to hurt you. So, if you want to assume, just assume they didn’t mean to hurt you. Maybe they’re responding to real hurt and stress in their life. You and I have probably said offensive things we didn’t mean, and people have probably shown us grace. Let’s reciprocate that. A person with a mature faith will abstain from making assumptions and instead choose to give the benefit of the doubt.

2. Lighten up. When we get offended, we assume that the other person had us in mind. That, my friend, is arrogance. There is a strong chance that you weren’t even in the equation when they said or did that offensive thing. Lighten up by not making yourself the center of the world—and lighten up by letting go of the offense faster than it can weigh you down.

3. Talk yourself off the ledge. When you feel an offense rising up, ask yourself: Why does this bother me? Will this even matter in a day or a week? We must get to the core of why we are so upset. The only thing we gain by being offended is chaos on the inside.

Remember: No one can make you feel offended. Will people say devastating things that make it difficult to remain unoffended? Yes. But can we really stop them? No. 

We cannot choose their actions, but we can choose how we respond—like letting go or creating boundaries for situations that show themselves to be repeatedly hurtful. Then, we can choose to give people the benefit of the doubt and talk ourselves down from situations when our offenses begin to skyrocket. 

-Cindy, learning to become unoffendable  

Pray: Father, help me to walk in freedom from offenses. May I generously shower people with the grace You’ve showered upon me. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Divine Direction : STOP!!!

Stop

One of the best decisions you can make when you’re feeling an impulse or facing a high-stakes dilemma is the decision to stop. Take a time-out. Pray for guidance. Sleep on it.  Get some godly wisdom from people you trust and picture the possible outcomes. Then, ask yourself, “Is this something I should stop completely?”

Most of us have good intentions or at least some kind of justification for the things we do. And yet so many of us seem surprised when we find ourselves a long way from the direction we want to go. The big changes in our lives—both negative and positive—rarely happen without a series of decisions piling on top of each other like never-ending dominoes.

Do you see how stopping can be one of the most productive things we do? When you stop to take stock of where you are and where you want to go, then you can decide how to move toward your destination.

What can you stop in order to move you closer to God’s divine direction?

Are you doing anything that’s taking you in a direction you don’t want to go (or that God doesn’t want you to go)? What do you need to stop completely? An addiction to social media, alcohol, porn, approval, or work? An unhealthy relationship? A judgmental attitude? What can you stop in order to move you closer to God’s divine direction? Treat each choice like it’s the next stepping-stone toward your destination.

When a behavior or relationship takes us in a direction we know is moving farther away from the story we want to tell, we need to pause not only to consider the consequences but also to choose to stop traveling in the wrong direction. You’ve probably heard the word “repent.” One of its literal meanings is to turn around. When you repent, you stop heading in one direction and return to God and His path for you.

In this sense, stopping actually means stepping in a new direction. You might need to step toward accountability, forgiveness, the right friends, or a new place to live.

Ask yourself:

1. If I make the choice I’m considering, where could it take me?

2. What can I stop in order to move closer to God’s divine direction?

Captive Every Thought...2 Corinthians 10:5

Challenge Thoughts

After studying the topic of joy for years, I’ve come to read Romans 12:2 NIV in a different light. It says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind . . .”

First thing I noticed was “the pattern of this world.” The world, in fact, does have a pattern. Psychology shows that there are patterns of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that empty people of joy and hope. This pattern is one of sin, hopelessness, and negativity.

One must ask, how do we break this pattern? How do we fall into the pattern of life God desires for us—the one of joy and hope?

The answer to this question was the second thing I noticed about Romans 12:2. This verse gives a clear answer for how we are to resist this pattern. “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind . . .”

Behavior change begins with the mind. This is what Romans 12:2 says and this is what the latest discoveries in psychology say.

Yet how do we practically renew our mind, so we can live in the pattern of life God designed for us?

That’s the subject of this Bible Plan.

To begin this Bible Plan, I’ll start with the answer 2 Cor. 10:4-5 presents on this matter. This is where we first see the language of “taking thoughts captive” for God. 

One might feel uncomfortable with the war language used in this verse, but it’s actually a great metaphor for what’s happening in our minds.

The pattern of this world will try to present new evidence, arguments, and claims to work against our knowledge of God and the hope we have in him. If we take this evidence in, then the pattern of this world will only empty us of hope.

Instead, 2 Cor. 10:5 suggests we take every thought captive and make them obedient to Christ. This means, we must learn the ability to challenge our thoughts.

Without the reflex of challenging our thoughts, we’ll just take our observations of the world as truth. We’ll get new evidence, arguments, and claims to work against our hope, and we’ll take it in, assuming that our observations are correct.

Scripture is clear: our thoughts need to be challenged if we want to make them obedient to Christ.

Today, ask God to help you challenge thoughts that try to work against Him. Learn to ask, “is this true, or is this just a thought that hurts me?” In time, you’ll be able to identify the thoughts that attempt to stray you from hope in Christ. 

Jim Kwik Quote

                       Jim Kwik quote 

   

Hebrew 4:16 Come To The Throne.

When you and I pray, we need to make sure we approach God as believers, not as beggars. Remember, according to Hebrew 4:16, we are to come boldly to Gods throne: not beggars, but bodly; not belligerent, but boldly.

Be sure to keep the balance. Stay respectful, but be bold. Approach God with confidence and recognize your need for grace. Believe that He delights in your prayers and is ready to answer any request that is in accordance with His will.

So Lord I come boldly to your throne and ask 1

 help to get a new flat in Motherwell or Bellshill, or were ever you think is better for me.

And If I may be bold Lord and request that I have one of those big cupboards that was in Thomas's and  my flat , when we stayed there before..So that it can be my prayer room like in the film War Room" 

In your sons almighty name Jesus Christ Amen.

*This is amaising just after I published this post South Lanarkshire has just phoned me to speak about my housing form ..praise the Lord 

youtube video

The Grudge

Forgiveness. It’s a concept we all know we should extend to others, but it’s easier said than done. Over the next few days, we’ll discuss how to forgive others, ourselves, and even God. Through real-life people’s experiences, discover how you can find freedom through forgiveness. 

When I used to imagine forgiving others, I always had a picture of what it would look like. First, the person would realize on their own what they had done and how deeply it had hurt me. Second, they would come to me with some big apology wanting to put forth effort and hard work to make everything okay in our relationship again. Sounds simple enough, right? 

I laugh at myself as I write that, knowing that the perfect picture I had in my head is wrong. You see, forgiveness isn’t actually about the other person. Forgiveness is a decision I have to make for myself—a decision to let go of my grudges and choose freedom and love over anger. To choose peace over pain. To choose keeping the relationship over keeping score of who’s right.  

Oddly enough, once I decided to make the decision of forgiveness, the relationship usually started to get better. 

This isn’t a new concept. Since the beginning of time humans have hurt one another. But we’ve all got a choice to either keep holding onto the grudge we’ve been carrying—that self-justified anger that weighs us down and keeps a detailed list of how the other person has wronged us—or to let it go, moving our pride aside and deciding the relationship is worth fighting for by giving our forgiveness.  

Here’s the deal: Holding onto a grudge is kind of like holding onto a cactus. Hang with me on this. It keeps others away from you and it keeps pain inside of you. It doesn’t matter if someone else handed you the cactus. It’s your responsibility to put it down.  

In Ephesians 4, Paul tells the Church to lay aside all bitter words, temper tantrums, revenge, profanity, and insults. Instead we should speak kind and loving words toward one another. Why? Because God has graciously forgiven us. 

We are so unworthy of forgiveness, yet Jesus gives it freely to us. We are called to be like Him. To show others the love of Christ. What better way to exemplify His love to others than to forgive them?

—Madison, releasing the cactus and extending kindness 

Ask: What grudges are you holding on to? How might you let go of your grudge and choose forgiveness instead? 

Pray: God, thank You for freely forgiving us when we don’t deserve it. Help us to extend that same love and grace to others. Soften our hearts toward those who have wronged us, and help us become more like You by loving others the way You do. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Ephesians 4:2‭-‬3 NIV : Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:29‭-‬32 NIV : Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

 Micah 7 :13 : Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.  You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

Psalms 103:1‭-‬22 NIV : Praise the Lord , my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.  Praise the Lord , my soul, and forget not all his benefits—  who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,  who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,  who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.  The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.  He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:  The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.  He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;  he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;  as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.  As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;  for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.  The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field;  the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.  But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord ’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—  with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.  The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.  Praise the Lord , you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.  Praise the Lord , all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.  Praise the Lord , all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord , my soul.

John 13:34‭-‬35 NIV : “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Frustrated With People.

I was at Celebrate Recovery with Marcella last night and I was talking to her about how I was getting frustrated with some of my family and neighbours.

 And how it was driving me crazy and turning me into not a very nice person. And she asked what my part was in it because that was part of the lesson in Celebrate Recovery 

In the lesson the scripture said " Examine me, O God and know my mind; test me, and discover my thoughts. Find out if there is any evil in me and guide me in the everlasting way.

Well I was reading the devotional from The YouVersion Bible app and realised this was exactly what I was doing. And it gave me ways to stop it

Its amazing when you ask and receive 🙏❤

The Grudge • Devotional 

https://bible.com/reading-plans/16965/day/2?segment=0