Hey guys and welcome back to the salt not sweetener
podcast. I'm your host Danielle Townsend I hope
everyone Has had a wonderful week. I hope you're
enjoying The fall weather the winter weather
if that's what you're getting. That's what we've
been receiving here y 'all. We've already gotten
snow We've already had our first snow of the
season. It's not even officially winter yet and
guess what? The snow has already melted and that's
supposed to be in the 60s tomorrow. Indiana weather
is truly crazy. It cannot make up its mind. It
is wild. But today's podcast episode is something
I'm looking forward to speaking on today because
it's something that has truly impacted my life,
has truly changed the way I react, has truly
change the way I connect has truly changed the
way that I perceive myself and perceive others
and What we're gonna talk about today is praying
for your enemies praying for the people who persecute
you forgiving people and turning vengeance over
to the Lord and let me just tell you all that
that wasn't always something I prioritized. If
you've listened to my past podcast episodes,
specifically Crash Out, I know Crash Out was
one where I talk about this a lot, I used to
have a thing for revenge. I didn't always give
vengeance to the Lord. Growing up, y 'all, I
didn't feel like anybody had my back. I never
felt like justice was served. I felt like everybody
was always getting one over on me. I didn't feel
like I needed a savior from my sin and a savior
from myself. I feel like I needed a savior from
everybody else. And somehow I was the victim.
Even in times when the things I did weren't the
most morally sound, I still viewed myself as
the victim in the situations. And there were
a lot of habits I had. lot of Things that I turned
to that weren't righteous a lot of responses
I had that weren't righteous a lot of things
that I blamed on my trauma I I was one of those
people who as much as I said I wanted to be healed
and I wanted to be better When I look back now,
I truly wanted to stay in that space of victimhood
I wanted to stay in that space of hurt because
it gave me a reason to excuse the things I was
doing. It gave me a reason to excuse my trust
issues. I didn't have to work on my trust issues.
I could blame them on my past. When I turned
to smoking and drinking to feel comfortable or
feel better, I was able to say, well, my trauma,
this is how I handle things. This is how I deal
with things. You know, when I would have trust
issues with new people in my life, I'd say, well,
I had this growing up and I had this person I
liked. in all honesty i wouldn't have viewed
it that way or admitted it back then but i'm
able to see it now that there was a part of me
that found comfortability in the traumatic backstories
and the pain and all of those things because
it gave me an excuse to continue the sinful behaviors
i was living in it gave me a reason to continue
doing what i wanted to do and submitting to myself
and submitting to the flesh instead of submitting
to Jesus Christ and there are so many people
that I even know today that you know when when
they are crashing out when they are losing their
temper when they are seeking revenge when they
are cursing people when they are doing all of
these things they blame it on their hurt I know
so many people that say, well, I'm continuing
to curse this person because if it wasn't for
them, I wouldn't have this pain. If it wasn't
for them, I wouldn't have this. If it wasn't
for them, there's no actual forgiveness, right?
Because there's a continuing to blame who they
are, what they're like now on the past. And y
'all have heard, if you have listened to that
past podcast episode, I am not negating. I'm
not saying that your past does not affect you
because it does. What you grow up in, your environment,
that molds you and that shapes you. But as you
go through life, you have to make the active
decision to do better. y 'all hear the way I
speak and how you see how I live my life now
and you see that I live a life pleasing to Lord
you see that I've left behind crash out behavior
you see that now I pray for people you see that
now I turn vengeance over to Lord and that is
because I made the active decision every day
waking up to deny my flesh and to try to live
more Christ -like it wasn't easy at first waking
up and having to pray for my enemies as they
were actively attacking me. It wasn't easy. It
would have been a lot easier to curse them and
get angry and try to get my look back and do
all those things. But I had to trust that vengeance
was the Lord's. And I'm telling y 'all today,
if I can do it, you can do it. And it wasn't
my strength. It was Jesus Christ. it was the
Word of God and submitting myself to the Word
of God that got me to this point. There's some
scripture I want to start off reading you guys
today and this is Romans we're gonna be in Romans
chapter 12 starting in verse 16 live in harmony
with one another do not be proud instead associate
with the humble do not be wise in your own estimation
do not repay anyone evil for evil give careful
thought to do what is honorable in anyone's eyes
if possible as far as it depends on you live
at peace with everyone friends do not avenge
yourselves instead leave room for god's wrath
because it is written vengeance belongs to me
Will repay says the Lord, but if your enemy is
hungry feed him if he is thirsty Give him something
to drink for in doing so you will be keeping
fiery coals on his head Do not be conquered by
evil But conquer evil with good y 'all we live
in a generation nowadays It is socially acceptable
to I'm doing quotation marks of my fingers right
now y 'all match energy If someone's crappy,
do you be crappy to them? If someone's talking
bad about you, talk bad about them. If someone's
making you feel some type of way, do what you
can to make them feel that type of way. That
is the society we live in right now that that
is acceptable, that that is normalized. I cannot
tell you how many times you're scrolling through
social media, how many times I've scrolled through
social media. And I see people talking about
that, matching energy, getting a lick back. matching
evil for evil, which goes directly against God's
word. Y 'all, someone needs to hear this today
just because it's normalized in society, just
because your parents normalized it, just because
your friends normalized it, just because social
media normalizes it, just because our TV shows
that we watch normalize it, just because the
songs that we listen to about lick backs and
revenge and matching energy normalize it doesn't
mean It's righteous. It's holy Doesn't mean that
it is going to build up doesn't mean it's going
to edify your relationship with Christ Just because
something's legal doesn't mean it's God or doesn't
mean it's God approved Whether or not you have
the ability to do something shouldn't be What
you used to determine whether or not you do it
and I'm speaking from experience y 'all I used
to be that person that I would badmouth someone
if the opportunity came up I Would get my look
back if the opportunity came up if the opportunity
presented itself. I would say well Opportunity
clearly present itself for the reason for a reason
I would take it as a sign forgetting that the
devil too places temptations in front of you
just because you have the opportunity doesn't
mean it's from God. That's why you need to know
Scripture and hold it up to Scripture. Hold the
opportunity up to Scripture. Does it require
you to go against God's Word? Does it go directly
against God's character? And if it does that's
not from God. No matter how appealing it may
be to your flesh. I want to share with you all
a testimony before I dive in a bit more on the
scripture. I remember when I had freshly, this
was just a couple months after I had given my
life to Christ. This was actually just a little
over a month after I'd surrendered my life to
Christ. I was a really new Christian, right?
And y 'all know that before I truly surrendered
my life to Christ, I spent a couple years in
New Age. And when I was in New Age, I was a tarot
card reader. I was participating in the witchcraft.
and the divination, astrology, all these different
kinds of New Age practices. And I was dealing
with a lot of spiritual warfare. And when I left
New Age, there was a lot of spiritual warfare
trying to pull me back in. I will say this so
clearly, the devil didn't want to let me go that
easy. There were people that the devil was using
to operate against me and these people were participating
in divination These people were participating
in witchcraft These people were participating
in new age practices And I remember it was the
day before Halloween and I was at a church service
I was at a service and Afterwards, I seek some
spiritual guidance from the spiritual leader
in the church and I remember telling them like
the spiritual warfare is so heavy and I know
that I am not supposed to seek revenge and I
have been constantly praying that God gives me
peace but I know that there is a lot of spiritual
attack going on and I remember telling the spiritual
leader that like at risk of sounding crazy because
I know That not everybody Although it's clearly
spelled out witchcraft is talked about in the
Bible divination is talked about in the Bible
Not everybody has an understanding that there
are people who are truly Practicing that are
truly trying to summon demons and are truly trying
to like call on the devil and You know, I told
the spiritual leader at risk of sounding crazy
to you. I'm gonna say this out loud anyway I
left near -age spirituality and there are people
who are participating in witchcraft and divination
and Sending monitoring like I was very clear
with what I thought was going on and saying I
know I'm not supposed to seek revenge I know
I'm not supposed to match that, but what do I
do? I was like, I don't know how to handle this.
Like, what do I do? I've been praying for protection.
I've been praying for peace, but what else can
I do? And I remember this person telling me,
pray for them. You need to pray for them. That
was his immediate answer. And he said, and then
pray for them some more. And you know, that's
what I did when I went home that day. I started
praying for them. I started praying that they
are delivered. I started praying that God moved
in their life and worked on their heart. I started
praying that they know God's word as truth. That
they encounter Jesus Christ. That they know God's
word is truth. And that in knowing his word is
truth, They feel conviction for what they're
doing. And in that conviction, they repent and
they turn away. I started praying that they had
deliverance from whatever demonic forces were
oppressing them or possessing them. I started
praying that they were broken free of the demonic
agreements they came into. Eventually I felt
the Lord start praying me. I started putting
on my heart to pray to him that their comforts
in this were taken away like make them no longer
comfortable in divination make them no longer
comfortable in witchcraft like take it away whatever
temptation they have to go into this I pray in
the name of Jesus that that flees I pray that
they no longer find knowledge wisdom comfort
in divination. I pray that they no longer find
a sense of control in witchcraft. I pray that
the conviction of what they're doing sits in
them so deeply that they cannot help but repent
to the Lord. And I started praying that God bless
them. I started praying that their knees bow
before the Lord and that they too have a desire
to serve the Lord and that they know the love
of Jesus Christ. And that they also become champions
for Jesus Christ. I prayed not for their condemnation,
but for their restoration. That whatever the
Lord had to strip from them, That he would one
day build them up in his name that they would
also become people who glorify God That they
would also become people who have testimonies
to share that God would use them for the kingdom
of heaven I Wasn't just praying God exposed them
God hurt them. No, I was praying God used them
God teach them God I pray bless me y 'all I started
praying that they too that the devil loses another
one with them I was praying for them not praying
against them someone needs to hear that today
we need to stop praying against people and start
praying for them that's what God started teaching
me to do because y 'all I was wondering I was
like God you're allowing them to attack me for
a reason you wouldn't be allowing these attacks
to happen if there wasn't something you could
bring out of me if there wasn't something you
could do in my life if you weren't going to be
able to use this for my good and God used it
to show me how to intercede for people how to
pray for people and the power of prayer I have
seen people that God has called me to pray for
delivered from the mindsets that they were in
delivered from the habits I'm not saying it's
always pretty there are times that people have
had to go through suffering oftentimes we learn
by experiencing Have seen people have to have
things stripped away. I have seen people have
to change their habits I have seen them have
to go through periods of suffering but in those
periods of suffering they have turned to the
Lord and then turning to the Lord they have been
delivered from their previous perceptions their
previous belief systems their previous Mindsets
their previous habits. God has started to rewire
them just as he has rewired me God use these
experiences To show me how to pray for people
and not pray against people for the longest time
Before I actually submit my life to the Lord
when I was trying to pray I'd start praying God
take down my enemies Take them out. Take them
out. Let me stand, you know, let me get through
like arrest them Lock them up. If you guys know
the tick tock sound lock them up Like those were
my kind of prayers like restrain them restrict
them walk them up strike him down, cast him down
and it is in God's character to allow people
to fall on their own sword to turn them over
to the consequences of their actions when they
will not listen to him I'm speaking from experience
he turned me over I could no longer find comfort
in my sins that he allowed me to be turned over
to I've shared that testimony that he showed
me don't pray against these people don't pray
these people into condemnation Don't be praying
for these people with no uplifting. He taught
me to start praying for these people. Pray for
their mind. Pray for their spirit. Pray for their
eternal life. Pray for their deliverance. I knew
that the way these people were living their lives
and the things that they were putting their faith
in were not gonna lead them to life with the
Heavenly Father. So I started praying for the
things that would. Started praying that they
put their faith in Jesus. I started praying that
they know that he is the way the truth of life
I started praying that they feel conviction.
I started praying that they are repentant and
I have seen God move mountains off of that prayer
and I will give you I will let you guys in on
something there is a protection a covering I
Have found comes when you pray for other people
and give that vengeance to God now. I'm not saying
That everything was sunshine and rainbows there
was pain But what's interesting y 'all when I
was in New Age spirituality I Had learned to
go back and forth when you felt like someone
was spiritually attacking you Wait when you felt
like because see that that's thing was a new
age. I didn't know to discern the spirits I didn't
recognize that you need to separate the spirit
from the person. I didn't recognize the principalities
that were involved. That at the end of the day,
this is the kingdom of darkness operating through
people to get at you, to separate you from the
Heavenly Father. I just viewed it as me versus
them, me versus other fleshly people, right?
And when I was in new age, What I had really
learned and what had really been instilled in
me was to like return it to sender, which my
understanding then was like a spiritual back
and forth. Like someone sends you bad things,
negative things, you send it right back to them
and it goes back and forth. And the Lord has
shown me that there is a protection. And instead
of doing that, instead of matching evil for evil.
Matching evil with good that's actually what
snuffs it out. That's actually what kills it
You don't ping pong it you don't send it back
and forth instead you snuff out the wickedness
with goodness with love with kindness When people
were speaking word curses over me speaking death
at me Trying to get me to a big thing was there
were a lot of people trying to get me to be the
past version of myself before Christ. A lot of
people trying to bring out the crash out of me.
A lot of people trying to get out negative emotions
out of me. Trying to get me to go back to drinking
and smoking and fornicating and different things
like that. And each time I didn't go back to
that, but instead I met them with love. Instead
I did what I could to create peace. That actually
many times kind of killed the back and forth.
It's unbelievable how many times people kind
of have to walk away feeling defeated At the
end of the day kind of have to shrug it off or
have to just kind of keep quiet Because my lack
of participation and meeting meeting them with
kindness I'm telling y 'all today if you are
someone who is dealing you you want to live life
for the Lord, but you are in an act of war zone.
There are people that are being used by the enemy
to attack you and you're like, how do I match
this? I'm telling y 'all today that scripture
says to match it with love. You don't repay evil
for evil. You bless the people that curse you.
Y 'all, I have people speaking word curses over
me, speaking death. There were people heavily
involved like in like rich crap that were legit
Like I don't want to get too deep into it, but
I was on their list And God gave me the same
command that he gave me towards people who were
just who were gossiping about me Or doing other
things like that which gossip can be word -cursing
too, right? To show them love and kindness and
most of all pray for them To not match evil for
evil Because when you start doing that and I
don't want to call myself innocent by any means
But when you start doing that What sets you apart
Yeah, I think that's our prompting to this there's
some more scripture That I want to get in and
read to y 'all and this is Matthew chapter 5
starting in 42 verse 42 You have heard that it
was said love your neighbor and hate your enemy
But I tell you love your enemies and pray for
those who persecute you So that you may be children
of your father in heaven because he causes his
son to rise on the evil and the good and sends
rain on the righteous and the unrighteous for
if you love those who love you what reward will
you have don't even the tax collectors do the
same if you greet only your brothers and sisters
what are you doing out of the ordinary don't
even the gentiles do the same be perfect therefore
as your heavenly father is perfect it's easy
to love people who love you it's easy to be kind
to people who are kind to you It's not as easy
to love people who hate you, to be kind to people
who are attacking you, to be kind to people who
are trying to persecute you. And that's what
sets you apart as a follower of Christ from the
world. Loving someone who loves you, being kind
to someone who's kind to you, hyping up a person
who hypes you up, giving to someone who gives
to you. The world does that too. Whoop -de -doo.
Now meeting someone with love Who is not meeting
you with love who's meeting you with anger and
frustration as hate? There's a lot of people
in the world that aren't doing that And a lot
of people that are doing it with a false motive
an ulterior motive There's a fakeness with it
I can tell y 'all I remember The like astounded
feeling I had after the first couple times of
praying for those people like I was Because it
was such a weird feeling. I remember this so
clearly one day I was out taking a walk throughout
my neighborhood and I remember just Meditating
on the situation just thinking on the situation
being like the craziest thing is those prayers
just let it out of me And there was there was
a real my heart truly wanted these people to
experience the love of Jesus. And in the past
when I would try to say nice things about people
who were hateful and mean to me, I'd always feel
a little bit fake and would always feel like
I had an ulterior motive and I was always giving
a backhanded compliment or something like that.
But when I started praying, Lord, like I pray
that they know your love and your peace and I
pray that they know what it feels like to be
a child of the most high. Because the Lord was
the answer to everything I was seeking and I
knew that these people turned into witchcraft
and divination and revenge All of these things
Y 'all I keep getting phone calls. Sorry. Sorry.
I'm pausing y 'all. I don't know what's going
on today I've been getting phone calls like out
the wazoo and they're just very random numbers
calling me it's kind of weird but so if we're
having some pauses here on the podcast I keep
getting phone calls a little strange but I knew
that these people were participating in these
things because they had their own areas in their
life where they were hurting and lacking and
not all of them will admit it because of pride
ego their own understanding that that's what
tempts someone you have to be in a legit prideful
egotistical space to turn to witchcraft and to
turn to yourself and your own control and to
start believing that you're You know some of
the lies of new age of like you're the creator
and you have this manifestation and the gifts
are yours We know that all spiritual gifts come
from god and are supposed to be used to further
the kingdom of heaven And to bring people closer
to god not for our own reasonings. That's in
first corinthians But I knew that these people
were participating in witchcraft and divination
Speaking word curses, some people just gossiping,
making up things about me, doing what they could
to block me and to delay me, trying to stop me
from having, you know, when they would hear that
an opportunity was coming my way, doing what
they could to kind of try to prevent me from
getting the opportunity. I knew that each of
these people were doing it from some kind of
place of hurt. Not only Jesus Christ could fill
when you turn to witchcraft when you turn to
these things you are seeking control You're seeking
answers. You're seeking something But you're
seeking it apart from the Lord So I knew that
every single one of them had some kind of pain
Had some kind of hurt had something that needed
healed and Jesus Christ was the answer And I
also know from personal experience that when
you open up those doors, whether or not they
realize it, I'm able to realize it a lot more
now because I'm able to compare it to the peace
I have with Christ. And even the most peaceful
periods of my life that I believed I had had
in the world do not compare to the peace I have
now walking with Jesus Christ. And the life I
live now compared to the life I lived then, I'm
able to see just how little rest was actually
involved. and how much more of like a high stress
environment I was living in compared to what
I live in now. Despite the warfare that picks
up when you become a follower of Christ, there
is more of a peace in my experience because I'm
able to give things to God and rely on his strength
and not my own strength. And I also recognize
that all these people who were doing this, They
don't have that peace you ever hear people saying
like there's no rest for the wicked There's a
lot of people who would very quick say I'm not
wicked. Well news flash the things that are Righteous
the things that are God condoned God ordained
God approved those things are good all things
that are not from God are Not God approved or
not. God ordained are wicked A lot of our fleshly
desires are wicked. What's of the flesh is not
of the spirit. The spirit is what's Christ -like,
and the flesh is the wickedness. And there's
wickedness running rampant in this world. And
I recognize that so many of them are living in
wickedness, and there is no rest in that. There's
an anxiety, there's a fear, there's an anger,
there's a frustration, there's a need to get
a lick back, there's a need to monitor, there's
a need to take control, there's a need to force
your own this or force your own that or expose
this or do this yourself or do that yourself.
They don't have a Heavenly Father that they're
relying on and trusting to take care of things.
They don't have the protection and the blood
of Jesus covering them. And I empathize with
that. So I pray that they one day receive that
I pray that they're a new creation in Christ
and that they submit their lives to Christ and
I'm telling y 'all that there is actually a peace
that you receive after you start praying for
your enemies Like the more I pray for people
who are coming up against me and persecuting
me because it happens to this day I'm not saying
that like every everything just fell off Throughout
your life as a Christian, there are going to
be people coming up against you. There's going
to be opposition people being used by the enemy
Giving your life to Christ doesn't mean that
all falls away anything it picks up more Now
your competition for the enemy not now you're
now you're a hitter for God Now you're you're
a fisher of men and you're pulling more people
away from the kingdom of darkness Towards the
kingdom of heaven on behalf of the Heavenly Father
on behalf of Jesus Christ you're now an ambassador
for him and there is actually a peace and a forgiving
that comes along with that and if you're new
in this walk I want if you're new to forgiving
and to praying for other people I want to give
y 'all a couple pieces of just my personal walk
that may help you And these were the steps that
God kind of took me through, right? Because when
I gave my life to Christ at first, I was... I
kept it pretty much to myself at first. I was
completely ghost off social media. I wasn't talking
to anybody. And not too long after I gave my
life to Christ, the Lord moved me back from California
to my hometown, a place where a lot of people
knew me. knew my past, knew my history. And at
this time, I knew that there were a lot of people
who were still in New Age and in witchcraft.
And those things who were watching to see what
I would post on social media, watching to kind
of attack whatever they saw me building. You
can think Book of Nehemiah. The second they saw
me start building again, they were ready to start
tearing it down and taking it down. And I had
for a while a fear and a worry of posting. or
telling anybody about what God was building.
And that was, you know, me not having a real
deep faith in God's ability to protect me because
up until that point what I had seen was just
a lot of destruction and a lot of the enemy being
allowed to kick me and tear me down due to my
willful sin and the open doors of sin I had lived
in. I wasn't obeying the Lord, so He allowed
me to be stripped and things to be taken from
me so that way I may glorify Him. Up until that
point, that was more of the rapport I had had
with spiritual warfare. When I started learning
about spiritual warfare at first, I was in New
Age and had a very skewed understanding of it.
I didn't have the understanding then that I do
now. As a Christian, as a follower of Christ,
as someone who has repented of all of that, that
lifestyle I lived before. it was slowly that
the Lord started taking me step by step of like
getting me just in the world like what I mean
by that is like getting me integrated into society
again I kind of went into like a recluse a little
bit I was afraid of anyone seeing the good things
God was doing in my life and he had convicted
me that like I'm doing these good things yes
yes I love you but I'm doing these good things
so that way it may glorify me and that you may
be a testimony to my restoration. But I can't
do that if you're not gonna allow anyone to see
it. And the Lord started taking me through slowly
getting me back on social media and slowly getting
me involved like in church again and in Christian
groups and like slowly over time expanding my
territory and expanding the reach I had on people
and slowly increasing my confidence and sharing
my testimonies. But there was warfare that came
along with that. There was someone that I was
seeing consistently every day that was not a
firm believer, that actually mocked my faith.
You know, every time I was ready to glorify God
and all these things, this person was ready to
sow a seed of doubt. Or any time they witnessed
a blessing, they had to point out something that
they didn't think was good with it, to try to
lower my appreciation and my gratitude. The whole
time God was building me, and he's still building
me y 'all don't get me wrong the whole time there
was opposition in my ear it wasn't just people
online which i knew there were people online
too um it was people around me i had people mocking
my faith i had people telling me that like if
you don't get your if you don't take action or
do it like no one else will like i have seen
god Deliver justice. I Have seen what God does
when I give vengeance to him. I have seen the
restoration. I have seen the justice I have seen
the exposure. I don't need to do anything that
God isn't calling me to do I'm gonna give it
to him and if there's a step of obedience He
needs me to take I'll take it But my plan is
I give it to him and I pray Sometimes I fast
and I intercede on these people's behalf And
that person, the whole time they whisper in my
ear, I learn to start praying for them and praying
for their deliverance. And I believe God is moving
and working in their situation. There's a lot
of pride there, but God is going to move. I believe
it with my heart that God is moving. It might
not be what I expect it to look like, but God
is moving. I know I'm not the only person praying
for this person. This person has some real prayer
warriors praying for them, too. And whatever
change and shifts happen, that will be the glory
of God. But y 'all, when I did start getting
back on social media, there were a lot of shots
at first to my faith and to my testimony trying
to poke holes, trying to make me feel like not
confident in sharing it. I had people from my
past start trying to pop in and trying to remind
me of who I was and what I did and trying to
dig that up and trying to get me to relive the
past and go back to the past. I was kind. I prayed
for these people and I kept it pushing. I didn't
turn back. I didn't reminisce. Misery likes company
and I wasn't sticking around for that. I'm saying
this and sharing this with y 'all because sometimes
when you look at someone's walk and you don't
see the opposition, it looks like an easy cakewalk.
I'm telling y 'all that I learned forgiveness.
I learned intercessory prayer. I learned praying
for other people by going through the act of
warfare. You don't learn just by reading. You
learn by suffering. You learn by being put out
on the front lines in the battlefield. And there's
this misconception people have that like, If
the Lord is pleased with you, if you have the
favor of God, like you'll never get touched.
You'll never walk through battle and that's not
biblical. We know that as followers of Christ
throughout our lives we're going to be persecuted
on behalf of the name of Jesus Christ. That there's
going to be opposition, that there's going to
be warfare, that there's going to be attacks,
that whatever. When we're trying to further the
kingdom of heaven, when we are submitting our
will to the Lord, and we're doing something that's
going to be very good for the kingdom of heaven
bringing other people closer to christ the devil
is going to try to block it to stop it he's going
to try to stop it before it even starts but god
will use that for your good god will use the
attacks of the enemy as training ground look
at the book of jobe job wasn't attacked because
he was such a horrible horrible person that he
he wasn't attacked because he had no faith in
God he was actually attacked because he was favored
by God God was actually the one who said have
you not seen my servant job like isn't he the
most faithful dude like I am so well pleased
with him the devil was like well he's only acting
like that because you gave him everything I bet
if you took it all away he'd curse you And God
allowed that to be tested so that way he could
prove that even throughout all of that Job was
not gonna flip Job loved the Lord despite His
circumstances there are a lot and I've talked
about this a couple days ago in a tick -tock
video y 'all that Testing God will allow our
faith to be tested and that happens by us experiencing
suffering trials and tribulations because it's
really easy to say believe in God Throw in your
faith to Jesus glorifying him When you have a
lot to brag about when the season feels good
when you don't feel like you're stressing But
it's when you are facing trials when you're facing
tribulations When you feel like you have things
taken from you when you feel like there's an
injustice done When your circumstances don't
look like circumstances least from the world's
perspective that would bring about rejoicing
and You still choose to put your faith in the
Lord because there are a lot of people who will
glorify God with their mouths But once they're
put in that situation, it's what you say. What
are the next steps you take? You choose to put
your faith in yourself or do you choose to put
your faith in God? You choose to create your
own solutions rely on your own understanding
Do whatever you feel you gotta do or do you turn
to the Lord? And there are a lot of people who
will in good seasons glorify God, but the second
they're not getting what they want, the second
they feel like the prayers aren't being answered,
how they want them to be answered. When they
start going through this suffering that they
can't explain, and they feel like, well, I'm
a good person, I don't deserve it. And they decide
to turn to things that aren't the Lord. They
decide to sin, they decide to curse, they decide
to do all these things. God, use those as an
opportunity to reveal what is in your heart.
Where are you rooted? Has your faith been built
on firm foundation or has it been built on sand?
And when those testings and those tribulations
happen, some of the things are revealed. You'll
see, oh wow, I've come a really long way. You
know, compared to the last testing I had, I wasn't
rooted in faith like this. I didn't react like
this. This was really good. And then there are
other times and other things that you'll look
at and see that was not a Christ -like response.
That was not what God told me to do. And that
was not the righteous method. And you're able
to see, okay, that needs worked on. And that
right there too, what you do, how you react to
that thing being exposed also says a lot. About
where your priorities lie. Do you choose to get
angry and upset Defend it and shove it under
the rug Or do you say at the end of the day this
is not righteous no matter what triggered it
This is not righteous and God. I need your help
to work on this God I need you to help me help
heal this help me learn to do better change my
heart change my weights That is a sign of humility,
okay? A lot of people think humility and humbleness
is being able to live below your means and do
all these things. There was a point in my life
when I was in New Age spirituality where I was
living in my car and only getting the bare minimum,
the necessities, and I thought I was the most
humble person ever. But I wasn't, because if
I was truly humble, I would have known I needed
God. I would have known any of Jesus Christ.
I would have seen that the tarot card reading
and the divination in the new age was ego out
the roof thinking I could find the answers without
God and do things apart from God. Humility is
recognizing that you cannot do anything apart
from Christ. Spiritual bankruptcy recognizing
that apart from Christ like you don't have salvation
apart from Christ. You cannot do anything the
father Like you cannot do anything apart from
the Creator we are simply branches Jesus is divine
We can't do anything apart from him that is true
humility And when you truly believe that you
can't do anything apart from him, you start submitting
to his ways. Which means when someone slaps you
on the cheek, you turn it to the other one. You
forgive them 70 times 7. You meet them with love.
You meet them with grace. You meet them with
humility. You pray for the people who persecute
you. And I want to be so clear when I say this.
If someone is actively being used by the enemy,
like they are actively Trying to cause like roadblocks
and they are not repenting Take it to the Lord
on are you supposed to stick around? Because
there is some people and I want to say I say
this with the most love That God has called you
out of that relationship or out of that situation
a while ago yet You're still choosing to stay
around whether it's you trust God won't provide
for you or You don't think you're gonna find
love or appreciation or whatever There are a
lot of people who are in connections and friendships
in situations simply because it's provision And
God has called them to leave God has called them
out, but they don't trust that God will provide
for them elsewhere They don't trust that he will
bless their obedience There are people who want
to stick around simply so they can see if someone
gets what they believe is coming to him. One
thing that the Lord has revealed to me, and I'm
not saying this is the rule, I'm just saying
this appears to be the way God has moved a lot
in my life. before he has taught anybody a lesson,
he usually separates me from that person. I'm
not in their life on a daily basis watching and
being fed what they're going through as they're
going through it. There's usually some distance.
And in my prayer time, the Lord has really spoken
to me like I don't need to be around the fallout.
If I'm a little too close, I'm going to start
taking hits too. I'm going to get involved in
areas I don't need to be involved in. But also,
there's a temptation to rejoice in suffering
when we shouldn't be rejoicing in people's suffering.
We should never be taking joy in people's suffering.
That shouldn't be a ha -ha I told you so. And
if that's where your heart is, you need to take
it to the Lord. Because that's not the best place
to be in. Pray for your enemies. That is the
root of this message to y 'all. Pray for your
enemies. Pray for the people who are being used
by the devil. Pray for the people who are blocking
you. Don't pray against them. Pray for them.
And yes, pray that God protects you. Pray that
he uses this for your good. Pray that he uses
this to teach you and to strengthen you. Plead
the blood of Jesus over your life. Plead the
blood of Jesus over your situation. Put on the
armor of God. I am also saying pray for these
people's deliverance. Pray that they are no longer
able to be used by the devil. Pray that whatever
strongholds the devil has in their life are broken.
Pray that they have deliverance. Pray that they
see a move of God in their life. There's one
more piece of scripture I want to read to y 'all
which is Luke. Chapter 6 love your enemies But
I say to you who listen love your enemies do
what is good to those who hate you Bless those
who curse you pray for those who mistreat you
if anyone hits you on the cheek Offer the other
side also if anyone takes away your coat don't
hold back your shirt either Give to everyone
who asks you and from someone who takes your
things don't ask for them back Just as you want
others to do for you, do the same for them. If
you love those who love you, what credit is that
to you? Even sinners love those who love them.
Which is a bit of the reiteration of the last
scripture we read. But isn't it? Scripture right
here tells us to do unto others as we would want
done unto us, the basic thing we learned in kindergarten
and school. The basic rule of how to treat others,
treat others the way you'd want to be treated.
Now that doesn't say, and when you get treated
a way you don't like, treat them that way too
so they know that you don't like it. That's not
what scripture says. Scripture does say that
the Lord will avenge. Vengeance is his. And I
can tell you right now, the Lord is a lot more
creative in his vengeance. And at the end of
the day, he will make sure it's a way that furthers
the kingdom of heaven above all things. I'll
let y 'all in on something. when we are creating
vengeance for ourselves most of the time what
we are seeking is people's embarrassment and
pain and suffering and we're not actually thinking
about how it's going to bring that person closer
to God or how it can bring other people closer
to God we're thinking about what's going to be
the most embarrassing painful way to teach someone
a lesson what's going to elevate me what's going
to make me look right what's going to make me
look good but when you give it to God He's going
to use it in a way that's going to further the
kingdom of heaven. And if you are truly submitted
to Christ, if you truly love the Lord, submitting
yourself to God, becoming a fisher of men, becoming
a servant, making disciples, that should be your
greatest goal, is that other people seek repentance
and seek the kingdom of heaven. It shouldn't
be making other people feel mad, sad, or like
crap. It should be that person finding Christ,
giving their lives to Christ, and being redeemed.
And I want to end this episode with just a simple
prayer, and I'm gonna read, I'm gonna do this
off of memory. We're gonna pray Psalm 23, as
this was a psalm that when I was dealing with
warfare, like, Heavy, heavy warfare, just giving
my life to Christ that brought me so much peace.
Again, y 'all, this is all from memory, so bear
with me. The Lord is my shepherd. There is nothing
I lack. In green pastures, he makes me lie down.
To still waters, he leads me, he restores my
soul. He guides me along right paths for the
sake of his name. And even though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear
no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your
staff comfort me. You prepare a table before
me, in front of my enemies. You anoint my head
with oil, my cup overflows. Indeed, goodness
and mercy will pursue me all the days of my life.
I will dwell in the house of the Lord for endless
days. Amen. And y 'all, when I was going through
that work there, that prayer brought me so much
hope and reminded me of who God is and what he
does. That when when you are submitted to the
Lord, there is nothing you shall lack There is
nothing you shall lack that when you are submitted
to the Lord There is a rest you will find that
he will lead you beside still waters You will
get to lay down in green pastures The wonderful
thing about submitting yourself to Christ is
in the middle of a battle you get rest He'll
call you to lay down and say I'll take it from
here. There have been times when there was someone
actively attacking me, sending me a message,
saying something to me. And the Lord says, don't
respond. I'm like, what? Like what? And he's
like, no, no, don't respond. Just wait, just
wait. And I obey that. I listened to that. And
a couple hours later, the situation worked itself
out. Like God gave them a conviction. Instead
of popping off on me, that person's apologizing
to me. That person feels convicted. Or when they're
trying to get information they get in the information
they need and I don't even have to talk to them
They figure it out God moves on my behalf. He
says no you rest I'll bring someone else up I'll
give a revelation. I'll give a conviction. I'll
give a clarity you rest Even though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear
no evil for you with me like even though The
enemy is doing the most, even though the biggest
attacks are being sent. Even though everything
around looks like a recipe for death or looks
like a recipe for disaster, I will not fear that
because I have God. And if he is with me, what
can stand against me? You anoint my head with
oil. My cup overflows. God is the one who anoints.
It's not the world. It's not whether or not the
world decides you're worthy of the anointing
of the assignment of the calling Of whatever
whatever god intends you to use where god anoints
Not the world what the world thinks about you
the world's qualifications do not matter when
god is involved And that your cup will overflow
you will be taken care of exceedingly and abundantly
You will prepare a table before me in front of
my enemies. The same people who mocked you, who
laughed at you, who tried to block you, who tried
to stop you, who were used by the enemy, are
the same people who are going to have to watch
God bless you. Are going to have to see God fulfill
his word in your life. He will make sure that
they know that it was God and only God. Indeed,
goodness and mercy will pursue me all the days
of my life. I will dwell in the house of the
Lord for endless days. Amen. When you're walking
with God, His goodness and His mercy will follow
you all the days. There is nothing that the enemy
can do about it. And I pray that this psalm brings
you peace and hope, just as it has brought me
peace and hope, and that it reminds you of who
God is and what He will do when you submit to
Him. Put your faith in him. I pray this episode
has blessed you and I do ask y 'all hit subscribe
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Have a blessed day.