God’s Word – Hope for Complete Healing

Three Ways to Have Good Success in The New Year

Joshua 1:8 explains how to have success in your life: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

Last year my New Year’s resolution was 1Timothy 4:7-8. “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; ⁸for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” I wrote several blogs concerning godliness as I considered how to train myself for godliness, which you can read here.

This year, Joshua 1:8 is my New Year resolution verse because I want to be successful in accomplishing my goals. I do not believe this means I will not have problems or get rich. Prosperous also means good fortune; flourishing; successful. Success is defined by Dictionary.com 2021 as the favorable or prosperous end of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one’s goals.

I want to see my ministry prosper and bring God glory. I want to see my evangelistic efforts grow and that many will accept Christ Jesus into their hearts and escape the wrath of God. I want to see my relationships prosper by becoming deeper and healthier. You get the idea.

First Way to Have Good Success

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth.” I plan to accomplish this by always reminding myself and those around me of God’s promises and truths found in the Bible.

Second Way to Have Good Success

“But you shall meditate on it day and night.” To accomplish the second way to prosper, I will ponder and memorize one truth a day, both morning and night. I hope to have 300-360 verses memorized by next year. See my blog post on how to memorize.

The Third way to Have Good Success

“So that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.” I plan to memorize scriptural truths that teach me how to love well, be godly, and do good. Next, I will practice these truths through God’s divine power (see 2Peter 1:3). So, if God wants me to share the gospel with my neighbors, I will pray for divine opportunity and do that. To accomplish obeying God’s instructions, I need to ask Him to show me the false beliefs that defile my heart and prevent me from doing His commands. Purifying your heart takes work, but it is worth it because Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). To learn how to purify your heart, see my post called Five Steps to Heal Your Heart and Purify Your Soul.

Conclusion

I hope you choose a guiding verse for your New Year. May God bless you richly in the coming year as you draw closer to Him each and every day.

All verses are from the English Standard Bible. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share the links with your friends and family, hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright protected, and no part of the posts or my book may be reproduced without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom.

Check out my first book on Amazon. I would love to hear what you think.

If you read my book and find it helpful, please leave a review. Also, if you want to do a Bible study with it, email me and ask for a free PDF of the leader’s guide. The PDF will have suggested discussion questions after each section. Quick links to all the scriptures in the endnotes for you to review or to copy and paste into your notes. Website links to review supporting material. Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com

Also, contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com, and ask for a PDF of Eight Prayers from the Bible. The prayers are for the Spirit of wisdom, renewal, spiritual strength, knowledge of His will, virtues of God, non-believers, 23rd Psalm, and victory. I will also send you the Lord’s Prayer Model to know how to pray effectively. Please leave your name, so I know you are a real person making the request.

How to Fight Unseen Battles

What are unseen battles? How do you know you are in a battle if you don’t see it? These questions and many more are answered in my book called Fighting Unseen Battles that you can find on Amazon. If you wish to read my eBook and don’t have a Kindle or a Kindle app on your computer or phone, you can go to GooglePlay and download it for free.

Though there are many books written on Spiritual Warfare by big-name radio hosts and preachers, my book is unique in that it addresses the unseen battles against our minds, hearts, and souls.

How often do you struggle with being offended, worrying, being judgmental, and so on?

Do you realize how often the spirit world interacts with you?

My book explains how we are spirit beings in a physical body living in a physical world and how the unseen spiritual world interacts with our spirit. Read 1John 4:1-6 and underline all “Spirit” references. Here are the first three verses: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. ²By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.”

How many times a day do you have an opportunity to become offended?

This book will help you recognize and overcome offenses. For example, I was helping an inmate fight the unseen battle of deception that generated anger. Because of this unseen battle, she wanted to kill her mother. By the end of our session, she overcame the attack on her mind. At our next session, she reported that all was good with the situation involving her mother that she took offense to.

This book will teach you how to help others fight unseen battles in their lives. Parents will benefit by reading this book, so they can recognize the unseen struggles in their children and help them be victorious. I regret not knowing about unseen battles when I was a parent. I would have been a better parent and better equipped to help my children face the many difficulties in the world.

Do you know where unseen battles come from?

My book reveals the many sources of unseen battles, including the basic tactic of every deception and temptation from:

–Demonic Forces

–Self-centered Pride

–Adversity and Troubles

–Sinful Nature

–Worldliness

–Idolatry

–Unanswered Prayer

You will learn about the biblical authority a believer has to fight against demonic forces and the biblical strategies for victory.

My book is the culmination of the Bible Study materials I prepared for incarcerated women. It is written at a basic, easy-to-understand level with practical how-to applications of God’s truths. I love reading my book because it reminds me of the daily battles we are unaware of and the biblical strategies to be victorious. I know you will be encouraged when you read this book. You will also be equipped to help others and to make disciples as Jesus instructed in Matthew 18:19.

You can find my book on Amazon. I hope you check it out because I know you will be blessed. If you read my book and find it helpful, please leave a review. Also, if you want to do a Bible study with it, email me and ask for a free PDF of the leader’s guide. The PDF will have suggested discussion questions after each section. The scriptures in the endnotes will have quick links, and website links to review supporting material. My contact information is on the Copywrite page.

Thank you to everyone who supports my healing ministry. May God bless you and your family richly in the coming year.

Spiritual Warfare 7: HOW TO MAKE PRAYER YOUR AROUND-THE-CLOCK SECURITY GUARD

Since evil spirits are invisible, wouldn’t it be great to have an invisible around-the-clock guard who can warn you of a spiritual attack and protect you? Ephesians 6:18 states, “Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication [requests] for all the saints.” Prayer is a forgotten part of God’s armor, but it is essential for using the rest of the armor because that is where spiritual warfare is fought.

When you pray, you become connected to the Spirit of God, called the Holy Spirit, who lives in your soul/heart. The Holy Spirit can see the evil spirits attack and warn you and then help you be victorious when you have the armor of God on. Prayer is how we draw strength from God and rely on Him to protect us. Praying is the key that “activates” the armor. When you don’t rely on God through prayer, you will lose every spiritual battle. I have written many posts on prayer, which you can find in Posts about Prayer.

Unanswered prayer is a spiritual battle we all face. Because evil spirits know that prayer is powerful and connects us to God’s power and the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Therefore, they will put doubts, distractions, and deceptions into your mind to keep you from praying. So, we need to be alert. 1Peter 5:8 states, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” He mainly attacks our minds through deception and temptations, which I covered in the last nine spiritual warfare posts.

I. How do you pray constantly?

Ephesians 6:18 states, “Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication [requests] for all the saints.” I believe praying at all times means always being mindful to turn every thought into prayer. For example, if you see an ambulance, pray for the paramedics and the injured or sick in the ambulance. If someone cuts you off on the highway, pray a blessing of safe travel for them. As you look at the people you walk by, intercede for them. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, the Apostle Paul encourages us to “pray without ceasing.” And Romans 12:12 states we are to “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” So if I think about someone, I will pray for them at that moment. I immediately turn my concerns over to God instead of thinking about them and being tempted to be anxious. When I am having trouble with something, I seek God for help and guidance. If I am tempted to be angry, I ask God to take the anger from my heart and give me peace. When I walk by my refrigerator and see the missionary pictures, I will pray for them as I go about my kitchen tasks. And so on.

II. What do you think it means to “pray at all times in the Spirit”?

There are several ideas about what it means to pray in the Spirit. One scholar said, that “praying in the spirit means to be directed by the spirit to pray for certain things and for certain people.¹” Albert Barnes said in his commentary that “praying in the Spirit is to pray with His aid.” Romans 8:26 states, “Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”

Those in the charismatic circle say praying in the spirit means we pray in “tongues” (a spiritual language). The book of Acts explains how people spoke in tongues, a few places are in Acts 2:4, 2:38, 19:6. 1Corinthians 14:1-2 states, “Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.” 1Corinthians 14:14 states, “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful.”

We receive the Holy Spirit of God the moment we put our faith in Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. Some biblical scholars say you can have another “baptism/filling of the Spirit” as a separate event given as a gift from God when we ask for it (Luke 11:13). Regardless of what terminology you use, there seem to be separate Holy Spirit infilling events, which causes controversies in some churches.

III. What does it mean to be alert in prayer?

We are to stay alert through prayer because prayer is our guard that protects our thinking. After all, that is where we fight the spiritual war (2Cor. 11:3). When we are not praying, our guard is down, and we become vulnerable to Satan’s unseen attacks. Even Jesus often went alone up into the hills or some other desolate place to pray (Luke 5:16). He knew He needed to commune with His Father.

We, too, need the help of God our Father in heaven to fight against Satan and all the demonic forces of darkness. 2Corinthians 10:4-5 states, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” The weapons of our warfare are God’s armor and His power through the spoken word. My short book on this website explains how to use prayer to destroy wrong thinking, false beliefs, and strongholds. DISCOVER A NEW REALITY.

We can talk to God about anything; besides, He knows everything and is always with us (Ps. 94:11, 139:2-4). God wants us to make requests because He wants to answer our prayers. Isaiah 65:24 states, “Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”

IV. What do you think it means to “keep alert with all perseverance, making supplications [requests] for all the saints?”

First, to “keep alert” means to watch for opportunities. Second, “with all perseverance” means never becoming discouraged or disheartened and not growing weary of making requests for others. Third, “saints” are those who are the children of God. The following Scriptures call believers in Jesus Christ saints: Ephesians 1:1; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Philippians 1:1; and Colossians 1:2.

Prayer also involves worship and thankfulness for all God has blessed us with, or thankfulness for the various truths and promises found in the Bible. Praying at all times is easy when you abide in Jesus Christ (John 15) by letting your mind dwell on Him and not on things of the earth. Note, we do not have to be perfect for God to answer our prayers. We need to humble ourselves by abiding (remain in and dwell) through prayer in the heavenly place with Christ and in the Word of God.

2 Chronicles 7:14 states, “If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Conclusion

Most people are told to set aside time for prayer every day, which is a good practice. Jesus took time for prayer. But praying all the time is a different discipline. Though both prayer methods require mental discipline. I can’t stress enough that through prayer, you stay connected to God, who is your refuge in times of trouble and will protect you from the evil one (2Thes. 3:3). Psalm 91:9-10 states, “Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place—the Most High, who is my refuge—no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent [dwelling].” When you pray continually, you are dwelling with your Lord.

Footnotes:

McDonald, William. (1995) Believers Bible Commentary

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Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com, and ask for a PDF of Eight Prayers from the Bible. The prayers are for the Spirit of wisdom, renewal, spiritual strength, knowledge of His will, virtues of God, salvation for non-believers, 23rd Psalm, and victory. Please leave your name, so I know you are a real person making the request.

Spiritual Warfare 1: HOW TO DISCERN THE TRUTH

When you think of spiritual warfare, what do you think of? One thing is for sure, we all face assaults from unseen demonic spirits. One of those assaults is deception, which is why we need to know the truth. What is truth? Some people say truth is relative to what you want to believe. One of Satan’s greatest offensive tactics is to deceive us because he is the “father of lies” (John 8:44). Satan began his deception in the Garden of Eden. The Apostle Paul said in 2Corinthinas 11:3, “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” Have you known Christians who walked away from their devotion to Jesus Christ because of a false belief? One clue you are believing a lie is when you are mentally struggling with an issue.

We need the belt of truth to discern the truth from falsehood and unhealthy beliefs. You hire a detective to find the clues that lead to the facts. But what facts do you want to believe? Would you trust the facts presented by journalists, entertainers, friends, or the Bible? Our personal detective is the Holy Spirit. John 16:13 states, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” We need to rely on the Holy Spirit to understand the truth in God’s Word. If the Bible makes little sense to you, then you may not have the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit dwells in us when we believe and ask Jesus into our hearts (Eph. 3:17). Remember, the Holy Spirit is one part of the Trinity nature of God. The three parts of God are the Son, Father, and Holy Spirit. So, to ask Jesus into your heart, you get all three parts in one Spirit. For example, Romans 8:9-11 states, “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” With the help of the Spirit, we can know the truth. John 14:26 states, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

Discerning the Truth

The best way to increase your ability to discern truth is to apply God’s Word to your life. Putting on the belt of truth secures your beliefs, so you are stable and not easily influenced by empty philosophy (James 1:8). So, if you doubt God’s Word is the truth, then you will be unstable and tempted to believe all kinds of false teachings and philosophies. Being devoid of truth leaves you feeling empty and despairing. So, learning and applying biblical truth is crucial for victory over the evil spirit rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers over this present darkness (Eph. 6:12). We quickly forget so we need to meditate on His Word day and night. Joshua 1:8 states, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Also, read James 1:22-25.

Through prayer, I humbly ask God to reveal my false beliefs. Then, I yield my mind to the truth of God’s Word and resist the devil’s devious enticement to please my deceitful, corrupt desires. Jeremiah 17:9-10 states, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? ‘I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.’” Ask God to search your heart and mind for false beliefs or corrupt desires and to transform them with the truth, so your efforts will produce good fruit. Psalm 119:11 states, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” Reading your Bible every day, memorizing scriptures, participating in Bible studies, and attending Church services all strengthen the belt of truth.

Truth Sets You Free

Not only does the belt of truth secure godly beliefs in your mind, but it also sets you free. Jesus said in John 8:31-32, “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Abide means to dwell, remain, or stay. So when we stay in God’s Word, we will know the truth and become free from our old nature based on false, unhealthy beliefs.

Truth Sanctifies You

Another function of truth is to sanctify us. John 17:17 states, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” According to Webster’s dictionary, sanctify means to be made holy or set apart as holy and made free from sin. Jesus Christ sanctified us when we believed (2Cor. 1:2). Sanctification is the process of putting off your old sinful thoughts and putting on a new way of thinking and behaving (Rom. 6:19). Ephesians 4:21-24 states, “Assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Evidence You Have ON The Belt of Truth

Do you practice the truth? 1Jonn 1:6 states, “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” John. 8:12 states, “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” How do we know if we walk in darkness? Ephesians 5:8-9 states, “For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.” If you do what is right, practice the truth, and your heart wants to please God, you know you are in the light and not in darkness.

The Bible also says to put on the armor of light and walk in the light of Christ Jesus. The Apostle Paul encouraged the Believers in Rome to put on Jesus Christ, the “armor of light.” Romans 13:12–14 states the following:

The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off [loose, let go] the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

When you put on the armor of light, it protects you from evil. The light also exposes your sinful desires (the works of darkness), so you can repent and put your mind on the things of the Spirit (Rom. 8:5–8). Remember, the devil accesses your mind through the weakness of your flesh. Satan also gains access through our resentment from offenses, forgiveness closes that door.

Proverbs 4:19 states, “The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.” Ask God to search your mind and show you the sins or resentments waging war against your soul (1Pet. 2:11). The soul is the origin of our thoughts and will, which determines all behavior. And the soul is considered the moral or emotional nature of man. So, the unseen battleground is for your soul.

John 3:20 states, “For everyone who does wicked [evil] things hates the light, and does not come to the light for fear that his works [deeds] will be exposed.” When God shines His light on your sin, then pray and verbally put off what He has shown you, in Jesus’ name. If He exposes resentment, forgive those who caused the resentment and loose the painful emotions in Jesus’ name, and then be thankful for something to transform the memory. Jesus set you free from the control of sin (Rom. 6:14, 18), but you still need to take captive the thoughts that lure you to sin or to be resentful (2Cor. 10:5).

The second evidence you have the belt of truth on is loving others in deed and truth? 1John 3:18-19 states, “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him [God].”

The third evidence is keeping the commandments of God. 1John 2:4-6 states, “Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”

Conclusion

The truth is the opposite of deceit or falsehood. If you doubt the truth of God’s Word, then you will be unstable and influenced by any false doctrine. You need the Holy Spirit to dwell in you and help you know the truth so you can be set free from the bondage of demonic deception. The belt of truth helps secure healthy beliefs about yourself, others, the world, and God. The truth also changes us from the inside out, so we can love from a pure heart and do what is right. You know you have the belt of truth on when you desire to meditate on Scripture and please God. The belt of truth is necessary to have on if you are to remain secure in godly beliefs and not be deceived by the devil.

Pray:I put on the BELT OF TRUTH and will ponder scriptural truths day and night so I don’t sin against You and to succeed in all I do. I will depend on the Holy Spirit to lead me in truth, so I am not deceived. I humbly yield my mind to the truth of God’s Word and resist the devil’s temptation to sin through my deceitful, corrupt desires. (Josh. 1:8; Ps.119:11; James 4:7-8; Jer. 17:9-10; Eph. 4:22.)

Spiritual Warfare 3: HOW TO BATTLE FOR PEACE

Spiritual Warfare 4: How to Protect Your Mind

Spiritual Warfare 5: HOW TO ANNIHILATE UNSEEN ATTACKS

Spiritual Warfare 6: HOW FAITH OFFERS FULL PROTECTION

HOW TO DESTROY THE DEVIL’S WORK IN YOUR LIFE

PUTTING ON THE ARMOR OF GOD PRAYER MODEL

What is God’s armor, and why do we need to put it on? Who is my enemy? Ephesians 6:12-13 states, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” And 2Corinthians 11:3 states, “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” Your enemy is the serpent, rulers, authorities, etc., otherwise known as the devil (also called Satan) and demons. Satan has been deceiving and tempting humanity to sin since the Garden of Eden. We need to submit our minds to God daily and trust Him and resist the devil (James 4:7). The armor of God is one of the strategies the Apostle Paul outlined in Ephesians 6:14-18 to fight the daily spiritual warfare.

As you put on the armor, know that God’s divine power helps you succeed. Trusting in the truths of His great and precious promises allows you to have His divine nature to defeat the enemy of your soul. The devil’s single goal is to deceive you and corrupt your relationship with God and others through your sinful nature (2Peter 1:3-4). Daily put on God’s armor through prayer to keep the victory.

++++++++++++++++++++++

Dear Lord, I am weak, but You make me strong with Your mighty strength. I put on the whole armor of God so that I can stand against the schemes of the devil. I remind myself today that I do not wrestle against flesh and blood but with unseen evil powers. With Your armor on, I can withstand the destructive plans of the spiritual forces of evil and stand firm against deceptions and temptations.

I put on the belt of truth by meditating on scripture day and night so I will not sin against God and succeed in all I do. I will depend on the Holy Spirit to lead me in truth, so I am not deceived. I humbly yield my mind to the truth of God’s Word and resist the devil’s temptations to sin through my deceitful, corrupt desires. (Josh. 1:8; Ps.119:11; James 4:7-8; Jer. 17:9-10; Eph. 4:22.)

I put on the breastplate of righteousness and receive forgiveness for my sins that I may practice righteousness and do God’s will. I will seek to please God in reverent fear knowing I will stand before Him to give an account of the good or evil I do while in the flesh. (Acts 10:43; 1John 1:9; 2:29; John 9:31. 2Cor. 5:9-10.)

I put on the shoes of the gospel of peace, being prepared to be at peace with everyone and in every situation, even when people do not meet my expectations. I put off the spirit of pride and walk as God walks in humility, love, compassion, and respect for others. I will share my testimony of hope and encourage everyone I can to love and trust in Jesus Christ, who gives peace. (Jam. 3:18; Rom. 12:16-18; Col. 3:12-14; 1John2:16; Prov. 16:18; 1Peter 3:8,15.)

I put on the helmet of salvation and take every tempting thought, offense, and unholy desire captive and make it submit to the Lordship of Christ Jesus. I have the mind of Christ and His authority to overcome every obstacle to my faith. I will forgive offenses quickly so the devil doesn’t get a foothold in my mind to produce the fleshly desire to be angry, impatient, and unkind. I will renew my mind with the truth in God’s Word daily. (2Cor. 10:3-5; 1Cor. 2:16b; Col. 2:9-10; Matt. 6:14-15; Eph. 4:26-27; Jam. 1:14-15.)

I take up my sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word, to strike down every temptation to yield to my pride and deceitful, fleshly desires. I will discipline my mind to memorize Bible verses and practice them to strengthen and sharpen my sword. And I yield to the Holy Spirit’s control and guidance over my thoughts. (Heb. 4:12; Rom. 8:5-8; Mat. 4:1-10; John 16:13-14.)

I take up my shield of faith to block the fiery arrows of condemnation, accusation, temptations, doubts, and flattery of the enemy. I believe that God loves me, cares about me, and is my shield that protects me from evil. I will strengthen my faith by meditating on Scripture day and night. (Eph. 6:16; Rev. 12:9; 1John 3:1; 1Peter 5:7; 2Thes. 3:3; Rom. 10:17)

I will pray continually and give all my concerns to God. I will be thankful and not complain or argue. I will praise God’s attributes and trust Him. I will serve others in love and do good and share. (1Thes.5:16-17; Eph. 6:18; Phil. 2:12-16; Heb. 13:15-16; Gal. 5:13) I am prepared to be victorious today by the grace of God and in His strength.

I am prepared to be victorious today by the grace of God and in His strength.
By Joyce Hanscom–hopeforcompletehealing.com

You have my permission to copy this declaration and use it in your daily prayer time.

Grace and peace to you.

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON’T PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR?

Spiritual Warfare 1: HOW TO DISCERN THE TRUTH

Spiritual Warfare 2: HOW TO NOT DIE SPIRITUALLY

Spiritual Warfare 3: HOW TO BATTLE FOR PEACE

Spiritual Warfare 4: How to Protect Your Mind

Spiritual Warfare 5: HOW TO ANNIHILATE UNSEEN ATTACKS

Check out my first book on Amazon. I would love to hear what you think.

P.S.: Experiencing a lasting change in your life depends on having a right relationship with God the Father through believing in His Son Jesus Christ and obeying His command to love (1 John 3).

Unanswered Prayer? Are You Connected?

Nothing is more discouraging to our faith than not getting what we pray or hope for. The first two reasons why God may not give what you ask for are: 1) God may not be your Father and 2) what you are asking for may not be good. Read Reasons One and Two Why Prayer Is Not Answered.

Now, if you know for certain that God is your Father, and you believe what you are asking for is according to His will, then do you only pray when you are desperate or need something? God created us to be in relationships with others and especially with Himself. A healthy relationship requires spending time and talking with those we love. So, the third reason why you feel your prayers are hitting the ceiling is not being in the right relationship with God.

For example, if a lamp is not plugged into a power source, the lamp will not produce light. By faith, you expect the lamp to light when you plug it into an electric outlet, and as long as it stays plugged in, it will light. The power to the outlet comes from outside the building, just like our power source is from God. And as long as we remain connected to God, we will have power. Are you always plugged into God and the Bible?

John 15:7 states, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

Are you abiding in God and are His words abiding in you?

Abide means to remain in something. We abide in God in the same way we rest in a place of shelter. When we abide in God, we trust He will protect us and provide for us. We remain in the shelter of God by faith through continual prayer with thanksgiving, praise, and pondering Scriptural truths.

Psalm 91:1 states, “He who dwells in the shelter (secret place) of the Most High will abide (rest) in the shadow of the Almighty.” Read my post called Psalm 91:1–How to Dwell in Heaven Now to learn more about how to abide in heaven with God.

When we pray with thanksgiving, praising God, and ponder Scripture, then our spirit draws near to Him, and He promises to draw near to us (see James 4:8). Do you only pray to Him and read your Bible in church on Sunday morning and maybe Wednesday night service? Do you say a nightly prayer after spending the day worrying or doing and thinking about worldly things? If your answer is yes, then you are not abiding in God.

Do you abide in God’s Word by reading it every day and memorizing it? If not, resolve to begin today. The mornings are the best time to read the Bible so you can meditate on what you read throughout the day. Writing out a key verse and reviewing it throughout the day will help you stay connected to God. 2 John 1:9 states, “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God (in their hearts). Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”

How do I know if I am abiding in God?

1John 3:18-24 explains how you know if you are staying connected to God.

18) Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

19) By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him;

20) for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.

21) Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;

22) and whatever we ask we receive from him because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.

23) And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.

24) Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this, we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

Do you love your brothers and sisters in Christ? Do you want to know if you have resentment towards anyone, then read How to Recognize and Eliminate Emotional Cancer.

If you have a hard time loving people, then read Love From a Pure Heart to become free to love others well. 1Corinthians 13:13 states, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1John 3:17 explains, “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees a brother (Christian brother or sister) in need, yet closes his heart against them, how does God’s love abide in him?”

Conclusion

Prayer is our connection to the living, almighty God, and is the channel through which we receive power, wisdom, direction, and healing. Prayer is not only asking for things. You must remain in connection with God through continual prayer with thanksgiving by faith, reading His Word, and loving your brothers and sisters in Christ. If your heart does not condemn you, then you have the confidence to be connected to God. Ephesians 3:11and 12 states, “This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.”

RELATED POSTS:

How We Know God Will Never Forsake Us?

HOW TO PRAY USING THE LORD’S PRAYER AS A MODEL

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Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com, and ask for a PDF of Eight Prayers from the Bible. The prayers are for the Spirit of wisdom, renewal, spiritual strength, knowledge of His will, virtues of God, non-believers, 23rd Psalm, and victory. Please leave your name so I know you are a real person making the request.

P.S.: Experiencing a lasting change in your life depends on having a right relationship with God the Father through believing in His Son Jesus Christ and obeying His command to love (1 John 3).