Tag Archives: authority

Prayer for When You’re Verbally Attacked

Prayer for When You’re Verbally Attacked

Prayer for When You’re Verbally Attacked

Do you ever just feel attacked?  Sometimes it can seem relentless!  I think it’s high time that we just get fed up with being attacked and start doing something about it!  Previously, I wrote a post for scriptures to help when you feel attacked or persecuted.  These scriptures are helpful and comforting to let us know that we’re not alone, that God is our avenger, and that we will be blessed and graced when enduring persecution. Today I’d like to go on the offensive a little more.  I’d like to give you a prayer that you can pray when you feel like you’re being verbally attacked by people. 

We are not doormats to be walked on

I do believe there is a time and a place to endure attacks, but I also firmly believe that God never intended for us to be doormats to be walked on by people.  When we’re being verbally attacked, there ARE times when it’s okay to fight back…just not always in the way your natural instincts might want to! 😉  It’s okay to go to war.  We don’t have to hide until Jesus comes.  Nor do we have to be wimpy, spineless, victimized Christians!  We don’t always need to head for cover when we’re verbally attacked by people.

We need to be fighters and warriors!

It’s time to decide to be strong and put on the full armor of God to stand up to the devil and his schemes and strategies!

“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.” Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV)

During a Bible study in college, it was brought to my attention that we have nothing on our back with this armor.  In warfare we are meant to stand, face it, and fight–NOT turn our backs and run away.

Some attacks have to be faced head-on. 

Fight spiritual warfare

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What’s Stopping You From Running the Race?

What’s Stopping You From Running the Race?

What’s Stopping You From Running the Race?

*Repost: Originally posted 5/12/2015

Do you ever have those weeks where you just feel like you’re running a race?  OK…so I’m going to be completely honest with you and tell you that what I had originally intended to post this week isn’t completely finished yet.  We have definitely been “running the race” in our household lately!  It has been pretty busy with the end of school nearing for my kids including all of their end-of-the-year activities.  College finals were this past week for both my husband, Eric (taking his—FOR THE VERY LAST TIME!!!) and for me (giving finals and getting my course grades finished up and posted).

We also had my sister-in-law’s graduation for her Master’s degree, along with an array of other goings-on…baseball (when it wasn’t raining), church meetings, my niece’s band concert, a teacher conference, and a birthday party which included a full-blown panic attack and angry momma-bear incident by me when my son fell off of a platform without railing head-first while playing at a local paintball complex.  Thankfully, my son is fine and was obviously protected by angels because he could have easily broken his neck the way he fell.

On a positive note though, we have been super excited to be preparing for Eric’s graduation this week!  WOOT WOOT ERIC!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!  I don’t know who is more excited…me or Eric?  His degree has been 11 years in the making (due to only being able to take 2 classes at a time while working full-time and supporting a family), so he’s been running the race for quite some time now in that arena.  He’s worked really hard for it, so he is probably a little more excited than I am. 🙂

A reminder about our races

Then, with Mother’s Day this past weekend, “running the race” seems like an understatement.  I’m sure many of you can empathize with all of the busyness of this time of year.  Instead of trying to rush and finish my original post, I decided to pull something that I wrote several years back.  That’s the benefit of writing things down and saving them for a rainy day (quite literally here in Oklahoma lately).  It actually seemed to suit the occasion quite well too because I had entitled it “Running the Race”.

In honor of Eric running the race and finishing up to move on to another, and in honor of all of YOU who are also running the race in a variety of ways, here is a reminder that I had about running the race… Continue reading

Scriptures About the Lord is On My Side

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Scriptures About the Lord is On My Side

Do you know the power that you have on your side and behind you? So many people are unaware or forget that God is on their side. It’s easy to feel defeated and discouraged when we lose sight of this. Therefore this week I’d like to share some scriptures to inform you and build your confidence in the fact that the Lord is on your side!

I mentioned in the post about using our spiritual authority against the enemy that we need to know that we are God’s children, and that we have the one true and only God on our side to back us up and empower us. God loves us. He is for us, not against us. God is our biggest cheerleader. We can rest confident in Him.

A word of caution here…God is on the side of the righteous, those in right-standing with him because of accepting the sacrifice of Jesus. God is on the side of truth—His word is truth (John 17:17). God is on our side when we are on HIS side. Additionally, just because God is on our side does not mean that we are always guaranteed immediate success nor that we are spared hard times or trouble (John 16:33).

Scriptures about the Lord is on my side

“What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” Romans 8:31 (NLT)

“My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help. This I know: God is on my side!” Psalm 56:9 (NLT)

“The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.” Psalm 118:6-7 (ESV)

“What if the LORD had not been on our side? Let all Israel repeat: What if the LORD had not been on our side when people attacked us?” Psalm 124:1-2 (NLT)

“For the LORD will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared.” Proverbs 3:26 (NIV)

“See, the Sovereign LORD is on my side! Who will declare me guilty? All my enemies will be destroyed like old clothes that have been eaten by moths!” Isaiah 50:9 (NLT)

“Then my enemies will see that the LORD is on my side. They will be ashamed that they taunted me, saying, “So where is the LORD— that God of yours?” With my own eyes I will see their downfall; they will be trampled like mud in the streets.” Micah 7:10 (NLT)

“But the LORD stands beside me like a great warrior. Before him my persecutors will stumble. They cannot defeat me. They will fail and be thoroughly humiliated. Their dishonor will never be forgotten.” Jeremiah 20:11 (NLT)

“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14 (NIV) Continue reading

How to Use Our Spiritual Authority Against the Enemy

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How to Use Our Spiritual Authority Against the Enemy

Recently I wrote on authority. We discussed the importance of knowing we have God-given authority which is backed by God’s power, and we also hit on the importance of using that authority instead of sitting idly by waiting for God to move. I think so many Christians don’t realize the power that we have available to us and through us because of Jesus. In that previous post we talked about the history, foundation, and basis of our authority. This week I’d like to go a little further into what it looks like to build our confidence and practically use that spiritual authority, especially in situations of spiritual warfare or attacks from the enemy.

As a quick recap…

God owns the earth (Psalm 24:1). When God created humans, he gave us spiritual authority to act as his stewards (Genesis 1:26-28, Hebrews 2:5-8). Then Adam sinned and passed that authority over to Satan (Luke 4:6, 2 Corinthians 4:4, 1 John 5:19, Ephesians 2:2). Later, Jesus came and restored that authority (Matthew 28:18, Romans 5:17-21, Colossians 1:20). Then, Jesus transferred this authority back to his followers (Matthew 16:19, Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 10:19, John 20:21-22, Acts 1:8, Luke 24:47).

As the body of Christ, we have authority to do the works of Jesus in the world today. It is our responsibility to resist and stand against the enemy.

“Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.” Luke 10:19 (NLT)

“These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” Mark 16:17-18 (NLT)

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 (NIV)

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” 1 Peter 5:8-9 (NIV)

“Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.” Ephesians 6:11 (NLT)

Remind them of who they are

When praying about this post I believe I heard God say, “Remind them of who they are.” In order to start confidently using our God-given spiritual authority against the enemy, we need to know that we are God’s children, and that we have the one true and only God on our side to back us up and empower us. Additionally, we need to know that God has already promised us victory.

We are children and heirs of God himself!

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We Have Authority

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We Have Authority—It’s time to start using it!

I mentioned in a recent post about God’s power in us that I’ve been working on writing some posts about spiritual warfare and encountering Satan and evil spiritual and supernatural forces. Some of the most important things we need to know when engaging in spiritual warfare is that we have power and authority from God. Therefore, this post is primarily going to be focusing on instruction on the authority that God gives us and encouragement to start using that authority.

It’s so important that we discuss authority because if we don’t know we have it, we won’t use it. This is like a $100 bill in your pocket that you don’t know is there! If you don’t use it, it won’t do you any good. It reminds me of the time when I had sold my college textbooks back to the bookstore at the end of the semester and pocketed my refund. I packed that pair of pants away and forgot that the money was in my pocket. Several months went by when that money would have come in really handy. I had the money the whole time. I just wasn’t aware of it and didn’t use it. That is, until one day when I wore those pants again and stuck my hand in my pocket. That was a great day!

What IS authority and why is it important?

Authority is delegated power. It’s a power granted to one person by someone else who is IN authority. Authority is being in charge, in control, or in command. The person in authority is the one legally giving the orders, and the ones to whom those orders are given MUST comply.

As a Christian, we have authority over the enemy, given to us by God (more about this throughout the post).

This is important because if God gave us authority over the enemy, that then means WE are the ones in charge and the enemy must comply. Or as a child might put it, the devil is “not the boss of us” or our situations and circumstances. Therefore, we need to stop acting like he is and stop acting like we’re powerless.

There needs to be authority for things to be in place. Satan always wants to stop it. However, the devil and his forces HAVE to recognize our influence as believers.

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

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 (NIV)

Where does authority come from?

If authority is delegated power, then where does it come from? All authority comes from God.

“Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.” Romans 13:1 (NLT)

The value of authority rests in the power behind it. God is the power behind our influence. When we use our God-given authority, HIS power backs us up.

Even Jesus was under God’s authority. He was not out doing his own works in his own name. Jesus does what God does or God’s will.

“So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.” John 5:19 (NLT)

“I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.” John 5:30 (NLT)

We are also under God’s authority. James 4:7 says that we should submit ourselves to God, then resist the devil and he will flee. To “submit” here indicates that to get our power and influence we have to obey and follow the one who gives it to us. Subordinates not obeying or submitting their upper authority will get their own power revoked. This means that we have to FIRST be submitted to God under HIS authority (to his teaching and his Word), just as Jesus was. We must follow and obey God and his Word. This submission to a higher authority then gives us our authority within which we operate and have power, God’s power working with and through us.

How authority works on the earth…Is God REALLY in control?

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Scriptures About God’s Power in Us

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Scriptures About God’s Power in Us

Recently I have been working on writing some posts about spiritual warfare and encountering Satan and evil spiritual and supernatural forces. I’ve been writing on this for a while now and realized that it’s going to have to be split into a few different posts. Some of the most important things we need to know when engaging in spiritual warfare is that we have power and authority from God.

It’s important to build our faith in the knowledge about God’s power in us. When we are confident in the power that is available to us and in us, we can then start to boldly walk in our authority to fight spiritual battles. Today, I’d like to build our faith about God’s power in us. The best way to build faith is to read and hear scripture from the Word of God.

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17 (NKJV)

Scriptures about God’s power in us…

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Don’t Be Surprised When People Hate You

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Don’t Be Surprised When People Hate You

Lately, I’ve come across some opposition in a variety of areas. Unfortunately in some of those instances I’ve had to deal with a fair amount of disrespect. It’s been so frustrating because I feel like I’ve handled everything right by correcting in love, affirming and pointing out the good, yet firmly setting boundaries. Even in the midst of showing love, help, and support, I received disdain in return. “Hate” is the word reverberating to me, and that hurts because I’ve done NOTHING to deserve hate. I am legitimately surprised when people hate me. After all, I’m a pretty likable person!

Then one day, after some prayer (and a good amount of tears) I remembered that Jesus experienced undeserved hate. He told us we should expect it too. We shouldn’t be surprised when people hate us.

“And everyone will hate you because you are my followers.” Luke 21:17 (NLT)

“And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 10:22 (NLT)

“And everyone will hate you because you are my followers. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Mark 13:13 (NLT)

“Hear this message from the LORD, all you who tremble at his words: “Your own people hate you and throw you out for being loyal to my name. ‘Let the LORD be honored!’ they scoff. ‘Be joyful in him!’ But they will be put to shame.” Isaiah 66:5 (NLT)

“Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12 (NLT)

They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good.” 2 Timothy 3:3 (NLT)

When people hate you…Welcome to my world

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Pray for Your Enemies

Pray for Your Enemies

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:43-48 (NLT)

Who do you automatically think of when the words “enemy” or “enemies” are used? Do you have a particular person come to mind? Does a certain situation play out in your mind? Is it personal for you or do you think about that word more generally (as in ISIS or terrorists, etc.)?

I think sometimes there are seasons of life. Sometimes we have personal enemies. Sometimes we don’t. Other times “enemy” might seem like too strong of a word, but we still harbor feelings of hurt or abuse caused by someone else. It can be difficult to think of these people who cause us pain in a positive light, much less think of having to forgive, love, and pray for them. However, scripture is very clear what our response to our enemies should be. It is also quite clear in directing us to love and pray for our enemies.

Our response to our enemies should be…

To love and to pray:

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:43-48 (NLT)

“Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Luke 6:28 (NIV)

To control our own temper and overlook an offense or a wrong:

“If you are sensible, you will control your temper. When someone wrongs you, it is a great virtue to ignore it.” Proverbs 19:11 (GNT)

“Good sense and discretion make a man slow to anger, and it is his honor and glory to overlook a transgression or an offense [without seeking revenge and harboring resentment].” Proverbs 19:11 (AMP)

To respond with kindness and not retaliate:

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