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Category Archives: Spiritual Warfare


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Ascension of The Mind

Ascension of The Mind:

The Birth Pangs

 

May all our hearts and minds be inclined to do good and not evil, and know the difference.

A tremendous shift is starting to take place in the earth; the mind of mankind is starting to ascend as the spirit of Christ, the consummation of truth and love, unites to and within the souls of mankind.

This huge shift starts small, as a seed, within mankind. It comes by the obliteration of what is wicked and evil, and the ascension of what is good and loving in each individual. As one entity dies and another comes to life within us, it feels like spiritual birth pangs. The incredible nature of this transition of the ages is it happens within you and me.

Some have sold all, the elements of wickedness disguised in alluring lust, for the tiny seed. Some have seen that seed as nothing and tossed it aside. But in that seed is the essence of the spirit of the divine that unites our spirits to the eternal spirit of life.

Birth Pangs: Truth pushing through the Lies

There are two sources our thoughts can come from; lies from a lying spirit or truth from the spirit of truth.

There are two forces intently at work right now in our minds. One is the fiery darts of the lying spirit trying to steal and destroy any truth we are moving into and gaining. Ephesians 6:16

The second is the ointments of healing of the spirit of truth revealing any hidden darkness of our hearts and minds; thus setting us free from the lies that seek to destroy. 1 Corinthians 4:5

One seeks to destroy life and the other seeks to give it. Pray to know the difference. Many unknowingly follow lies they hold as truth to their own destruction.

There is a battle in our mind for our mind.

If a force or entity controls the mind, it controls the person, their reality, and on a large scale the world. Christ, the Word of God, moves our minds thus our existence into eternal life. Everything counter to His truth moves our minds thus our existence into death.

The truth in combination with our experiences that testify to the truth, which creates true faith Hebrews 11:1, are our defense and protection. If the truth never took root in us, then there is no testimony to the truth in our lives. We may have heard it, but if there is no transformation from within out, it never took root.  Thus, it’s very difficult to not believe lies when hurdled in our direction. Yet, if the truth is rooted in us, we will have the testimony in our lives because what we believe creates our reality. The fiery darts of these days will show whether the words of truth took root or not. If not, even what truth we heard will be stripped from our souls as if we never heard it. This is what an unblocked fiery dart does to a soul. Matthew 13:12

If we have the truth, when a fiery dart is shot at us; we can recognize it for what it is because the rooted truth in us reveals it as not true. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, Revelation 12:16 Yet, this doesn’t necessarily make dismissing that thought a walk in the park. The darts that enter our minds are in relation to lies that we once held as truth. Thus, they have an impact on us.  We feel the sting when it hits our mind, but the truth stands up as our shield and buckler to protect us from any deep penetration or harm, because we don’t act on it. Psalm 91:4 What if we had no truth to combat that particular lie? The lie would take root. When a lie is accepted as truth, we act on it and make it a part of our reality, which further convinces us that it was true, when IT WAS A LIE!

Lies create pain, suffering, affliction, turmoil, irritation, oppression, tribulation, angst, stress, fear, bondage, anxiousness, worry, sin, and death.

Truth creates righteousness, peace, purity, holiness, goodness, joy, wisdom, kindness, love, rest, and eternal life.

Our lives reflect what we hold as true.

Is there any question to which direction we desire to move in? Yet, lies keep us from gaining the truth we need to be free from them. Until we diligently seek for the truth … Hebrews 11:6

In light of the battle taking place in our minds, we can understand why the heavenly Father told us to seek wisdom and understanding Proverbs 4:7, 16:16, to bind truth and mercy around our necks Proverbs 3:3, 14:22, to seek FIRST His righteousness (Matthew 6:33), and to listen and obey His counsel leading us in perfect truth (2 John 1:3, Isaiah 48:18).

The Light is dawning. The revealing of the hearts of people has begun. Charades will fall away, and all will be exposed. People are either showing more loving kindness, internal beauty, and wisdom, or they are showing more irritation, internal ugliness, and afflictions of foolishness. Matthew 3:10

Be a seeker of truth, which is knowing what is of the purest of love, thus knowing the heavenly Father. 1 John 4:8 If you truly trust the TRUE Christ (for many false Christs abound) to set you free, free you will be. EMBRACE the Light shining in your soul and let go of all that isn’t of the purest of love to all creation. REPEL the darts that seek to defeat and take this love from you. Keep pushing until your reality reflects the purest of love.


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Free – the Prison of Your Mind

Free – the Prison of Your Mind

Zechariah 9:11-12
 “As for you also, Because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to the stronghold, You prisoners of hope. Even today I declare That I will restore double to you.

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The True Liberty

The True Liberty

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

While you are enjoying hamburgers, friends, and fireworks, consider what true liberty is. It isn’t doing what you want; as we’ve been led to believe in America of the free. The liberty presented of and by the world is an illusion.

1 John 5:19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one

The whole world is under the sway of the wicked one. In Matthew 4:8-9, “Satan” offers Jesus the kingdoms of the world if He will bow down to him, because they are his to give. This earth is Satan’s/evil’s domain. (Satan is the cumulative force (energy) of the human self-determined will) You don’t have to look far to see this truth in religion, government, education, financial systems, consumerism, and media. If you take time to dig a little deeper, you will see just how real his kingship is on earth. Satan is a created being. There are the children of God, and then there are the seed of the wicked one. John 8:44, Matthew 13:25 His presence, work and influence are very real, not mystical as he would have you believe. All is inundated with his messages and influence. There are really only two choices in regards to true liberty; following Satan’s way/messages or God’s. Only one brings freedom.

Many times I’ve said, be careful of the influence of others. Satan’s spirit floods the airwaves. It’s his copycat of the Holy Spirit. He sends out his propaganda of who we are supposed to be, do and want. He tells us want it important, valued and accepted. The messages are EVERYWHERE. Like lost sheep going to the slaughter, most people serve them. We make great sacrifices for them. We own them as truth, life, happiness and the American way. This is his world and the kingdoms of this world serve his purposes; thus true liberty by this world is an illusion. 2 Corinthians 4:4

It’s easy to spiritualize Satan’s sway over the world negating its power, but it’s foolish and blinding to do so. His manipulation, control, and influence abounds and yes in America too, which is cloaked in the illusion of liberty. True, in America we are able to “do what we want” more than many countries, but is that really freedom, or just another from of bondage? Your enemy is extremely shrewd. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful I don’t have to sleep with an Uzi under my pillow, but I don’t want us to be unwise in the enemy’s tactics, thinking it is America of the free, when it’s just another form of bondage, which many are blind to and is increasing daily.

Some may be outwardly slaves, but free inward. Others can be outwardly “free” but in bondage inwardly. What is the worse? True bondage or freedom begins with the mind. What truths we hold bind us or free us. When we hold and live by the truths of God, we are loosed from Satan’s sway. A mind united to God in truth is the only one that is free; because God is perfect in truth and love. Ultimately what we deeply desire can only be fulfilled through unity with God, thus He is our freedom, and any other way is bondage.

2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty

America exemplifies this bondage of the mind. The bondage of the American mind is apparent in the epidemics of obesity and diseases, sexual addictions, work alcoholics, drug addicts, debt, and stress. We bind ourselves by following Satan’s messages. We are not healthy as free people would be, we are deeply sick as we are trapped by heeding the lie from the beginning, “do what you want.” But are we really doing what WE want? Or want Satan wants?

America symbolizes Satan’s modus operandi (MO), “do what you want”, in the name of liberty. Yet, as I mentioned, he is manufacturing what we “want” by his propaganda. It’s how he manipulated Eve, it’s how he tempted Jesus, and it’s how he tempts and manipulates us. Though this statement has an appearance of liberty, it moves you away from truth to self, thus bondage. (Following God is truth and life, following self is bondage and death) The gay pride movement is an example of this MO at work. They are doing what they “want” and as society supports and reinforces their actions, these poor souls are becoming more deeply bound to pain and sealing them to a fate of slavery to that pain. We are to love the person, not the pain. But this isn’t happening and in the name of liberty and “do what you want” these souls are in deeper bondage than they were before because now it’s who they are, instead of a symptom of a deeper hurt. This is one example of many inward bondages masqueraded as outward liberty.

Look at the hours spent serving Satan’s messages (anything contrary to God’s truth). Look at the time spent deeply seeking God and His truth. Now do you wonder why we are in the state we are in? It’s time to be honest with ourselves. Who is America really serving? Who are YOU really serving?

As you set out to honor liberty today, honor the only true liberty and the only One it comes from, God. God’s presence and truth in you is the only true liberty. The liberty painted by this world is a masquerade of Satan that only puts you in further bondage. Be wise.

The greatest prison is our mind. Thus, liberty is of the mind, and that is what Christ came to give us among many other treasures. The truth sets us free. Though it isn’t an easy journey to be renewed in God’s truth because of the pressing in of the world upon our minds, but if we seek we will find.

The True Liberty

Liberty is of the mind
A gift to receive, to find

Given from the One above
Found through the sacrifice of blood

A door to an unadulterated way
A path to truth, for this pray

May you walk this narrow road
Difficult as it sets a new mold

Reshaping your mind to a new kind
Removing the veil holding you blind

Seek for truth on high
Allowing your bondage soul to fly

Look not to what you see
But to the One of Eternity

Freedom reign within
Liberty without end

~ Rachel DiPaolo
July 4, 2011


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Swayed & Misled by Posers

Swayed and Misled

by Posers

We are the sum of our beliefs.  Our beliefs are formed from various sources. It’s the work of a child of God to believe in Truth that comes from one source, God and His Word. John 6:29 It’s work because we’ve all grown up with lies. It’s work because we have to unlearn and relearn. It’s work because we are surrounded by an abundance of appealing false philosophies filling our ears that speak to our deepest needs, hungers, and desires. It’s work because truth is only found in God and His Word, which requires the devotion of a steadfast heart set on knowing the Truth. And it’s the work God has given us to do.

Who we listen to are those we allow to influence us and our thoughts, thus our beliefs. Jesus heartedly warned us that in the end there would be many false prophets, posers of ministers of light, and wolves in sheep’s clothing leading people astray. If we heed their words, we will be influenced and we will be headed for the darkness of deception instead towards the light of truth. Most of us underestimate our ability to be influenced. We confidently assume we will be able to discern. It’s a dangerous assumption. What we give ear to, especially on a consistent basis, influences us.

Jesus said these posers would abound in the end. Look around; they are. They look good, kind, and humble. They appear to say the right things. They use God and Jesus’ name.  Our enemy (the collective self-will) isn’t stupid. He knows what we fall for. He knows many of us are too smart to fall for the slick salesman type, though many fall for those as well. The greatest evil is that which is disguised as good. Our enemy’s deception is shrewd.

This week I’ve been learning an interesting lesson …

Those who are walking under the tutelage of these posers are and will suffer greatly for it in their souls. False beliefs and lies torment our soul. These men/women have a power to harm and destroy with their words. When we are listening to them we are feasting with the enemy and thus inviting all sorts of evil into our lives.

It’s nothing new that posers lead people astray. But we often fail to deeply consider the next phase, what happens to people’s souls as they are lead astray? They suffer greatly. They suffer torment in their lives. This connection between souls who are being tormented, and the souls who give their ear to these posers grabbed me by the heart this week. However, those suffering often attribute the torments to something else, because their hope of deliverance comes from these false leaders. The nature of deception is you don’t know that you are deceived, but instead believe you are abiding in the truth.

As this dynamic started to become clearer, my reading for the week took me into Revelation 9. The description of the locusts and the army of horseman in this chapter are men and women. They are given power to torment and destroy those who don’t have the seal of God on their foreheads (a knowledge and trust of the Truth). Their power is in their words. What stood out to me was their description is like that of religious leaders.  Isaiah 9:15, Revelation 9:19

Religious leaders hold a tremendous power over others because they are speaking to our deepest issues where we are most vulnerable; fears, quilt, loneliness, healing, deliverance, death and life. They speak with intent of bringing the answers, freedom and hope we long for. Therefore, they are more influential than most in our lives. Their power and the power we give them are grossly underestimated.

This connection between a soul’s torment and following posers hit hard.  There is so much suffering these days that is coming in all shapes and sizes, could this be one of the reasons for the torment people face? Lies destroy. Lies are growing among those labeled as Christians and it is destroying many.

How do we overcome this deception and falling prey to the enemy of torment? A love for the truth.

2 Thessalonians 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

What does a love for the truth look like in someone’s life?  If you love something, what do you do?  You absorb yourself in it.

With a love for the truth, you abide in the Truth, God’s Word on a regular basis. You don’t search for the answers you want, but whatever the Holy Spirit desires to teach. It isn’t just about you, it’s about truth. You seek God’s ideas and thoughts on His Word, not man’s. Instead of relying on man to teach you his opinions, you seek instruction from the Holy Spirit, who was given to you to teach you all things 1 John 2:27. You seek with a desire to know the truth whatever it is. You ask for your beliefs and thoughts to be renewed in His truth and His ways; for lies and deception to be purged. You are willing to let go of “truths” you’ve held on to. You are willing to go wherever God may instruct and lead you. You have a passion for understanding, wisdom and truth, and how you spend your time reflects it. You embrace it as a life long pursuit.

A love for the truth will save us in the end. Many Christians are going to take and are taking a mighty fall because they are really trusting in another besides God. They are putting their trust in their pastors and their favorite religious leaders, who need them to depend on their words to pay the rent, pay for their child’s school, and to support all the salaries their church has created.

Our beliefs are everything. It’s a love for the truth that will save us in these days. No one can pursue the truth for us, it’s a personal endeavor.

Verses of Encouragement for those who Trust God– Psalm 91:4, 7, 9-10 Psalm 28:7, 119:114, Proverbs 30:5, Ephesians 6:16


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Truth: The Soul Armor

Truth is our Soul Armor

 

The other day, as I fell into bliss thinking about God and all He has done and is doing in my life, a jolt brought me back to the fullness of reality – there is a battle going on.

After talking with an acquaintance who is an unbeliever, God reminded me of the realness of the evil at work and the spiritual battle taking place, in lives like hers; one that I need to always be aware of, ready for, and engaged in – not in la-la land.

The spiritual warfare is strong. It can seem overwhelming when you look at all the evil in this world (blatant evil and evil disguised as good), but He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world. 1 John 4:4

As God’s children, we need to realize this power we’ve been given and use it. When we are prepared and fighting, we are more powerful than we know in the methods of spiritual warfare like speaking truth, acting in love (true love), praise, prayer, and fasting. Jesus Christ has given us the power to trample the enemy (the self-will; individually and collectively). He has given us ALL power over the enemy Luke 10:19. We need to use what we’ve been given. How do you use it? Know the truth, know your enemy, and know the power that works in and through you and act on it.

Battling in the Mind

I’ve been learning to fight the spiritual battle that occurs in our minds. The enemy feeds us lies whether through the messages of society, others, religion, and so on. It’s a brilliant strategy on his part, because if we believe those lies we act on them, then WE destroy ourselves. However, if we know the truth, those lies have no power. As I saw on the back of car – Truth, Soul Armor – how true that is!

In our spiritual walks, we come to a point were we “get it”. You can see this in Apostle Paul’s writing. There is a deep knowing of the truth, that gives him an incredible power in his life and over the enemy. Though we are always learning, we come to a point of knowing that the battling in our minds gets easier in a sense, thus us stronger. It reminds me of Neo in the movie the Matrix (movie I recommend full of interesting symbolism). As he understood that the enemies he saw were actually computer code he could alter, he battled effortlessly. His understanding of the truth was his power to defeat the enemy.

Getting to that point of discerning the truth from the lies is a process. We start blinded to the lies and therefore live by them. As we abide in God’s truth, the lies start to become unveiled. As truth takes ownership in our souls, we are equipped to fight the lies we’ve lived by for so long. At first, it’s difficult because they are so “engrained”. Yet, over time as we continue abiding, our clarity and understanding expands and discerning truth becomes easier. Like Neo, the truth gives us power to defeat our enemies. The moment a lie crosses the pathways of our mind, we recognize it for what it is and disregard it. We block every attack with ease and thus victory. 1 John 5:4 Truth, Soul Armor.

What the Holy Spirit reminded me the other day was once people take in the lies; they are opening up to much more.

Battling Spiritual Forces

Without truth, we invite all sorts of evil into our lives. Many, even those named Christians who lack a love for the truth, and are falling into the hands of the enemy. (M’kayla’s Korner) 2 Thessalonians 2:10. And at that point, what are they opening up their spirits to?

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

In the movie, when Neo first learned the truth, the true state of world he lived, the extent of deception, and the real evil that existed – it was hard for him to believe it. It seemed unreal. But it didn’t change the fact that it was very real. This world has done a good job of making the presence of evil non-existence or comical. More and more the happenings of life are explained disconnected from the spiritual, the real spiritual, another clever tactic of the enemy. If we don’t know or recognize our enemy, it doesn’t change whether we are being impacted by it, and it completely affects our ability to “fight” it. Suppose you were in a physical fight. Your opponent was obliterating you, yet you refused to believe he was the reason for your pain. You felt the sting of the blows and the wounds on your body, but you didn’t believe he was attacking you. You intellectually explained it as something else. By not admitting the truth, how could you ever win? You couldn’t. You have to know your enemy in order to defeat him. You have to know how he works. 2 Corin 2:11

It was a good reminder last week of the battle that is raging around us, the realness of it and how we’ve been given the power to defeat it. Realize the power you have in Christ over ALL power of the enemy. Don’t let the distractions of this world distract you from the battle we are in, the battle God is calling His people to fight.

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The Many Lies that Devalue Us

The Many Lies that Devalue Us

Our enemy’s (our self-governed will) greatest weapon is lies. Therefore our greatest power is truth (the substance of faith and belief). If we believe lies, they have tremendous power over us. If we know and believe the truth, they are powerless. Knowing the truth is how we are able to trample on serpents and scorpions, and have all power over the enemy Luke 10:19. It’s a LOVE for the truth that protects us. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10

Of the lies that abound, some of the deadliest and most pervasive are in regards to devalue. Devalue of ourselves that we are replaceable, worthless, useless, and unwanted. Devalue of others that they are replaceable, worthless, useless, less, and unneeded. Devalue of God’s power and love in our lives. Devalue of the importance of truth. Devalue of sex, marriage, and relationships. Devalue of women and men and various nationalities and who they are as God created them. Devalue of everything. If you take time to look around you will see that lie is eating away at the souls of many people in a multitude of ways, perhaps eating away at your own soul; it has mine . . . until I sought the truth. That is what the enemy, our self-detemined will does – he or she creates messages of devalue sometimes wrapped up in glittering paper of power, control and life. And the lies start the moment we are born.

Further, it’s a lie of our internal enemy telling us want we can’t be or can’t do. God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you ask or think. Ephesians 3:20 Nothing is too hard or impossible for Him. He knows no boundaries, neither should we.

John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Our lying self hits us from all sides. He or she tries to devalue who we are as well as God. If she can minimize our beliefs in God then she wins for we live by faith – faith in who God is, who He is to us and who we are to Him. Our beliefs are everything. If our beliefs are full of lies, then our lives suffer for it because we think, feel, and act based on our beliefs. This is why God instructs us to get wisdom, to get understanding. Proverbs 4:7 He has given us all we need – His Word and His Spirit to teach us all things. We only need to seek with a heart to know the truth.

Let me tell you who you are. What God told me the other morning.

You are irreplaceable and of infinite value. For God to give His son to save your life shows the extent of your value. Would we give up our precious innocent child for someone undeserving? Even if they were deserving? The fact that you don’t believe in the value you have and therefore act out a life of devalue doesn’t make it truth. Your true purpose is far greater than you can imagine. You were created by a God to be unlike any other. It’s the lies believed then acted upon that corrupt what was good.

God created you with a uniqueness unlike any other. Because of your uniqueness there is a place for you to fill in this world that no one else can. People make up a huge puzzle. No puzzle piece is the same and each one is crafted and shaped to fill a certain place in this world and in the lives of others. Acts 17:26 We are all needed to complete the whole; no piece can fill another’s spot. This is how God made you. This is how you need to treat yourself, others, and your relationship with Him.

Each relationship is different in that each person is unique so when two come together that relationship is unlike any other. A relationship with one child is different from another though you love them both the same. Each one of us has a unique relationship with other people and each one with God because we are different. There is no one that can replace us in any relationship. That’s why God desires all of us to be saved. 2 Peter 3:9 Anyone would be a great loss. This uniqueness and love God has for each one of us is shown in the parable of lost sheep. Luke 15:4-7

We’ve been inundated with lies and owned many of them as our truth. Seek His truth in His Word and learn from Him (not man) and you will find who God truly is and who you really are.

Psalm 139:14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

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