When we get overwhelmed with feelings out of nowhere, we have to stop partnering with “What’s wrong with me?” and begin to ask, “Lord, why am I feeling this? How do You want to use me right now?” We feel things in the atmosphere so that we can do something about it.
First – identify what you feel: fear, anger, worry, dread, etc.
Second – ask, “Jesus, what do You want me to do about this?”
Third, pray accordingly.
Are you aware we are not battling flesh and blood but something in the spirit realm? If you are a born-again believer, then you are enlisted to fight. But like any battle, the weapons you use are vital to your success. The wrong weapon in battle makes you vulnerable. The right weapon not only protects and covers you but aids in advancement.
A friend messaged me this: “Last night, our son (age 6), who can feel things in the atmosphere, said he felt scared and didn’t know why. His father explained that other people are afraid of something he doesn’t need to be afraid of. This would normally result in many discussions. But last night, he said, ‘Oh, okay. Can I talk to Jesus about it?’ To which the answer was, ‘Of course, bud!’ He got quiet, the room shifted, and he fell asleep! Yay, Jesus!”
IF A SIX-YEAR-OLD IS LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT TO TALK TO JESUS ABOUT FEELING SCARED, WHAT’S OUR EXCUSE? There is a KEY in this testimony. He felt it, talked to Jesus about it, and rested. It’s okay to feel, but we must bring it to Jesus for the rest to come.
I had posted asking how parents were doing in this hour, and there was a reoccurring theme throughout all of the responses – heaviness! There is such a corporate release of spiritual heaviness in this hour. So much confusion and static in the spiritual realm, causing people to want to check out. It’s numbing. If this is you, then we have some work to do to shed that spirit of heaviness. You do not need just to endure it but can rise up against it. This is not the hour to let the heaviness become numbness that lulls you to sleep. STAY AWAKE AND SHED THE WEIGHT.
Here are some things that can help: The heaviness is not always from WITHIN you; oftentimes, especially if numerous people are reporting it, it is coming ON you. When we think it is coming from within us, it is generally coupled with the lie, “What is wrong with me?” Which only defeats you more. Declare out loud, “NOTHING IS WRONG WITH ME!” and command that shame to go.
Speak to the spirit of heaviness directly and tell it to go. “Spirit of heaviness, I see you and command you to leave now in Jesus’ name. Leave my mind, emotions, body, home, marriage, children, prayer life, voice, etc. (the Bible tells us when we tell the bad to go, we must invite the good). Holy Spirit, I welcome You to come and fill my mind, family, and home with power, love, and clarity.”
Put your hands on your head and declare, “(Name), you have the mind of Christ. I command all confusion and static to leave now in Jesus’ name.” This is a powerful prayer: “I take my mind and align it with the mind of Christ (not lies). I take my body and align it with the Body of Christ (not the world). I take my spirit and align it with the Holy Spirit (not the demonic).”
Increase ongoing worship in your home – let praise fill your atmosphere. Turn on dance music and call the kids for a dance party. Shift the atmosphere into joy and laughter. Declare out loud, “I will know what to do because Christ lives inside of me. I have nothing to fear and follow the voice of the Lord.” Call a friend but resist the temptation to talk about current events. Keep the conversation focused on encouraging each other and reminding each other who God is.
Ask Jesus for the specific strategy for you today. “Jesus, will You please show me how You want me to deal with life today?” Listen and obey whatever He tells you.
Pray in the spirit! I am focusing on 30 minutes each morning, and it is a game-changer to rise above the noise and find His heart.
Friend, the heaviness is not you. Do not be seduced by the enemy of lies. You have the mind of Christ and the tools of heaven to shed the heaviness.
Do you think the ouija board is just innocent child’s play? It is NOT!
I delivered a young mom from a demonic spirit from playing the game. She is about to graduate from an 18-month rehab program and had great fears about a previous boyfriend threatening her once she is out. We talked about how we invite what we fear and the need to close that door. I was about to help her with that when I had this strong spirit of witchcraft come over me. I sensed God had me ask her when was the first time she felt unprotected. When she was 4 years old, she was at a friend’s house who introduced her to the ouija board and from that moment on, she felt a presence, almost like a protective presence. It was a spirit that was invited in to ‘parent’ her. Her dad was a workaholic and always busy, which created a deep longing in her. The sad thing is that SHE invited the spirit in through the game. All these years, this spirit has manipulated and influenced her all the way to an abusive relationship with a very unsafe man that she never felt like she could get free from. I am happy to report that not only did she get SET FREE from that ‘fake parent,’ but she got activated in her gift of discernment.
Jesus, You are so so so good! Set the captives free!
One night, Ellie had a really bad nightmare, and we dealt with it, but the following night she was afraid to go to sleep, fearing that the nightmare would come back. I asked if she wanted the nightmare, and she said, “NO!” Then I asked her who had authority over her mind. She does! I helped her walk in it and tell the nightmare it was not welcome in Jesus’ name, and we welcomed the Holy Spirit to come and play with her while she slept, which is exactly what happened! I am all for comforting a scared child, as that is part of our job as parents. But sometimes, we are actually encouraging the fear by comforting them instead of teaching them to use their authority and get rid of the junk.
Shock and Awe
Shock and awe (technically known as rapid dominance) is explained as a tactic based on the use of overwhelming power and spectacular displays of force to paralyze the enemy’s perception of the battlefield and destroy their will to fight. This is true in the natural times of war and how the enemy works. The enemy takes situations (opening a bill in the mail, news of a death, low grade, car accident, trauma, etc.) and uses this shock and awe tactic on people, including children. Their entire being is on alert, much like a hand where all the fingers are flexed simultaneously. The brain, mind, emotions, and nervous system are overwhelmed, and in that split-second moment before logic and coping skills kick in, the enemy whispers his lie (“You are all alone,” “No one cares,” “Your God is not powerful,” etc.). When the body, mind, and emotions begin to calm down (like fingers that go back to a relaxed state), the lie remains because, at that moment, the lie FEELS true based on the evidence. The enemy then gets to influence us because we partnered with the lie.
Here is an excellent example of how this plays out. Many in the world are beginning to calm down from the shock and awe over recent events and are overcoming this tactic of the enemy. “No, no, no, I will not be influenced by fear. I do not partner with the idea of doom or lack. I will not bow down, lie down, or shrink back. I am a child of God with a Father who has defeated the spirit behind this attack. I will cling to Him, His Kingdom, His power, His voice, and His resources in this hour.” I WILL arise!
Many gave prophetic words that 2020 was the year of vision, yet others gave words that it was the year of the MOUTH, highlighting the importance not just of what you SEE but what you DECLARE after you have eyes that see. I find it super interesting that one aspect of the coronavirus is that we are required to cover our mouths. The natural realm always mimics what is going on in the spiritual realm. While I see the importance of honoring our leaders who ask us to be wise in wearing masks, I see greater wisdom in making sure we are opening our mouths in our homes and declaring BOLDLY! Your mouth may be covered in the natural, but you are not on a gag order. In fact, now more than ever, it is time to teach your children how to declare God’s truth boldly. May I encourage you to sit as a family and create your declarations? Say them out loud, boldly, and with authority. This virus is defeated! As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord! No weapon formed against me shall prosper! God, have your way with me! I will know what to do because Jesus lives in me! God always leads me! God sits upon His throne! I am covered and protected! My mind is filled with hope and peace! The virus will bow to Jesus! God knows what He is doing! We will overcome! Jesus’ blood paid for it all! Peace is our strength! The tomb is EMPTY! Jesus is ALIVE – TODAY!
As we drove through multiple states, one can pick up on the atmosphere a town carries. We passed a section where extra large billboards promoting adult stores littered the highway. It was impossible not to see them, and it wasn’t just one, but one every mile or so. My eyes became so heavy I pulled off and sent the kids and friends into the store to browse, giving me a quick five-minute shut-eye. When I closed my eyes, I got this nasty image in my mind that was so X-rated it was vile to me. I ignored it, but as I attempted to get some rest, it returned again and again. I realized the thought was not coming from within me but rather on me and sat up to take authority over it. I asked God to show me what He saw and saw this taller-than-a-building, demon-looking creature on the side of the road with long claw-like fingernails. Asking Jesus to reveal what He wanted me to know, I heard, “He is stationed along the highway and taps their minds with sexual images luring them into the store (that was promoted on the billboard).” I asked the Lord why it was so big and tall and heard, “He has been fed well” (meaning every time someone bites the bait, he is fed and grows stronger). I sat up and realized I was not going to get my rest but was rather on assignment and said, “Well, then I am going to starve him,” and began releasing the opposite in the atmosphere. At the next stop, the encounter was so strong upon my heart that I shared it with each of my children individually and said, “I just wanted you to be aware if you begin having unusual thoughts, it isn’t you but something coming upon you,” and two of them admitted they had been battling nasty thoughts and having a hard time taking authority over it. We prayed, released it to go, and ushered in peace and purity over them. Not every thought is coming from within yourself but sometimes trying to come ON you to get you to partner with it as if it were your own. Discerning the difference is key.
Face the fear and put it in its proper place. Ask, “Jesus, will You please show me what the fear is about?” Break agreement with the fear. “Fear, I see you, and you are a liar. I no longer partner with you and allow you to speak and influence me. Ask, “Jesus, what is your truth?” Declare His truth (write it down, put it on your mirror, on a sticky note, in your Bible, post it to your fridge, etc. and declare it until it becomes your truth). THEN when you go out in public and feel the heavy oppression around you, STOP and declare, “Fear, I see you. I do not partner with you. I declare (insert the truth Jesus showed up),” and release THAT into the atmosphere everywhere you go. If our hope, peace, and comfort come from anything else other than HIM, it will be sinking sand. He alone is our source, anchor, and rock.
I used to have this cycle where events would tell me that I didn’t belong. I would work it out sometimes rather fast, but it took my time and energy. Cycles can be exhausting and wear you out. I began to see this as unfruitful and pressed in further with the Lord. While it was great I could work it out in my heart, I wasn’t so sure God wanted me to be on auto-repeat with the same situation.
As I asked the Lord, I heard the word ‘cattle prod.’ Growing up around Minnesota farms, I knew what a cattle prod was but felt an invitation from the Lord to study them further. WOW! A cattle prod’s purpose is never to kill or destroy the animal; it is to CONTROL them with the purpose of getting them to MOVE IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. I asked God to show me who gave the enemy the legal right to use this tool on me, and I saw my mom. My childhood was full of pain and heart splinters, causing me to move out for good when I was in the 8th grade. But the picture He showed me was when I still lived with my family. Surprised by the time frame, God showed me that my mom would often make comments about me not belonging, or she would say, “Maybe you need to live elsewhere.” This taught me, long before I was removed from the home for good, that I didn’t belong in the circle. So fast forward to adulthood when circumstances gave me the message I didn’t belong; it was like a cattle prod in my side. It would get my attention, and I would stop doing what I was doing and spend time unpacking the hurt and lies. I always found the truth and peace again, but once I realized the root of where this was coming from, I forgave my mom for teaching me I didn’t belong and declared that tool no longer effective. I saw Jesus come to a herd of cows (and had the sense I was one of them). When He scooped me up, I morphed into a little lamb snuggled in His arms. He carried me away from the dirt and manure and brought me to the grassy field. But when He set me down, I immediately tried to run back to the herd. Why in the world would I do that if He just reduced me? He said, “Because it is familiar. You believe you are a heifer, but you are My sheep. The cattle prod is used on those who do not know who they are (identity). It is My job to keep you in the pasture, but I do not use a cattle prod to control you; I use My staff to lead you.”
The irony of the cattle prod is that it always seemed to happen right before something big in my life, and it caused me to not only stop but move in the opposite direction. Hmmm.
HeartWork – Do you have an area of your life where you feel like you get cattle prodded out of the blue, and it takes you days or weeks to find your footing again? Ask Jesus to show you what He wants you to see. Maybe this isn’t so much about you but about the enemy using past experiences to shock you into old cycles. Ask Holy Spirit to bring healing to the area you keep getting poked in and for Him to break the power of the cattle prod. You are not a heifer. You are His sheep!
