This is going to be a somewhat lengthy article, but I believe what I have to say is of critical importance. So I humbly ask you to take a few minutes to read the full article and then respond accordingly. It is my hope that this revelation will resonate with your spirit.
The problem in Washington and in our nation is not a political problem but a spiritual problem! As I was watching the Congressional hearing last week with FBI director James Comey, I felt like the Lord spoke to my heart. Just as Supreme Court Justice John Roberts gave into the pressure to pass the unconstitutional health care law by making it an “illegal tax” on the American people, so too did Director Comey bow the knee in not recommending prosecution of Hillary Clinton who so obviously and egregiously broke the law. What happened to these otherwise good men? I believe that they were under the influence of the demonic principality that rules Washington DC. When the Lord spoke this to me, I started to pray, but the Lord stopped me.  “Don’t pray or do anything until I reveal to you the Divine strategy that will, in time, bring about the defeat of this evil, demonic prince.”
This past Saturday night, we had a prayer meeting at the Church to wait upon the Lord for His direction. The Spirit led us to do three things: (1). First, recognize that Satan and his demonic army were defeated at the cross by the greatest act of humility that has ever been or will ever be: The Son of God laying down His life on the cross. Colossians 2:15 “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” In the New Living Translation it reads thus: “In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.” In prayer we decreed and proclaimed that Jesus’ victory over Satan and his cohorts at the cross is the foundation for victory over this demonic principality that is currently ruling over and through our capital today. It is by the blood of the Lamb, and not by human strength or power, that we overcome the spirits of darkness.  Would you join us in this confession of truth and intercession? Remember what Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in heavenly places.”  (2). Secondly, using Daniel as our model, we confessed and repented over the sins of our leadership in Washington (Democratic and Republican) and over our nation. Below is the prayer that Daniel prayed in Daniel  9:4-19

4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:

"O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, 5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
7 "Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame — the men of Judah and people of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. 8 O Lord, we and our kings, our princes and our fathers are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; 10 we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.
"Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. 12 You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. 14 The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.
15 "Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. 16 O Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our fathers have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.
17 "Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name."
NIV
The only way that the spiritual, demonic ruler over Washington, and consequently in our nation, will be defeated is by the power of God Almighty. We humbly recognize this truth and confess our sins as a nation so that God can and will bless us again. Will you join with us in this confession and repentance over the sins of our capital in Washington and in our nation: 1.Driving God and His Word out of our lives, our government, our schools,etc. 2. The legalized shedding of innocent blood in the womb, 3. Immorality such as the sanctioning of same sex marriage as the law of the land in clear contradiction of the Holy scriptures 4. The refusal to bless and honor Israel, 5. The much too friendly relationship and acceptance of radical Islam and cooperation with such terrorists countries as Iran. And these are only a few. Let the Holy Spirit lead you in your intercession.
(3). Third, we then praised and worshiped God. We did so because in worship and in praise we are confessing our complete and total dependence upon God and His mighty power. As the Israeli king of old said, “we are powerless, but our eyes are upon you.” Yes Lord, we are powerless, but our eyes are upon you for the future of our country.
The one common characteristic in the above strategy is humility. It is the recognition that we are totally dependent upon God and His mercy. Once this demonic prince is defeated by God and God alone, then we will see the manifestation of God’s victory. It will be in the news daily. If the Spirit bears witness with your spirit to what you have read, would you join us in this Divine strategy? God will work through the humility of His people in confession of sin and repentance just like He worked through the humility of His Son at the cross to defeat evil! Shalom

JUNE 28, 2016 Below is some context for the recent Brexit vote and the upcoming Presidential election this Fall. The devil will create another Tower of Babel in the end (Genesis 11). It will be the last world Empire ( Daniel & Revelation). He will attempt to bring the world together in rebellion against God. Hence the move toward a one world currency and government. But He will fail. At the Tower of Babel, God came down and confused their speech and broke up their rebellion against Him and His command to multiply and fill the earth. At the end, God will come down again, this time sending His Son to completely destroy this evil, Satanic empire! (This will happen at the end of the 7 year Tribulation period and will be the fulfillment of The Feast of Trumpets, The Day of Atonement, and will begin the fulfillment of The Feast of Tabernacles. For a more detailed explanation of these feasts, visit my blog at warriorprophet.blogspot.com). Jesus will remove all that is standing in the way of His love and purpose. This is the reason for the 7 seals, 7 trumpets, and 7 bowls of wrath. Now to Brexit. Great Britain's exit from the European Union was and is an affront to the devil's plan for this one world (Babel) system. And, that is also why the election for president this fall is so important. Donald Trump's message of American Sovereignty and independence is also a deterrent to the devil's plan. Contrarily, Hillary Clinton is a globalist ( code word for a one world system that will be lead by the antichrist- the personification of all that is evil and against God). I believe that Great Britain and America can be 'sheep' nations that will support Israel and will stand against the antichrist and his kingdom, a kingdom that will be predominantly based in the Middle East. For those who can receive it, this is why Israel is so hated. They too, by God's sovereign power, are standing in the way of the devil's plan to rule the world. Friend, if you don't know Christ, now is the time! For blessed are those who will be behind the sword of the Lord when He comes and not in front of it! Shalom

KILLING THE GIANT OF DISQUALIFYING THE POSITIVE

In this cognitive distortion (wrong and carnal way of thinking) a depressed person turns a positive into a negative; they turn gold into lead; they turn joy into sadness; they pour cold water on the good things that happen!
This deceptive, distorted thinking is always looking for the negative, hence the ability to not only not look for the positive, but to actually transform a positive into a negative!
This giant intimidates by convincing a person that the only thing that is real about their life is the negative. Nothing positive will ever come their way.
How then do you slay this giant of disqualifying the positive?
You begin by lifting up the shield of faith and blocking this flaming missile from hell that comes from the devil, the father of lies!
Understand and know that there is one voice behind these ten giants that we are taking down: that voice is Satan, the devil, the father of lies! He is the one who comes only to steal, kill, and destroy both you and your family (John 10:10).
This is the real enemy behind the distorted thinking that leads to anxiety, depression, addiction, and a host of other maladies and problems! (Ephesians 6:12)
So having lifted up the shield of faith to block the devil’s lies, then take up the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God—the Word of truth and power!
This is how Jesus, the God-man defeated the enemy of our souls: He declared to the devil, “It is written.” And that is where victory over distorted thinking always begins, with declaring the truth of the Word of God, “It is written.” Simple but so very powerful!
As Romans 12:2 says “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. . .”
Dear friends, to overcome “the giants” that are robbing us of the abundant life that Jesus died to give us, we MUST CHANGE THE WAY WE THINK!
Why is that so important? Proverbs 23:7 “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. . .”
Your emotions, feelings and moods are the result of the way you think and not the other way around. You have to think it before you can feel it! Selah (pause and think about that!)

So to defeat “the giant of disqualifying the positive,” you must learn to think differently. And the Word of God is how you do that. Think right and feel right!
Whatever you think about is going to take root. So then, let’s take out the sword of the Spirit and kill this giant who is at work to disqualify the positive in your life.
1.  Let’s begin with Jeremiah 29:11 in which God says to you and about you, “I know the plans that I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
Everything about this scripture is positive. There is absolutely nothing negative! And it is the Word of the Lord to you. Say this Word that is forever settled in the heavens with me: God’s Word TO ME IS THIS, “I know the plans I have FOR YOU declares the Lord, plans to PROSPER YOU, AND NOT HARM YOU, PLANS TO GIVE YOU A HOPE AND A FUTURE!”
Precious ones, it would be good to read, learn, memorize and speak this scripture until it takes root in your mind and produces the good fruit of heaven in your life.
2. Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” (Remember Joseph in the Old Testament)
3. Because you are in Christ:
a. It is grace (unmerited favor) and peace (God is no longer against you but for you). Eph. 1:2
b. You are blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing. 1:3
c. You are chosen and blameless. 1:4
d. You have been adopted into God’s family. 1:5
e. You have redemption and forgiveness. 1:7
f. You are sealed with the Holy Spirit Himself until the day of redemption. 1:13, 14
g. You have been made alive in Christ and raised into heavenly places. 2: 5, 6
h. You have been saved by grace. 2:8
i. You are God’s handiwork.  2:10
j. You have been brought near to God through the blood of Christ. 2:13
k. Your life is built on the sure foundation of the apostles, prophets and Christ Himself. 2:20
l. You are the dwelling place of God. 2:2

God’s plan for your life is good and POSITIVE. There is NOTHING negative about God’s will and plan for your life. Believe that truth, confess that truth, live that truth. Kill that giant!

KILLING THE GIANT OF SHOULD STATEMENTS

You try to motivate yourself by saying, “I should do this” or “I must do that.” These statements and wrong kind of thinking will cause you to feel pressured and resentful. And paradoxically you end up feeling apathetic and unmotivated!

When you direct should statements toward others, you usually feel angry and frustrated. “I can’t believe they didn’t even say thank you for what I did for them. They shouldn’t be so unthankful!”

Should statements generate a lot of emotional turmoil in your daily life. When you mess up, there is a lot of self-condemnation. And when others mess up and fall short, you may feel bitter, angry and self-righteous.

You will never be at peace if you are always thinking about what should have been done or what should have not been done! Life simply can’t work this way.

This giant of should statements will keep you bound if you let it. The Good News is that we are going to kill this giant and see you set free from what binds and have restored all that is yours in Jesus!

First, killing this giant begins with the realization that all of us fall short of the mark from time to time. Only one was perfect and that is Jesus!

So when we sin, and all of us sin, we simply do what the Word of God says in I John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Then we walk in faith in the scriptural truth that we are forgiven. Remember the words of Sister Corrie ten Boom,  “God has buried our sins in the sea of His forgetfulness and posted a sign that says ‘no fishing.’”

When others sin and fall short and do something that hurts you in some way, always be ready to forgive them. Remember the words of Jesus when He said, “blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)

Dear friends, all people have a sin nature, and as long as that is true, we will do things that disappoint ourselves and others, and others will do things that disappoint us. That’s the truth of scripture. That’s life. Why not leave the judging to the Lord and determine to walk in love and mercy toward yourself and others. This will free you from a lot of unnecessary angst and anxiety.

So let’s pick up a stone and put it in our sling and hurl it at the giant of should statements.

I declare in faith that I will walk in love and mercy toward others and myself and leave the judging to God.

I declare that when I sin I will do what the Word of God says in I John 1:9: I will confess my sins, believing God to forgive me of my sins and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I will then walk in faith as a person who is forgiven—regardless of how I may feel!
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I declare that when others do things that disappoints or hurts me, I will readily show them mercy and forgiveness and leave the judging in the hands of a righteous and loving God.

In this way I will renew my mind with the Word of God and kill the giant of should statements. Jubilee: freedom from what binds and restoration of all that is mine!

KILLING THE GIANT OF MINIMIZATION AND MAGNIFICATION
(Learn to maximize the positive and minimize the negative)

In this distorted cognition or wrong thinking, you either blow things up and out of proportion or you shrink them.

Magnification commonly occurs when you look at your own errors, fears, or imperfections and exaggerate their importance: “I made a mistake! How terrible! How awful! My reputation is ruined!”

In this wrong kind of thinking it’s like you are looking at your faults through binoculars making them look gigantic and grotesque.

But when you think of your strengths you do the opposite. You look at them through the wrong end of the binoculars so that they look small and unimportant.

If you magnify your imperfections and minimize your good points, you’re guaranteed to feel inferior! But the problem isn’t you—it’s the crazy lenses you are wearing or looking through!

Let me remind you again of what Proverbs 23:7 says “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he!”

This is why we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds through the power and truth of the Word of God. This is how we kill this giant.

My dear friends, the way we change the way we feel is by changing the way that we think. As we change the way that we think, our automatic thoughts will become more and more positive which will in turn have us feeling good and positive about life again! Feeling joyful and happy will become the norm and not something you have to fight for all the time. Faith doesn’t make it easy but it most definitely makes it possible! You can do this!!! There was a time that you got off track with your thinking. Something happened and you did not hold up the shield of faith and block wrong thinking. Then that wrong thinking became a pattern (your automatic thoughts about life itself) and the result has been negative, anxious and depressive feelings. But the good news is that you can change the way that you think and consequently change the way that you feel! Life is going to become rich again, full again and fun again! Dear friends this is the year of your jubilee! Don’t miss this season in your life!

All of us have imperfections. We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) That is the truth.
But the Good News is that the Son of God died on the cross so that we could be forgiven of our sins. (II Corinthians 5:21)

Romans 8:1 says “There is therefore NOW no condemnation to those who are in Christ
Jesus. . .”  Confess this Biblical truth until it takes root in your mind and produces good fruit.

So what do you do when you sin? I John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

“For I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more.” (Hebrews 8:12)

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
(Psalm 103:12)

The key is not to deny your sins, but nor should you beat yourself up over them.  Simply confess them to God, repent, and then walk by faith in His forgiveness.

Then make your confession of who you are in Christ:

I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. (II Corinthians 5:21)

I am a new creation in Christ, the old is gone and the new has come. (II Corinthians 5:17)

I am chosen and beloved in Christ. Christ is in me the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)

Don’t minimize who you are: remember who you are IN CHRIST!

Don’t magnify who you are not: instead confess who you are IN CHRIST!

This is how we kill the giant of magnification and minimization.

Yes it is simple, but also very powerful!  The truth can and will set you free from what has bound you and restore to you all that belongs to you in Christ! Receive it by faith and walk in it until it becomes reality in your life; until your thinking is changed and consequently your feelings are changed. Faith doesn’t make it easy, but it does make it possible. You can do this!  Let’s kill this giant!!!

KILLING THE GIANT OF LABELING AND MISLABELING


1.) Personal labeling means creating a completely negative self-image based on your mistakes or errors. The philosophy behind this distorted thinking is this: “the measure of a person is the mistakes that they make.” There is a good chance you are involved in personal labeling whenever you describe your mistakes with phrases such as “I can’t believe that I did that, I’m a loser.” “I’ll never make enough money, I am a failure.”

This kind of thinking is not only irrational, but it is distorted and simply not true! So stop trying to define yourself with negative labels.

Would you think of yourself as an “eater” just because you eat? Or would you label yourself a “breather” just because you breathe? Of course not! So why then would you label yourself in a certain way when you make a mistake? It is simply nonsensical.

Likewise, when you label other people you will invariably create and generate hostility. For example, take the boss who sees his occasionally irritable secretary as “an uncooperative witch.”  Because of that label, he resents her and jumps at every chance to criticize her. She in turn labels him as an “insensitive chauvinist” and complains about him whenever anyone will listen! So around and around they go at each other’s throats, focusing on every weakness or imperfection as proof of the other’s worthlessness.

2.) Mislabeling involves describing an event with words that are inaccurate and emotionally heavily loaded. For example, a woman ate a dish of ice cream and thought, “how disgusting and repulsive of me. I’m a pig!” These thoughts made her so upset that she ate the whole quart of ice cream!

Both labeling and mislabeling can hurt others and yourself. It is wrong thinking that can and should be changed. So let’s kill this giant which keeps you in bondage and robs you from the abundant life that is yours in Jesus.

First, realize that every human being is made in the image of God.  That truth in and of itself should cause us to view each person as special in the eyes of God. And it should motivate us to not want to put a negative label on anyone that God considers sacred—including ourselves.

Then consider that Jesus warns not to call anyone a “fool,”  and of course “fool” would encompass many words that involve negatively labeling other people. And again, this would include labeling yourself with negative labels.

The scripture also tell us in the Book of Proverbs that life and death is in the power of the tongue.  And in the Book of James the Word of God makes it clear how important it is to bridle the tongue, for the tongue has the power to set things on fire!

Therefore, if we are going to kill the giant of labeling and mislabeling, then we must learn to submit our tongue, our words to God. Why should we or others suffer emotional hurt simply because of careless words of labeling and mislabeling?

 May God give us the wisdom and grace to see every person as special and sacred because they have been made in the image and likeness of God. Be intentional about this. Ask the Lord to help you see yourself and others as God sees. This one prayer can and will change your life! And although this is a process, it will be well worth the time and effort!

As you grow in this truth, you will begin to find it much easier to use your words in a way that brings blessing both to others and yourself. So no more labeling and mislabeling!

Let’s kill this giant. The result will be freedom from has bound you and restoration of all that is yours in Jesus!

Always keep this in mind: you are not killing this giant by yourself. God is with you, and He is much bigger than any giant you are facing or ever will face!

KILLING THE GIANT OF PERSONALIZATION


This giant or distortion is the mother of guilt. You assume responsibility for a negative event when there is no basis for doing so. You conclude that what happened was your fault or reflects your inadequacy, even when you were not responsible for it!

For example, when a mother saw her child’s report card, there was a note indicating that the child was not working well. She immediately decided, “I must be a bad mother. This shows how I have failed.”

Personalization causes you to feel crippling guilt. You suffer from a paralyzing and burdensome sense of responsibility that forces you to carry the whole world on your shoulders. You have actually confused influence of others with control over others.

It is true that you have influence with the people you interact with, but you do not have control over them. What another person does or does not do is ultimately his or her responsibility and not yours.

Killing this giant of personalization begins when you understand, truly understand, that every human being has been given a free will by God. You cannot decide for them. God never intended for one person to have control over another person.

Yes, we can pray for others, speak the truth to them in love, and do all that we can to influence them in the right direction. However, it is up to them, and not you, to decide which direction they will go in.

And you will have no peace as long as you feel responsible for what another person does or doesn’t do.

You cannot control what another person does! You can only control what you do. You can only account for you. So then, how do you kill this giant of personalization?

Pray, speak the truth in love and learn to rest in that.
Stop trying to carry the burden for what other people do or don’t do.
Learn to let go and let God. He can do what you can’t. Wait on the Lord.

KILLING THE GIANT OF EMOTIONAL REASONING

You take your emotions as evidence for the truth. Your logic: “I feel like a failure, therefore I am a failure.”

But this kind of reasoning is misleading because your feelings reflect your thoughts and beliefs. If your thoughts and beliefs are distorted—which is quite often the case—then your emotions have no validity. You think, therefore you feel as you think. Examples of emotional reasoning could be, “I feel overwhelmed and hopeless therefore my problems must be impossible to solve; I feel inadequate, therefore I must be a worthless person.  I’m not in the mood to do anything; therefore I might as well just lie in bed.”

Emotional reasoning plays a role in nearly all depressions. Because things “FEEL” so negative to you, you assume they truly are—that how you feel is reality when in actuality it is not! It doesn’t occur to you to challenge the validity of the perceptions that create your feelings. But that is exactly what we are doing and will do in this message!

One usual side effect of emotional reasoning is procrastination. You avoid cleaning up your garage because you tell yourself, “I FEEL so lousy when I think about that messy garage that needs to be cleaned up. Getting it clean will be impossible.” But a few weeks later you finally give yourself a little push and do it. It turns out to be a good thing and not so tough after all. You were fooling yourself all along because you are in the habit of letting your negative feelings guide the way that you act! Call it having a passive mind.

So then the question is this: how do we overcome being imprisoned by our feelings? How do we kill the giant of emotional reasoning?

II Corinthians 5:7 says, “For we walk by faith and not by sight.”

We could say it this way: We live by faith in God and in His Word and not by how we feel.

As Romans 1:17 declares, “the just (the righteous; those who have been born again and belong to God) shall live by faith.”

For example, the Word of God teaches us to forgive all those who have wronged us. It doesn’t say, forgive others if you FEEL like it. I can tell you, by experience, that 99.9% of the time you don’t FEEL forgiveness toward someone when they have really hurt or wronged you!
You forgive them by faith because you know that this is what the Word of God tells you to do. This is God’s heart for you and them. Therefore you obey God’s Word not because you FEEL like it but because you love and trust God and His Word. You know that it is the right thing to do and that in the long run you will reap the benefits of acting on God’s Word.

Allow me to use an event in Abraham’s life to illustrate what it means to act in faith and not on how you may feel at the moment. When God told Abraham to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice, Abraham acted in faith on what God told him to do and not on how he surely must have felt as a loving father to Isaac!

Hebrews 11 is the faith chapter in the Bible. It is a list of those who acted not on how they may have felt, but in faith on what God said.

That’s one reason why I think that what David did in killing Goliath is so important. While others were paralyzed with fear because of how big and bad Goliath was—they felt that facing him would mean certain death—David was not controlled by fear or by how he may have felt. Instead, he faced the giant with faith in God, and he killed him!

So too must we challenge our thoughts and feelings of emotional reasoning by our faith in God and in His Word, the Bible.

If you will MOVE in faith and trust God and His Word, you will discover that the giant of emotional reasoning will most definitely go down! Replace emotional reasoning with faith in what God has said.  God’s Word is truth. It is inerrant and infallible. Trust it completely!

Believe God’s Word—the Divine reality which is greater than what we can see or not see—and not your feelings which can change with the wind!

Dear ones, if you would experience the fullness of God’s Jubilee year of 5776, then you must make the choice to stop living by how you feel. “Freedom from what binds and restoration of what is mine” will become a reality when we make the choice to stop allowing our feelings to control us!

Pick up a stone and put it into the sling and hurl it at the giant of emotional reasoning by making the determination to walk in faith in the Word of God regardless of how you feel. If you will walk in faith in God’s Word, your feelings will eventually follow.

Make the choice to renew your mind by and with the Word of God!

KILLING THE GIANT OF JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS


This person jumps to a negative conclusion that is not justified by the facts of the situation. Two examples of this wrong kind of thinking are “mind reading” and “the fortune teller error.”

1. Mind Reading:  This is where a person interprets events in a negative way—without really knowing what is truly going on. For example, a man walks in where two friends are talking and laughing. He automatically assumes that they are making fun of him—when actually they are planning a surprise birthday party for him!

The problem with this kind of negative “mind reading” is that it can cause you to either withdraw or counterattack. It can hurt relationships with others when it shouldn’t.

2. Fortune Teller Error:  It is as if you had a crystal ball that foretold only misery for you! You imagine something bad is about to happen, and you take this prediction as fact even though it is unrealistic. For example, a high school librarian repeatedly told herself during anxiety attacks, “I’m going to pass out or go crazy.” But these predictions were unrealistic because she had never once passed out or gone crazy in her entire life.

Can you relate to this kind of wrong thinking? Perhaps you have had thoughts like this or know someone who does.

This kind of wrong thinking can put you into a place of fear and bondage. It can make living life very difficult and uncomfortable to say the least. But the good news is that you can be free from this “giant of jumping to conclusions!” Let me tell you how.

1. First of all, learn to be secure in who you are in Christ.

     (1). II Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone and the new has come.”

     Declaration of faith: I AM A NEW CREATION IN CHRIST. I AM SECURE IN HIM! As you grow in knowing that you are secure in Christ, you will be much less likely to always jumping to negative conclusions in certain situations.

     (2). II Corinthians 5:21 “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God in Christ.”

     Declaration of faith: “I am the righteousness of God in Christ.” When you know by revelation who you really are in Christ, the temptation of mind reading and fortune telling will become a thing of the past! You will become that secure in who you are in Christ!


2. Secondly, learn to walk in love because walking in love will keep your mind and emotions free.

     (1). I Corinthians 13:4-8 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails.”

As we grow in the love of God, there will be no place for “mind reading” and “fortune telling.” The love of God will keep us from the temptation of jumping to conclusions!

Walking in the love of God will never fail to kill the giant of jumping to conclusions!

Let me illustrate.  Let’s say that I walk into a situation that looks really suspicious. I can either begin to jump to conclusions or I can do the following: I can say by faith, “God’s love in me is patient; it does not envy; it does not boast; it is not proud; it is not rude; it is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs; love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. IT ALWAYS PROTECTS; ALWAYS TRUSTS, ALWAYS HOPES AND ALWAYS PERSEVERSES. LOVE NEVER FAILS!

Now someone may say, yeah, but what if some friends really are making fun of me? What if someone is doing something that they shouldn’t be doing?

What if they are? First of all you don’t know all of the facts. Secondly, this doesn’t change the fact that jumping to conclusions will not solve anything, and it will put you in bondage! So the best thing to do is not jump to conclusions (mind reading and fortune telling), but rather walk in the love of God. And know this, if someone is doing something wrong, God is big enough and God-enough to take care of it and them! So the way to kill the wrong thinking of the “giant of jumping to conclusions,” is to learn to find your security in who you are in Christ and to walk by faith in the love of God.

KILLING THE GIANT OF A NEGATIVE MENTAL FILTER

You pick out a negative event or detail in any situation and dwell on it EXCLUSIVELY, thus perceiving that the whole situation is negative. This one negative event or detail takes over your thoughts to where it’s all you think about! It literally begins to control you to where you become anxious and/or depressed.  Because you become fixated on this one negative situation, your whole world becomes negative. You become trapped with a negative mind-set or outlook. You refuse to let in anything that is positive.
This kind of negative mental filter can and will color your whole world with negativity IF YOU LET IT.  I know what I am talking about because it happened to me. I allowed a negative situation to take over my thoughts until it almost consumed me! How did it happen? It happened because I did not lift up the shield of faith and take up the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.  I allowed this giant or “Goliath” to intimidate me every day, keeping me in fear, anxiety and depression.
But that day ended when the Lord empowered me to rise up and face this giant as David did Goliath!
1 Sam 17:45-51
45 David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands." 48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. 50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. 51 David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine's sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.

When you are dealing with this giant of negativity, in order to defeat it, you must be aggressive as David was with Goliath. Face this giant and speak to it in the Name of the Lord God Almighty!
This is no time to wish or hope that the giant would just go away. Rather it is time for faith in God and time to kill this giant which has been intimidating you and keeping you in bondage and keeping you from the blessed life that God died to give you.
How do you do that?
1. First, lift up the shield of faith and do not allow what this Goliath of negativity says to keep you in anxiety, fear and depression or defeat!
It was when Goliath said to David in v.44 “Come here,” he said, “and I will feed your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field,” that David spoke back to the giant in the name of the Lord.
When the giant of negativity says to you, You’ll never be free of anxiety and depression, you might as well give up; this will always be your lot in life,” rise up with faith in God—as David did—and talk back to this giant!
In the name of Jesus Christ rise up and declare victory over Goliath! Declare and decree in the strong Name of Jesus Christ that you are victorious over anxiety, fear, depression and addiction or whatever may be coming against you.
And proclaim that you will be victorious because the Lord God Almighty is with you! And greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world!
Once you have defeated this giant of addiction, anxiety, depression and fear, give glory to God by testifying of His greatness, power and glory in making you victorious! (Psalm 40:1-3)
Now let’s take up the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, and take off this giant’s head as the sign and seal of the victory.
1. Mark 11:22-25   "Have faith in God," Jesus answered. 23 "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."
Dear friends, our Heavenly Father is telling us to be aggressive in dealing with this giant that has come against us. Take authority in the Name of Jesus—the God-man—over every addictive, anxious and depressive thought! Command these thoughts to be uprooted out of your life and cast into the sea!
And remember, the victory over this giant is not with carnal weapons—weapons from the earth—but by the Name of the great Shepherd of the Church—even the Lord Jesus Christ!
Zechariah 4:6 says, “Not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord.”
Our part, like David, is to have and to walk with faith in God.
Beloved, it is time to ACT in the Name of the Lord; aggressively confront the giant of negativity—addiction, anxiety, fear, and/or depression—in the Name of the supernatural God—Jesus Christ. And believe that His power at work in you and through you will give you the victory!
In faith, speak back to this giant in the Name of the Lord and let it know that it is going down and you will kill it and cut off its’ head!
Dear friends, let us follow the faith of Abraham who is the father of all who have faith. Romans 4:17 says “As it is written: I have made you a father of many nations. He is our father in the sight of God in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls those things that are not as though they were.”
So let us, in the authority of Jesus’ Name, call those things that are not as though they were!
Proclaim and decree this with me: In the Name of Jesus, by faith I declare, I am free from the giant of negativity; I am free from anxiety, depression, fear and addiction!
I ask now that the Holy Spirit of God would rise up in you and give you the tenaciousness of Heaven. And in that anointing you will defeat this giant just as David did Goliath!

KILLING THE GIANT OF OVERGENERALIZAITION

1. To overgeneralize means to go beyond what are appropriate or justified limits. You see a single negative event as a never ending pattern of defeat.
This giant desires to keep you in bondage and from receiving what is yours by trying to convince you that the “bad” thing that happened to you once will happen over and over again. You conclude that it will always be this {negative} way and there is nothing you can do about it. If you believe this lie, and that is what it is—a lie, then this giant will keep you enslaved and keep you from having restored to you what is rightfully yours. If you were rejected once, you will be rejected again and again.  This distorted or wrong thinking actually sets you up for rejection—you are expecting it to happen! It can and does become a self-fulfilling prophecy. You are a “rejection” just waiting to happen.
If a person is rejected and holds onto this rejection, it can color their whole world in an upsetting and negative way. You see yourself as someone who is less than others. Although this is not true, it is nevertheless real if that is how you think.
When you overgeneralize, you basically take a single negative event and allow it to define you. It shouldn’t, but it does because this is how you think. And as we said above, this kind of thinking can keep you in bondage and rob you of what belongs to you in God.
2. So the question is this: how do we defeat this giant of overgeneralization?
(1). First, lift up the shield of faith and block this deceptive and distorted thinking that comes from the devil. God’s will for your life is victory and not defeat! So break out of this pattern of defeat and step into the blessing and favor of God. The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy, BUT Jesus has come that you might have life and have it more abundantly! It is time for you to be done with the wrong kind of thinking! So block every lie of the devil with the shield of faith. Don’t receive the devil’s lies any longer. Instead, receive God’s plan of victory for your life. It will make this journey of life a whole lot more pleasant and enjoyable.
(2). Secondly, let’s take the head off of this giant with the Sword of the Spirit which is the  Word of God.
a. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you a hope in your final outcome.
b. Romans 8:28 We are assured and know that {God being a partner in their labor} all things work together and are {fitting into a plan} for good to and for those who love God are called according to His design and purpose.
c. Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to all this? If God is for us, who then can be against us? Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?
d. Ps 23: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
e. Hebrews 13:5 “. . . God himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give up nor leave you without support. I will not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake you or let you down or relax my hold on you. Assuredly not.”
The only person’s approval that you need is Father God’s! If someone rejects you, be truthful and honest with God and with yourself. And if you need to change something, then change it. But it not, then don’t worry about the person who rejected you. Simply love them, and move forward with your life.
Be aggressive against this giant who would love to hold you down and hold you back. Like David, run toward him and say, your time is up. You will go down and not me. And through the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, I will kill you and cut off your head!
I declare that God’s will for my life is blessing and not defeat! From this moment forward I will look for the goodness of God and not defeat. The old pattern of being held in bondage to always looking for something bad to happen is over! It is Jubilee, my year of abundance, and I am believing God to be released and set free from ALL than binds, and having restored to me ALL that is mine!







                                                                                                                                                                                           

“Tsunamis can travel thousands of miles across the open ocean, where they are difficult to see, rarely reaching more than 3 feet in height. Tsunamis often exceed 100 miles in length in the deep ocean, where they can travel as fast as 500 miles per hour, crossing the entire Pacific Ocean in less than 24 hours.” (ABC News Fun Facts)
This last week the Lord allowed me to see a vision of a Tsunami. I knew it was the Spirit of God moving very fast toward its destination. To be brief and to the point, here is the meaning of the vision: When this Tsunami hits, and it will be soon, it will bring both judgement and blessing. Blessing to those who are prepared and judgement to those who are not. The hearts of many (in the Church and in the world; from the greatest to the least) will be exposed. And although this will look bad, and in one way will be bad, it will actually be good! This will bring about a major shift that will prepare the Body of Christ for the greatest move of God that we have ever seen. It will position the True Church to be the new wineskin that will be able to receive the new wine of the Spirit—an explosive wine of signs, wonders, healing, and miracles! God is only going to pour out His Spirit on a Church that He can trust—a Church that will steward the Presence and power of God in love, humility and wisdom. He that has ears let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
And for those who can receive it, the “Josephs” (stewards) whom God has prepared through hardship and suffering, will be in place to provide “food” for those who are in need.
Please join us as we make intercession for the above: That in judgement God would remember mercy; that the collateral damage will be minimal for those sheep who will be effected by the actions of others; that God will use all that happens to advance His kingdom. Thank you!
(Might I suggest that you print this word or put it in a safe place? In the coming days you are going to need it. Remember, what looks bad will actually be good!) Shalom

“KILLING THE GIANTS”
(TEN COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS)

TEXTS: I Kings 17:1-6; Romans 12:2; I Samuel 17:32-51
SUBJECT:  “killing the Giant of “All or Nothing Thinking”
INTRODUCTION:

Let’s begin by a brief explanation of the above scripture texts. First, in I Kings 17:1-6, God commanded the ravens to feed the prophet Elijah during a famine. This was a supernatural provision of God, but it came by an unclean bird, the raven. The point is that God delivered what the prophet needed through an “unclean” source. I reference this text because when God led me to a book, “Feeling Good,” by Dr. David Burns I was concerned that it was not written from or with a Christian viewpoint. When I questioned Him about it, His response was I Kings 17:1-6. It was from this “secular” source or book that I learned about the ten cognitive distortions. A cognitive distortion is simply wrong and harmful thinking that can cause anxiety and depression. I think you will be surprised at how this wrong thinking affects most of us in one way or another. Secondly, in Romans 12:2 the Word of God tells us not to be conformed to the world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. In other words, the way to transformation is by changing the way that you think. You can't change the way you feel until you change how you think. And of course the way that we do that as Christians is through the Word of God. Then third, we will use I Samuel 17:32-51, the scripture where David faced the giant Goliath and killed him. In these messages, we will face and kill all ten giants of cognitive distortions. The end result is to see you set completely free from all anxieties and depression. And experience full restoration of all that belongs to you! Jubilee!

1. What is the giant of all or nothing thinking? You see things in black and white categories. If your performance falls short of perfect, you see yourself as a total failure.

I have been affected by this giant of wrong or distorted thinking because I allowed it to cause in me a fear of failure. That would mean, at times, I wouldn’t want to try to do something new for fear of failing at it. So when a new challenge would come along it would cause me to be anxious or experience anxiety. Why? Because it was all or nothing on my part.

Maybe you can relate? Even now you are feeling a bit anxious just by me talking about it. But please listen carefully; the only way to conquer this giant and overcome it is to face it! This “Goliath” will go down if you will trust God. And we can do this together! You are not alone.


Call it “what if” thinking. What if I fail? What if I make a fool out of myself? What if I let down the people who are depending on me? Negative “What if” thinking is wrong thinking!

Illustration: When I played little league football, I didn’t want my Dad—the most loving and affirming man I have ever known—to come and watch me practice because I didn’t want to fail in front of him! The fear of failure can cause a lot of anxiety!

2. So then, how do we slay this giant of all or nothing thinking?

A. First of all, realize that your self-worth is not based on what you do or do not accomplish. Rather, your self-worth is based on your position: who you are in Christ.
1. With this belt of truth wrapped around your waist, lift up the shield of faith and quench the devil’s dart of “all or nothing thinking” when he tells you: “you’re not pretty enough; you’re not talented enough; you’re a loser; you’ll never amount to anything; you’re just a failure; you can’t do anything right; you might as well not even try.”
2. Then take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and take this giant’s head off!
A. II Corinthians 5:21 “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” Make this declaration of faith: I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. My position in God’s Son is my self-worth and not how I look or what I do or don’t do.
B. Ephesians 1:4 “For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.” Make this declaration based on God’s Word: I am one of God’s chosen ones in Christ, I am holy and blameless in Him—that makes me special!
C. Ephesians 1:5 “In love, He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ. . .” Declaration of faith: I am a child of the living God! He chose me and adopted me into His family, not because of how I look or how talented or gifted I am, but because He loves me unconditionally in Christ.
D. Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of His grace.” Declaration of faith: God loves me so much that He shed the blood of His only-begotten Son so that I could be forgiven and be with Him forever!
E. Revelation 1:5 “. . . to Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His own blood.”
Declaration of Faith: Jesus loves me; He shed His blood for me! That is where I find my value!

I declare, based on God’s Word that is forever settled in the heavens; the Word that is sharper than a two-edged sword, that penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; and judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart; the word that is the truth and cannot lie. . .

Because Father-God loves me unconditionally and perfectly, (He has set His will to love me forever) I am free to try and fail without any fear of condemnation. My relationship with my heavenly Father is not and never will be based on my performance, but instead is based on His grace and mercy to me in Jesus Christ.

The only opinion that truly matters to me is my heavenly Father’s. If I fail, His love for me doesn’t change. His love, grace, and mercy give me the confidence that I need to keep trying and to never quit or give up.  Therefore, I will not be afraid to try and fail, for my self-worth is grounded in the truth of the Father’s love for me in Christ. Because I am in Christ forever, I cannot fail no matter what!

Allow me here to make a common sense statement that I think will also help you in facing and defeating the giant of all or nothing thinking. What if you do try something and fail? Is that the end of the world? Of course it’s not. Learn from your mistakes and try again. Don’t allow the fear of failure to keep you from trying. You want always get it perfect, but who does? Just give it your best shot and then rest in that. If someone can’t deal with it, that is NOT your problem.

Connie’s first attempts at cooking when we got married were, let’s just say, not exactly perfect! But I didn’t die, and she kept working at it and now she is a very good cook. Still not perfect, but very close!

Be willing to face your fear of not getting it perfect. You will find that when you do you will conquer it. And that will be one giant down! Remember, you’re not perfect. There was only One who was perfect and that is Jesus. But you are chosen, forgiven, and loved unconditionally in Him! Live in that truth and you will overcome your fear of failing.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of the deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those timid and cold souls who neither know victory or defeat.” President Theodore Roosevelt.