A message especially for Easter
This was just posted on Seeking Peace & Joy but is very appropriate for our readers. It was written by the author of :
Panic Attacks Calming the storm, Brian Ludwig
Too often we think we receive peace when we minimize what we face instead of maximizing our effectiveness to cause whatever we face to be minimized.
When I am walking out the truth of my life, living in Christ Jesus, I can handle the world because Jesus overcame the world for me.
For years, it was thought that the brain was fixed — that we were stuck with whatever we were born within terms of our hardware and its ability. Then came research showing that was incorrect.
Scientific documentation now supports the idea that we can even change our brains by changing our thoughts. The results are staggering. These breakthroughs in our understanding show it is possible to “reset our happiness meter, regained the use of limbs disabled by a stroke, train the mind to break cycles of depression and OCD and reverse age-related changes in the brain.
People need to have a revelation of the number and the nature of their thoughts. Science has!
Fear/offense
Just as a side note, I saw the headlines on the Internet announce that the United States has now surpassed Italy in a number of deaths that occurred to the coronavirus. What could possibly be the point of that statement other than to create fear? Everyone has been talking about how terrible it is in Italy. However, did anyone bother to say that the United States has 5.45 times the population of Italy?
The United States just surpassed 20,000 deaths. For that to be relevant, Italy in the ratio would have to have 109,000 deaths.
Why didn’t they report that help of every group of 1 million people, Italy has had 322 people die as compared to the United States which has only had 62 people out of every group of 1 million people?
Why, because the media loves to create fear. Why, because people are drawn to embrace fear – people are addicted to drama into a bad report.
When Moses sent the 12 spies into the promised land, 10 came back with a bad report and to come back with a good report. However, the entire group of people in the wilderness were driven to embrace the bad report and reacted impulsively and work completely debilitated by fear.
The demonic realm obtains its power through agreement of men and women on the earth. Faith moves God, fear moves the demonic realm, fear and towers the demonic realm.
Why is it that the news did not report that one in every 16,000 people has died? Why, because a person could embrace that without being driven to fear.
Why didn’t the news say that in Italy, one out of every 3000 people have died but amazingly in the United States, only one in 16,000 people have died?
“Fear not” is found in the Bible at least 365 times. “Fear not” is in the form of a command more than any other command in the Bible.
The news media preaches fear. I don’t blame the news media, I blame people who say they are engrafted into Jesus Christ and then still choose to demand information that is negative, presented incorrectly, and provides a basis that drama can be built upon.
If the United States would embrace the teachings of God and be led by Holy Spirit, they would completely reject what the news media now provides, and would demand that things would be reported in a Godly fashion.
In Hebrews chapter 11, the word says that it is impossible to please God without faith. So, what’s the definition of faith:
Hebrews 11:1 now faith is the assurance, the confirmation, the title deed of the things we hope for, being the proof of things we do not see and the conviction of their reality, faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses.
Fear is the number one enemy to walking by faith. Walking by faith in receiving by faith is how we obtain what we are in need of from the kingdom of God.
Jesus came to bear witness to the truth.
Jesus was the word of God made flesh. The word of God is truth. Jesus is truth. Jesus was the truth manifested in the flesh.
We are placed in a specific place, to do a specific activity and in that place and activity, we display truth.
As a son or daughter of Father, you have an assignment, you have grace to do your assignment. If you don’t do your assignment, your anointing will be unfulfilled and actually cause discontentment. That discontentment will be used by the enemy in an attempt to cause you to engage in activities that violate the truth of your life.
Truth sets standards and then blesses you with the ability to walk out those standards.
Jesus continually made corrections when He experienced a situation that was void of truth. Healing is a manifestation of truth.
Our assignment is to reveal and to demonstrate what truth looks like.
When we set the standard of truth, the lost will see truth and deception will be driven away.
The flesh has to be trained by truth.
Facts need to be debated and reinforced through human effort and reasoning, but truth fights its own battle, it only needs to be embraced and displayed.
Today we’re going to study how to be free from bondage by walking out the effectiveness of the truth of our life.
Our lives prepare the meal for others to feed on in order to taste and see that the Lord is good.
Our minds, the realm of the soul is very important and it must be taught and guided by the Spirit-filled human spirit.
Holy Spirit leads you to all truth so all truth is available to you.
People do not walk out the truth of their life because their minds, emotions, and decisions are not trained and led by their spirit.
It has been shown that as humans, it seems we have the ability to have over 12,000 thoughts per day. But according to some research, as many as 98% of them are exactly the same as we had the day before. That would truly make us creatures of habit.
Even more significant, science is beginning to reveal that over 80% of a person’s thought are negative.
Negative thoughts are particularly draining. Thoughts contain words like never and can’t — complaints and thoughts that diminish our own or another’s sense of self-worth deplete the body by producing corresponding chemicals that weaken the physiology. No wonder people are exhausted by the end of the day.
Psychology reveals that if we recognize negative are limiting thoughts, we can consciously choose to change them. Chemicals produced by the body as a result of thinking positive thoughts are more likely to support you in fulfilling your goal.
Isn’t it amazing when the research of the world confirms the wisdom of God?
The definition of meditate is to think deeply and focus your mind for a period of time on that thought or thoughts.
Mental strongholds are patterns of thinking. Whatever you meditate on creates a path for future thoughts to travel.
When you meditate on Father and on the kingdom of God, you will establish patterns and directions that thoughts will follow. The spiritual stronghold that you establish will guard your hearts and minds.
However, when you meditate on the lies of the enemy, demonic strongholds can be established.
2 Corinthians 10:4 – 5 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds,
5 [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
We have an amazing responsibility. When we walk out the truth of our life, living our life in Christ Jesus, our life actually refutes arguments, theories, and reasonings that oppose the true knowledge of Father.
This is why the apostle Paul was able to say “the things which you have learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Correct patterns of thinking guard your hearts and minds. The peace of God makes any demonic attacks of stress and anxiety to be ineffective. When we operate from a place of peace, we continually meditate on things that are just, pure, and of a good report.
If you are struggling with something in your life, meditating on the word of God changes the way that you think. When you change the way you think, you open the door to change the way that you behave.
Desires will follow that which you give attention to. When you develop a spiritual stronghold of correct thinking, it makes it very hard for the enemy to control your thoughts to manipulate your behavior.
The peace of God is found by living out our life in Christ Jesus. Walk out the truth of your life and allow Holy Spirit to minister through your life to undo the works of the enemy.
A lot of trails that Jesus blazed are overgrown and grown shut because we have become too civilized to travel those trails. I can only effectively give what I have been disciplined myself to become.
Don’t feel pressure to convince someone the gospel is true, let the world feel the pressure to try to dispute Jesus when the gospel is revealed through your life in power, authority, and access to the provisions of the kingdom of God. Let the world feel the pressure to explain how a believer walks out abundant life.
Anxiety is living life constantly prepared to fail and continually rehearsing how you will cope with that impending failure.
2 Corinthians 5:17 — 2117 Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!
If you are engrafted into Jesus, you become one with Jesus. If you become engrafted into the world, you become one with the world. Through our life, our life will reveal who we are engrafted into.
Colossians chapter 3, the world says that if we have been raised with Christ to a new life, then we are to seek those things which are above. We are to set our minds and keep them set on what is above, the higher things, not on the things that are on the earth. For as far as this world is concerned, you have died, and your new real life is hidden in Christ Jesus.
We are in a spiritual war. So many people are absolutely oblivious to that truth. God is a Spirit. Father spoke this world into existence. The natural is totally subordinate to the spiritual realm. We’re in a war. The war is between the kingdom of light in the kingdom of darkness.
You need the revelation that with everything that is going on in the world, all the busyness, all the activities — the absolute most and only significant thing is that there is a war raging between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness.
Whether you realize it or not, whether you like it or not, whether you care or not, you are smack dab in the middle of the only truly significant war that ever was, or ever will be. Now in the world, there have been many physical conflicts, many wars, but they are only repercussions of the ultimate war.
The most significant thing to have revelation of is that there is a war in the spirit realm and amazingly the war is being fought through us and over us.
Father created us, and He empowered us to have authority over this earth. The enemy was ejected out of heaven and the enemy became involved in the struggle over who is control on this earth.
Offense
Matthew 5:21 – 26 You have heard that it was said to the men of old, you shall not kill, and whoever kills shall be [a]liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the court.
22 But I say to you that everyone who continues to be [b]angry with his brother or harbors malice (enmity of the heart) against him shall be [c]liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the court, and whoever speaks contemptuously and insultingly to his brother shall be [d]liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, You [e]cursed fool! [You empty-headed idiot!] shall be [f]liable to and unable to escape the hell (Gehenna) of fire.
23 So if when you are offering your gift at the altar you there remember that your brother has any [grievance] against you,
24 Leave your gift at the altar and go. First, make peace with your brother, and then come back and present your gift.
25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way traveling with him, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.
26 Truly I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last fraction of a penny.
It’s so huge that we learn how to forgive.
People let things build up, things get way out of perspective that people enter into offense.
You will never be put through what Jesus went through for you. Don’t compare yourself to other people, they are not your standard. Jesus is your standard. If Jesus is your standard, then learn from Him and be very quick to forgive.
It takes one to forgive, but it takes two to reconcile.
The enemy loves when people fight with each other because then they get their eyes off of the real enemy. Other people are not your enemy. The demonic realm as your enemy.
I’ve seen people become offended and refuse to forgive. I’ve seen them enter into lawsuits with people, and things got out of hand real fast. I’ve seen lawsuits that could have been settled for $25,000 instead, it got out of hand. The spirit of offense set in. Before you know it, legal counsel was needed. This person and up spending a total of around $165,000 to fight a case that could have been settled for $25,000.
When the spirit of offense is left to go and not kept in check, it has the potential to cost you dearly.
Be quick to forgive. And this is important, be very quick to drop it. Don’t allow yourself to live in offense, drop it. It may be uncomfortable and it may hurt and it may be hard to do, but in the long run, you will come out way ahead.
We have to learn to deal with fear correctly. As you study the word of God, he cleanses you. The word cleanses you and takes away any desire that you have for drama. You learn to see peace and joy because in that atmosphere, your most effective for the call on your life.
If you confess that you are engrafted into Christ Jesus, you better learn how to fight off offense and you better learn how to forgive and you better learn how to live your life free from fear.
Always look to Holy Spirit to reveal the big picture. I’m going to live forever. How I spend my years on this earth will determine the conditions of that forever that I will soon be living.
Don’t let the enemy steal from you, don’t let the enemy make you ineffective.
Any storm that you face, you are equipped to emerge victorious.
Get your eyes on Jesus and just keep moving forward.
YOU MAY ASK QUESTIONS OF BRIAN EITHER ABOUT PANIC AND ANXIETY OR SPIRITUAL CONFUSION ON HIS SEEKING PEACE AND JOY FB PAGE.
(You may message him with personal questions)
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