Laura's Latest: You Can Overcome
Have you ever had days when you feel like you have a battle ahead of you? Does it seem like there are obstacles in the way or your enemies are closing in? Sometimes, the shadows cast from those mountains in front of you can really make it hard to see the light behind them. We all have days that appear to resemble a battle field, that sound and seem rather dreary and horrid.
Well, I have some good news for you! Jesus Christ came, He gave His life and conquered all at the Cross! To be precise, He came specifically to be a living sacrifice for all of your sickness, lack and sin and following His death and resurrection on the third day, this finished work of His, led Him to pass over authority to you. Authority over your health, your wealth, your happiness and peace. Over your mind, your past, your present and future.
1 Peter 2:24 (NLT) He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.
2 Timothy 1:10 (NLT) And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Saviour. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News.
Luke 10:19 (NIV) I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
Romans 10:9 (ESV) Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Woohoo! Yeehaw! Yippee! That is not just good, but awesome news! I know that this causes many ‘buts’ and ‘whys’: “But why did that happen?” “Why did they die so young.” “But I can’t help it.” “Why do bad things happen then?”
These are all the big ‘buts’ and ‘whys’ that drove me mad and kept me bitter. From the death of my stepfather when I was 13, to the addiction and self-harming, smoking and the strife, all the way through a miscarriage, failure and hurting. I declared and debated that no God should allow such awful things to happen in my life and others’ lives. I even had a tattoo which declared “There is no God above me” however, when I was set free in 2014, after hearing the Truth about Jesus Christ: The Good News, my opinions changed dramatically.
This revelation did not only include getting to know that there definitely is a God, an amazing one at that, but that there is a devil too. The answer to my questions were explained when I came to understand what God’s promises for us are and what the enemy’s desires for us are too.
John 10:10 (GNT) The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life, life in all its fullness.
The devil, that enemy of ours, is the reason for sickness, depression, lack, poverty, loneliness, addiction, sin and strife. He wants nothing more than for you to hate God, hate yourself, hate others and live a life against God’s will for you.
Our loving God, our Father in Heaven, handcrafted us, with a purpose, with plans filled with happiness, love, opportunity and victory on His heart. He gives us the ability to freely have that and more. Like any loving Father, He will not force you to do anything, He can only help and guide you to choose the right things and to lean on Him also. He offers free will to each and every one of us and only when we accept Him into our lives, can He then reveal to us the power, protection and prosperity He has in store for us. This new found truth obviously had and continues to have a huge impact on my life and has changed all believers’ lives in their own ways. From being totally self and life-loathing, depressed and emotionally unstable, addicted and feeling rejected, having suffered the spiralling lack that the devil had me falling into, I can now say that I feel a peace that I never knew existed. I have a feeling of being loved that only God can fill you with, a freedom from my past and all of the bondage that held me. My whole life and hopes for it, have been transformed. God’s handiwork is constant and refreshing and I say this, not for you to say, “Oh how wonderful for you! (sigh)” but to feel encouraged that If I can have this, then you can also. I have never done anything worthy of this and it is only by the Grace of God that I have been given the life that I live.
After my introduction to Jesus and the learning of His finished Work, I was baptised and began attending church regularly and reading The Bible. This opened my eyes to the answers which are within God’s Word and His Promises. Good teaching in my Church and having time alone with God gave me wisdom and understanding on how I would tackle my obstacles. I was still medicated for my mental health at this time; I was still battling with the depressive feelings and suicidal thoughts; I was still learning of the authority I had been given from God and when it finally clicked, I got myself into action.
I knew that I was now free from depression and God had given me a sound mind. I surrounded myself with scriptures of healing and peace and after reaching a point when I completely believed that I was renewed, I safely came off of my medication. I was later discharged from the mental health team after 11 years. I have now been medication free for 9 months and I feel the happiest I have ever felt. With strength from God I have also quit smoking, along with many other bad habits, as I have gradually renewed my mind over the last 20 months of being a new born Christian.
So, now you know about what God has done for me so far, let’s talk about how this may help you. First things first, God is no respecter of persons. We are all His precious children and He wants the best for each and every one of us. If you think for any reason that you are too horrible, too naughty, too far into a pit to receive God’s love then you do not understand The Gospel. It is NOT by your works that you are saved, it is by God’s Grace, His unmerited favour. The only requirement is for you to believe in Him and have a relationship with Him. The more you rely on Him, the more of His blessings you unravel and enjoy. The less you believe, the less you get and the less you spend time with Him, the less you hear Him. Let’s face it, you cannot hear very much with your ears covered and you don't feel very much with your heart on lock down. So when you accept Jesus into your life as your Lord and Saviour, you give yourself to Him and listen to Him through His Word; you will see changes in your life.
Acts 10:34 (NIV) Then Peter began to speak: "I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism
Ephesians 2:8 (ESV) For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God
Hebrews 4:16 (ESV) Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
The foundation for all success through God is knowing who you are in Christ. If you do not know who God says you are then you cannot fully understand His promises to you. God’s word is filled with scriptures about your identity. I spent time learning this and instead of looking at myself as an ugly loser, sinner or failure, I began to refer to myself according to how God sees me. Here are some of my favourite scriptures which personally helped me grasp my new identity:
2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Galatians 3:26 (NIV) For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:11 (ESV) There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthian 3:16 (ESV) Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?
Psalm139:14 (NIV) I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Ephesians 1:4 (NLT) Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes.
Romans 8:37 (ESV) No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
In a nutshell, God loves you with all of His heart. He thinks you are beautiful and gifted (He made you after all) and He gave His son, Jesus, for you to show you His love and plans for you. He sees you as righteous. He does not tally up your wrongs. He has forgiven every single sin of your past, present and future and has a unique plan for your life. He wants you to have a fantastic time on earth, fulfilling the desires of your heart, as well as eternal life with Him in Heaven! Wow. Isn't that amazing?
Once you have got to know who you are in Christ and what His promises are, you will begin to see that there is power in His word and power in your mouth. In this world we have become accustomed to be negative by default. “Better not get your hopes up.” “It probably wont happen.” “I will probably end up with that disease.” All of those comments are exactly what the enemy wants you to say, as those things are his desire for your life. On the contrary, from the beginning of time, when God first created the earth and everything in it, He gave man the power to use His words to command and call things into existence. God’s will is for you to GET your hopes up, to HAVE the desires of your heart and to be FREE from disease and lack. So don't listen to that enemy of yours. He is a liar and will do everything he can to try to convince you otherwise. The Hebrew meaning for Hope is to EXPECT something beneficial in the future.
Psalm 33:9 (ESV) For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
There is power in your words and they were designed for good. One of my many bad habits was to put myself down and to speak bad things over my future. It took me a while and I still slip up, but I have now made it a habit to speak out words of hope, positivity, life and good over myself and others. I stood in front the mirror and said to myself out loud that I have a spirit of power, love and a sound mind and my mind matched up to my words. My body listened and my healing manifested.
2 Timothy 1:7 (KJ 2000 Bible) For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
God’s Word is the truth and it is the truth that sets you free. The more you say it the more you believe it and feel it. Have you noticed that the more that ill people talk about their sicknesses, the more they tend to believe and live by the bad report or prognosis and then feel more symptomatic. There have been many people that have received a false prognosis despite being completely healthy, but they have believed so much that they are dying, that they have died! I have cared for many patients who, despite being told they have limited time to live, have believed that they will get better and they have been completely cured of their illnesses.
Proverbs 18:21 (NIV) The tongue has the power of life and death
Isaiah 55:11 (NIV) so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Jesus explained to us that no matter how big the obstacle is in front of us, no matter how unbelievable in the natural it is for it to disappear, we can command it to get out of the way and believe it will be gone and it will go. In my church and throughout my daily life, I declare God’s Word and speak against evil or difficulties that stand in my way. Sometimes the easy bit is saying it, but the believing part can take a little more renewing of my mind by reading The Word.
Mark 11:22-24 (ESV) And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Matthew 21:22 (ESV) And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
2 Corinthians 4:13 (ESV) Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak
God is patient and gracious so there is no need to feel bad if you do not get things straight away or if you stumble. He will lift you up and help you get back on track, if you let Him! God is the One who supplies all your needs and if you feel you need more energy or understanding, know that He will give it to you.
Philippians 4:19 (NIV) And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
Psalm 46:1 (NIV) God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
There are thousands of great stories in The Bible about people trusting in God and leaning on His promises who have overcome huge obstacles and times of difficulty. David is well known for His faith in God and His trust in the fact that, despite being a shepherd by trade and small in comparison to his giant enemy, Goliath, God said He could succeed through Him. These were David’s words to Goliath:
Samuel 17:45 Then David said to the Philistine,you come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. 46 This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the corpses of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that this entire assembly may know that the Lord does not save with the sword or with the spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will hand you over to us.”48 When the Philistine rose and came forward to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 David put his hand into his bag and took out a stone and slung it, and it struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone penetrated his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.
There are so many accounts of the amazing things people have overcome with God at their side and we all have the ability and authority to have that same success. No matter how bad it looks, how big it looks, how much it hurts, how unlikely it seems, God will make a way for you. Keep trusting in Him, speak out His Word, act as though it has already happened and it will happen for you. If you are believing to be out of debt, study prosperity in The Bible. If you are believing for healing in your body or someone else’s body, study healing and authority. The answers are all there and The Help, which is God, will never let you down. No matter what situation you are in right now, God is with you and will be with you every step of the way, as you walk forward. Do not let the enemy intimidate you. Know that he has already lost the battle he faces. You, on the other hand, are more than a conqueror through Christ.
Philippians 4:13 (KJ 2000 Bible) I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Better get your victory dance ready!
