satan busted for telling same lie to wrong people

We all know that satan is a liar, but recently I found out that he is a consistent liar.

I was talking to a friend and he was quite discouraged about his situation. He had a major relational disappointment and I was trying to console him. At the end of our conversation he started talking about his job situation and then he said that because of his lack of education he felt he had "not accomplished anything" and had "not done anything in life."

I am thinking, "At least he has a job... I am rarely even employed!"

And I realize that I think the EXACT SAME THINGS about myself, yet here I am extremely educated. I am educated, but not employed- he is employed and not educated- but the common denominator is that we both believe the same things about ourselves.

So that's when satan was busted. He has been caught telling the SAME lie to us both.

There was one other lie I had also believed verbatim, but I can't remember what it was now.

My conclusion is that satan is consistent in his accusations against us. Let's learn from this that he tells us ALL that we have not accomplished anything regardless of what our accomplishments actually are. Whatever you have done, it will not feel like enough if satan has anything to do with it!

I am writing this to expose his strategy, so don't let him get away with it in your life! Believe the truth that if you are following Jesus you are accomplishing what HE wants you to accomplish regardless of what it is. If you are a mom, feel accomplished in taking care of your kids. If you have a job, feel the assurance that is where you are supposed to have influence right now. If you are in school- study with passion for God. And whatever you do- don't look to the WORLD to define your sense of accomplishment because that will guarantee that you feel like you don't measure up.

And for good measure I will add that none of us think we have accomplished as much as we should for our age or our station in life. No, you're not alone. Either you should be married by now, or have kids by now, or be farther in your career, or have a newer car- blah, blah, blah.

Just accept yourself for who you are. You're doing a good job. You probably try your best. So rest in God's love and acceptance for yourself- and PLEASE don't look around and compare yourself to others. God doesn't. He loves you right where you are for WHO you are.

Why God Cared About my Cupcake

Ok, while I'm at it I'm going to catch up on things I've been meaning to blog about...

This is my cupcake story.

My friend brought home a yummy cupcake. It was chocolate with white frosting.

As I unwrapped the cupcake and prepared to eat it, I heard God say, "I want you to enjoy every bite of that cupcake."

I thought, "I am shocked that God cares about this cupcake, but I will do what He says." So I enjoyed every bite of the cupcake.

As I finished it God said, "If you don't let yourself desire anything, then how can I give you the desires of your heart?"

This was profound. And then I could see why at that moment the God of the universe took a sudden interest in my chocolate cupcake.

You see, God says that we don't have because we don't ask. I am quite good (probably like most of us) at crucifying the desires of my heart. Whether it is from the pervasively WRONG doctrine in the church that says our hearts are evil and only desire things of the flesh that lead us to sin, or my own practicality that does not like to get my hopes up for things that could lead to disappointment, I do not typically allow myself to dream, or even want at times. I go along with life content in what I can see and I don't hope for much.

Once someone prophesied over me that I sit at the feet of Jesus like Mary, but I don't ask him for anything.

We think we are pleasing God by our small aspirations and we label it contentment. We think God approves of our desire to restrict our hearts from dreaming and we call it self-discipline.

Well I now know that this does NOT please God and what pleases Him is our wild abandonment to dream up ludicrous things that only He could pull off. He wants us to have such an intimate place of friendship with Him that we ask for things that actually make us HAPPY and not just for our basic needs to be met.

I mean, what parent would be pleased with a child who says the following in response to the question, "Son/Daughter, what would you like for your birthday?"

"Mommy and Daddy, I would like for you to feed me, and put clothes on me- and maybe if I am really lucky, then I would like you to give me a bath."

They would look at that child horrified that their child does not know they are loved. They would feel like complete failures as parents.

What if the child asks for a monkey, or even further, an entire zoo? They are not going to give the child the monkey or the zoo, but maybe the child gets to go visit the monkeys and the zoo. Maybe the child gets a stuffed monkey or a toy zoo. But for goodness sake, even if the child does not get exactly what she asks for, they are going to be pleased in the grand aspirations of their child and do their best to fulfill her desires!

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Let yourself DESIRE. Ask. Hope. I dare you!

Slouching no longer a problem thanks to the God who heals!

My house is the place to be right now if you have back problems...

Last week for my friend's birthday she asked me to pray for her. She has had chronic back problems requiring her to see a chiropractor and even this did not fully alleviate the pain. She complained that she was in pain when she picked up her kids or sat with them on the floor. God led me to pray for her back. I prayed for her spine, the leg joints going into her hip, and then I felt I should pray for her pelvis to be aligned properly and restored to its original design. When I prayed for the pelvis she said "This reminds me that a doctor said my pelvis was tilted and she did not think I could have kids."

Now a week later the pain is gone! Her back is healed!

I have not had severe back problems, but my mother has always tried to correct my slouching problem. I've also had massage therapists tell me that my spine is not properly aligned. I have known that one hip sits lower than the other, which causes me to always put more weight on my right leg. This makes my right hip, knee, and ankle hurt.

These are things you accept and just live with. Like the stress I've always carried in my left shoulder, shoulder blades, and along my neck. Last week I was at a Wednesday night house church and I felt the Spirit doing something in my left arm. My friend put his hand on the shoulder and instantly the power of God coursed down the arm and I felt all the tension leave my shoulder blade. It has never felt so relaxed. My friend did not even say a prayer for my shoulder, he just put his hand on my arm and the power of God healed my shoulder.

Then this past Monday I went to a prayer group. We were not praying for healing. I was sitting on the floor and all of a sudden I sensed the Spirit concentrate on my right leg. My entire leg started to straighten and then my ankle flexed in ways I never could. The sit and reach was always my worst nightmare in elementary school because even in childhood I was completely inflexible. Like, can't touch my toes inflexible. Yoga helped some, but I could never do the staff pose- the pose where you sit on the floor with your back straight and your legs straight out. (This is supposed to be an EASY pose for people. You just sit with your hands by your hips and your back straight.) Well my legs were too tight, my hips were too tight, and my back could not straighten, so I would be the only poor soul struggling with this supposedly easy pose... But when I am just hanging out on the floor I feel my leg completely straighten and my knee touched the ground. I don't think it has EVER been ever to do that!

Tonight was the best though. I had been watching the Voice of the Prophets conference online. All my friends went to the conference, but I was at home babysitting children. I was about to turn it off because the speaker was finished and it was just ministry time, but I thought I'd keep it on while I got ready for bed. I was just sitting at my desk when the guy on the stage was directing people to available prayer ministers and he just casually says, "Lord send your healing." Right at that moment I feel my spine start to straighten between my shoulder blades. It is just straightening my entire back and instantly it corrected my posture! I have NEVER been able to sit or stand so straight in my ENTIRE LIFE! I mean, my abs, shoulders, spine- everything- are physically in a different place. I have been praying for my body to come into alignment for a while, but tonight I didn't pray for any healing. Actually each time I have been healed in the last week NOBODY prayed for my healing! God just did it!

I'm on a roll with backs, so if someone needs healing for back pain, hit me up!

And if you need healing for Anything, hit JESUS up because he is still in the healing business!