GARMENTS OF GRACE

The man who loves God meditates on the law [bible] of God day and night. He is instant in season and out of season. He bears the fruit of a branch vitally connected with the Vine. 

As he has opportunity, he does good; and everywhere, at all times and in all places, he finds opportunity to work for God. He is one of the Lord's evergreen trees; and he carries fragrance with him wherever he goes. A wholesome atmosphere surrounds his soul. The beauty of his well-ordered life and godly conversation inspires faith and hope and courage in others. This is Christianity in practice. Seek to be an evergreen tree. Wear the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. Cherish the grace of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness. This is the fruit of the Christian tree. Planted by the rivers of water, it always brings forth its fruit in due season.

Taken from The Review
and Herald, August 24, 1897.

Do the words here taken from The Review and Herald of 1897 float over your soul like milk and honey?  I feel like I am floating when I read them! They are written by an ancient Puritan.  

The Puritan's were a religious reform movement that arose within the Church of England in the late 16th century. They believed the Church of England was too similar to the Roman Catholic Church and should eliminate ceremonies and practices not rooted in the Bible. They believed in walking in the spirit!

To truly walk in the fruit of the Spirit, we must first examine how these traits or fruits of the Spirit are cultivated. We know they come through our devotion to JESUS, the true Vine of God. 

As we devote our souls to God, it is through Jesus from which His abundant fruit overflows to us. The fruits come as gifts from the Holy Spirit in love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Galatians 5:22 & 23. 

I have enjoyed reading and studying the Puritan writer, John Owen, who vigorously insisted that the fruit of the Spirit is the work of the Spirit and not of human origin. 

Do you agree?

 I have been a Christian since I was a small child, but to have the Holy Spirit indwell in me continuously with the fruits of the spirit displayed like garments takes a Work of God.

Our actions and words become our garments of love, joy, peace, gentleness and goodness towards ourselves through a pouring or anointing of the God’s Spirit. Acts 4.

These godly qualities are not something we can manufacture, take pride in, or lay claim to as self-generated. 

Rather, they are the work of God, andGod alone is the source!

To all who believe, He is as the tree of life in the
Paradise of God. His branches reach to this world, that the blessings which He has purchased for us may be brought within our reach.... He has given us a Comforter, the Holy Spirit, which will present to us the precious fruit from the tree of life. From this tree we may pluck and eat, and we may then guide others to it, that they also may eat.  Taken from The Signs of the Times, October 22, 1896.

I ❤️ love these ancient truths. 

I want to encourage you to read some of the Puritan authors to encourage your walk. They were told the statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple… By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Psalms 19:7, 11 

Taken from The Review and Herald, January 4, 1887. My brethren, if any among you strays
from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner
from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a
multitude of sins.” James 5:19 From My
Life Today - Page 50

However, we do have a crucial role to play. John Owen called these character traits “garments of grace”. He said we must actively put them on. 

We have learned both spirit and soul each have a separate consciousness and they must come into agreement with one another to enter God’s Vine or we know this as walking in His Spirit.

Our Father in Heaven is a gentleman. He will not push or force, but we may feel a nudge or witness in our spirit because He never stops trying to draw us to him. 

As we become awakened little by little, we begin to see Him working in our lives until one day we find, we desire Him over everything else. 

It’s beautiful and yet a bit painful road as we begin to chase after Him. Now, this is what the Word of God calls, “the deep calling the deep” and our relationship can begin with a revelation of who God is and who we are to God. Psalm  42:7

We come willingly giving ourselves to the process by acknowledging and confessing our sin [all the things hidden or we hang onto]. The Father loves us so much and He created to have a relationship with us but to do we must free us from ourselves from this world of negative thinking and actions. 

By now, we have discovered the battle or blockage is in our mind, but it also includes our will and soul. His Word refers to this as our spiritual temple. We know this. 

God will search us to reveal the hidden things within each of us that are out of alignment with His Kingdom or fruits of His Vine. If we are honest with ourselves or in my case desperate enough, we give these hidden things to God, because we are finally sick of battling ourselves. We are so weary we are ready to give up!

This is when our change or conversion happens!! Praise God! 🦋 

I like to all this “our second filling of Holy Spirit” because Holy Spirit is active in those who profess Jesus as their Lord but our carnal mind or ego but die to receive the full indwelling of God’s Spirit. 🕊  We turn from ourselves to God! He comes with His Comforter to clean [convict] and heal [forgive] us of our fallen nature.  This is the filling of His Precious Holy Spirit. 

They search the sources of the rivers and bring hidden
things to light.1 John 1:9

Chuck Missler an American author, evangelical Christian, Bible teacher, engineer, and businessman says the soul of a man grows out of the interaction between body & spirit. What a profound statement. I have gleaned so much wisdom from Chuck and Nancy's Missler books. Unity within our temple means the separation of our sin that has been hidden deep within the rooms or chambers of our temple [soul]. Chuck refers to our spiritual temple like Solomon’s temple in the Book of 1 Kings. I want to encourage you to search for Chuck and Nancy’s Website and books. They will help you understand your inner man and the battle within your soul. 

In my case, I simply had to acknowledge by asking The Father to heal some of the things that occurred during my childhood to access these hidden chambers within my temple. Once I allowed them to be revealed, Jesus came with His love to heal them!  

God wants this for you too! 

The law [bible] of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the
soul. 

Let me share my experience as an example. I witnessed my mother being arrested out of our living room window at the age of 4. My mom had been driving too fast and got herself pulled over by the police. I witnessed her erratic behavior towards the policeman, who handcuffed her, and helped her into the back seat of his police car where she was taken to jail. Sadly, from that day forward, I never lived with my mother again.  

My teen to young adult rationalized or masked this event for years with the help of the enemy. I was unable to receive healing because I could not confess the harm that had been done to my soul on that day. This childhood event of abandonment became my stumbling block. A real hindrance in my spiritual journey. 

The enemy of our soul, satan is tricky. His strategy is to steal, kill and destroy. He does this by keeping our minds so busy with anger, anxiety, sorrow and whatever else He can manage, to change us to our emotions and thoughts. These are our hinderances. He knows if he can keep us from entering God’s Presence - -we won’t receive healing or understanding! In my situation, the enemy was using lies that were critical of my self-image. I came to an agreement with his lies and it kept me from having a relationship with my mother. 

The enemy sounded something like, “you are so strong - - you never needed your mother” and “your mom was selfish and just didn't want to be your mom" or "She never really loved you” and these thoughts in my head went on and on. 

Our stumbling blocks or hinderances are the falsities we carry within the inner most hidden chambers of our heart and soul. My 4-year-old self buried my mother's betrayal of abandonment so deep; I could not access healing! I was an orphan in the spirit realm! [download worksheet]

These phrases from the enemy that I was hearing are known as automatic thoughts. To be more specific they are thoughts rooted in negativity and give a fake sense of oneself.  

Sadly, the thoughts are our own beliefs of who we are and what we are capable of that are formed during childhood and anchor themselves to our soul.  

This is why many of us cannot understand the true love of God. 

Our soul and spirit are at war with one another! 

This is the war…. Read that again, our soul and spirit are at war.

So in my case, my mother had not been a big enough part of my formative years to feel her love towards me. Her love and mine needed to be knitted me back together by the GRACE of GOD. 

Thankfully, God is in control. He always gives us more chances than we deserve, right? Praise GOD and thank you Jesus! In my 30’s after having my own children, I was able to get to know my mom and even enjoy her. The betrayal I carried was softened when I learned the truth. 

Truth sets us free!

I discovered she was just as tortured as I was, but with guilt and shame. The enemy stopped beating her up!  He loves it when we are ashamed causing guilt to engulf our hearts. We make our enemy’s job so easy because we naturally withdraw from God through condemnation or shame just like David share’s in Psalm 34.

My guilt has overwhelmed
me -like a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds fester and are
loathsome because of my sinful folly. I am bowed down and brought
very low; all day long I go about mourning. My back is filled with
searing pain; there is no health in my body. I am feeble and utterly
crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.  Psalm 38:4-8

Eventually, I came to learn my mom was wounded and a victim of her own childhood. Her childhood wounds haunted her until her death in 2006. This would be considered a generational curse. When we overcome our wounds within our hearts and soul, the curse stops. If the pattern is broken, it can’t be repeated! The We curse is broken! The next generation, our children and grand children do not battle the curse. Praise Yahweh!

For a long time, I felt guilty for not pursuing a relationship with my mother, but I am so thankful I was able to combat my destructive thoughts about her and discover the truth. In God’s grace I enjoy a relationship with her before her passing. 

If any of my post is speaking to your heart, please consider this a move of God. When God is moving and we step into His move His Spirit comes … and you may even experience a second filling. 

It's not easy to love those who have betrayed or disappointed us, but God knows. Let Him be your mother, father, brother, sister or whom ever you need right now!  Let Him wrap you in His garments of Grace. Let Him show you…. You are lovable!  You are loved! 

The steps I took to gain control of this lost relationship began by taking every single thought captive. I know we read about doing this in His Word, but it truly effective and works! 1 Corinthians 10:5

It began with me asking myself when I heard a condemning thought.... Where did it come from? 

How did it make me feel?  

You see, if you are reading the bible, you find that GOD is loving, patient and merciful. It's mankind that is not! Every single evil in the Bible is done by man! God is just and righteous! 

Once you understand the truth you can seek peace in your thoughts.

You have become aware of the negative thoughts and how they rob your peace and you can start digesting them. You figure out there are patterns in areas these negative thoughts are rooted. You begin to tear down these walls and patterns in your life and you immediately begin to see changes in yourself. It’s so encouraging!

I found myself saying, this thought steals my peace, or this thought makes me feel sad, angry, depressed, or anxious. Once I became conscience or awake in recognizing the patterns of where these thoughts came from, I was able to make progress by turning them off inside my thoughts. 

I became an over comer! We can all over come evil with good, Romans 12:21.

Tracking your thoughts and figuring out where they manifest is key to kicking the enemy to the curb! I have a Worksheet to help those of you who want to go to war with the enemy of your thoughts and send the evil devils packing for good.  

NOTE:  My worksheet inspiration began while taking notes from a wonderful author Heather Chesiyna. Her book is called, Made of Still. Heather Chesiyna is amazing woman of God with a resourceful website and YouTuber with a personal testimonial. I want to encourage you to seek Heather out. The more you educate and learn to understand yourself the quicker you will find freedom. Heather's book this month is free on Kindle, but it would be a wonderful book to add to your physical library too!

Let’s continue, all my past and future mistakes were rooted in my abandonment soul wound also known as the orphan spirit. My four-year-old self had hidden the emotions of my mother's abandonment deep within my heart where it became buried deep within my soul . . . to never let go!   

Until . . . this wound was peeled away layer by layer through the Word of God, I could not receive healing from our great surgeon, the love of Jesus. 

The enemy had authority to come and whispers in my ear, using deception, temptation, and chaos. Basically, his tactics were everything that is contrary to being still just to derail my access to The Father in my secret place of prayer.

To walk in freedom, start at the very beginning and admit or confess every hurt that comes to mind. Don’t leave out a thing. The Father even guided me to pray over that old house in my mind where my mom was arrested because my hurt was tied to that house too. 🕊 I have included my prayer below this post.

When we are vulnerable, we can be healed by Jesus and through Jesus we enter the Love of God.  Jesus is the doorway to God and when we receive Him, we enter His Tabernacle! 

Start today like I did by sitting, waiting, and reading His Word, journaling what you learn and hear. As we write down the things we hear, they leave our heart and minds. This is devotional prayer, resting in God.

At first, I lasted about 10 minutes, then it was 20 and eventually I made it to an hour. Each time, I was taken through scriptures that The Father used to encourage, heal, teach, and inspire!  

We serve a merciful and ❤️ loving Father.

I want to express that God heals, but sometimes we need to seek professional help to overcome our trauma or issues. Please do not think less of yourself because you need to seek professional help. Healing looks different for each of us and there isn’t just one type of healing. God wants each of us to be mindful of our health. He is a healer but the depth of  various trauma can determine additional help. Just be honest, by letting go of your ego. God will show you the path! 

When the love of Christ is enshrined in the heart, His
presence will be felt. Psalm 46.

Be STILL and know that I am God really became my life verse during my healing. I memorized it and said it to myself over and over. The Orphan Spirit takes on pride which makes one believe they are strong. 

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted
among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

As Owen the Puritan explained, we are responsible for acts of obedience by which this fruit is “preserved, increased, strengthened, and improved.” We don’t need to be strong, God is our defender. Being strong is exhausting because we are doing things in our flesh!

I pray you feel encouraged to take the time to Get quiet to nourish your soul by the Spirit of God. 

Begin to meditate on scriptures like these: For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:13-14 

God loves us so much he gave us a conscience mind to know when we have disobeyed or walking outside His Will. Once you truly receive His Love, everything holding you up - - opens like a dam setting you free.

On my road to healing...I became a tearful woman almost immediately and do you know I hardly ever cried throughout my life unless it was about my children. This is also an indication you need inner healing. We should be able to express our emotions freely. 

Note: If you can’t cry, you have a hardened heart and reading the Book of Exodus will help peel back the layers of hardening to expose a wonderful loving heart within you!  

To achieve and maintain closeness with God, we must regularly draw near to Him. 

We are told by James in Chapter 4, verse 8, “Come near to God and He will come near to you.” He desires a close, personal relationship with each one of His children. God loves us more than we will ever fully comprehend.

However, God doesn’t force Himself upon us. He passionately pursues us with trials and patiently waits for our response. 

God chased after me for many years, but I didn’t realize it was Him. Nor, did I fully understand the love God had for me because the love I received as a child was conditional. God just wants your devotion - until I learned this I could not hear His Voice.

A pastor I knew once said, "God loves you Angela like you love your sons".  It's true and I am so grateful because I understood and could relate to this kind of love. My children meant so much to me and my parenthood gave me a tiny glimpse into what God’s feels for us.  That’s how I see God's love for you!

If we have the love of Christ in our hearts and souls, it will be a natural consequence for us to have all the other graces—joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance....

If you are interested in receiving “How to Battle Your Thoughts” just click this link to download my worksheet.

Shalom 

🦋Angela 

A tool that has been helpful to any intercessor is the Deliverance Prayer from Joy Lamb's book, The Sword of the Spirit, The Word of God. This book includes many prayers for different situations. The prayers are based upon Scripture itself. The following Deliverance Prayer is found on pgs. 38, 43–44, paraphrased in some places:

"In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by the power of His blood and the Holy Spirit, I lift to the Lord myself, my family, home, neighborhood, church, workplace, city, state, nation, and the world, and each person and area for whom I am praying. I plead the blood of Jesus Christ over all of us for our protection. By the authority of the Word of God, it is written: whatsoever is bound on earth is bound in heaven; what is loosed on earth, is loosed in heaven. (Matt. 16: 19).

"I bind satan, the spirits, powers and forces of darkness ... l bind any demonic assignments sent against any of the people and areas I am lifting up to the Lord. I bind all interaction, interplay or communication of spirits as it may affect any of the people and areas for which I am praying. I command in the name of Jesus Christ that all these satanic and demonic forces go to the feet of Jesus. I call forth and loose the Holy Spirit of God and the holy angels to come and cleanse every place where satan has had a foothold in the lives and situations of any of these people and areas, and to fill each cleansed area with the life and love of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the name of Jesus Christ.

"In the name of Jesus Christ, I rebuke and break any curses, hexes, spells, demonic activity, or any other evil thing that has been sent against me or passed down through the generations to me or to any of the people or areas for whom I am praying.

"I renounce and ask forgiveness for any negative inner vows made by me or by any of the people for whom I am praying. I ask that Jesus Christ release us from these negative inner vows and from any bondage they have caused us. I take the Sword of the Spirit and cut free myself and those for whom I am praying from all generational sins, weaknesses, character defects, and cellular and genetic disorders, in the name of Jesus Christ.

"I cut all bonds of all relationships that are not of the Lord, and put His Cross between us. We are cut free and we are free indeed (John 8:36). We are now free to become the children of God the Lord intended us to be, filled to overflowing with the power of the Holy Spirit of God, and the life and love of Jesus Christ.

"I claim the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, over all that I have lifted to You, Lord, for our protection, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."