Spiritual Warriors, You Really Don’t Need to Scream at the Devil

Have you ever been so frustrated with your kids that you raised your voice in frustration? Have you ever yelled and screamed because you were just plain worn out after a hard day of work and fed up with the kids not submitting to your God-given authority?

Parenting experts say screaming at your kids is one of the worst parenting mistakes you can make for several reasons. First, when you resort to yelling, you've just demonstrated your lack of self-control—and you lose your power by losing control. Second, the kids usually tune you out when you yell. Third, children often grow more hostile toward you as you holler threats at them that you may or may not be willing or able to carry out.

Ultimately, when you scream at your kids, they lose a measure of respect for you because you're not confident enough in your authority to handle an attack on that authority without fleshing out.

Now let's translate that into spiritual warfare. Some spiritual warriors seem to equate volume with power. They scream at the devil as if he's deaf, but the devil's not deaf, and screaming doesn't convince him to bow. When results elude them, some spiritual warriors grow louder and begin to moan and groan and make threats against the enemy they don't have the authority to enforce.

Jesus Didn't Scream at the Devil

I am not against fervent spiritual warfare prayer—or even getting loud. What I'm after here is the yelling that comes from frustration or just out of a wrong mindset that louder is more powerful. One of my mentors once said spiritual warfare skills aren't taught, they are caught. There is some truth to that. I believe some spiritual warriors scream and holler and make threats against the devil because that's what they have seen modeled. But that's not what the Bible models. That's now how Jesus did it.

I've searched diligently, but I can't find any passage that shows Jesus losing His voice because He screamed and hollered at the devil for so long. When Satan confronted Jesus in the wilderness with all manner of temptation, Jesus simply wielded the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Eph. 6:17). The Bible indicates that "Jesus said, 'It is written …'" (Matt. 4:4-10, emphasis added)—not that Jesus yelled, Jesus hollered, Jesus screamed or Jesus shouted in frustration. Jesus said God's Word and let the Word cut through Satan's lies.

Likewise, when Jesus cast out devils, He didn't scream at them. It was the demons, rather, who were screaming. When Jesus cast out the demons from the two men in the Gadarenes, He simply said, "Go!" (Matt. 8:32). When Jesus cast out a demon in the synagogue, He calmly said, "Be quiet, and come out of Him!" (Luke 4:35). And when Jesus cast the demon out of the epileptic boy, He just rebuked the demon and it took off (Matt. 17:18).

We Don't Need to Scream at the Devil

So, Jesus didn't have to scream at the devil—and neither do we. A few weeks ago, I wrote an article entitled "You're Resisting the Devil, So Why Won't He Flee?" It's easy enough to get frustrated with the enemy when it seems like you've done everything you know to do and he just keeps attacking. It's tempting to scream at the devil and make idle threats, just like some parents do with their disobedient kids. But, my friends, I've tried it, and I can tell you the devil doesn't respond to it any better than your kids do. He probably just laughs at us as we strain our vocal chords.

We don't need to scream at the devil—and more volume doesn't equal more power. We just need to stand in our authority in Christ. That means, first, understanding our authority in Christ. Remember when the 70 returned with joy and told Jesus, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name" (Luke 10:17)? Obviously, they just experienced victory in spiritual warfare. But I assure you we have the victory in spiritual warfare whether we see it with our physical eyes or not.

So when we exercise our Christ-given authority, we should immediately rejoice whether we see the devil flee or not. In other words, when we engage in spiritual warfare, we should act as if we believe we have the victory rather than screaming louder because nothing appears to have changed. When we continue screaming, hollering and yelling at the devil, it merely demonstrates our lack of faith in our authority. We're putting our faith in our ability to shout loud enough to intimidate the devil. The devil is not intimated by us, but he will bow to the name of Jesus.

So as you engage in spiritual warfare, don't resort to yelling. Don't get frustrated and abandon the fruit of self-control. Don't start acting like the devil! Remember what Jesus said and rejoice: "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you" (Luke 10:19). Amen.

Jennifer LeClaire is news editor at Charisma. She is also the author of several books, including The Spiritual Warrior's Guide to Defeating Jezebel. You can email Jennifer at jennifer.leclaire@charismamedia.com or visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

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Original Page: http://www.charismamag.com/blogs/the-plumb-line/18938-spiritual-warriors-you-really-don-t-need-to-scream-at-the-devil

10 Strategies to Help Solve Your Marriage Problems

Many good marriages slip into crisis because we don't or won't believe how much work it takes to keep relationships humming at optimal levels. Another reason is a simple failure in imagination.

But—if successful courting requires commitment, hard work and imagination to pull off … then why does it surprise us when neglect hurts relationships after we walk down the aisle? She wouldn't have married you if you took her for granted—why risk everything now?

There are many good strategies if we want to restore a problematic—or "under the weather"—marriage. All Pro Dad suggests the following 10 for men who want to get the ball rolling:

1. Pray for your spouse. Chances are you launched your marriage with both promises and prayers. Pray for your spouse, and ask for guidance as you pledge to make the kind of effort that simply won't float without turning to God every day.

2. Surround yourselves with people in healthy relationships. Some of those negative patterns involved friends. Hook up with a faith community where marriage is valued and there's widespread support for making yours work.

3. Choose to love. Love may have come easy when it was brand new. But love over the long haul is as much a choice as it is an emotion. Choice is an act of maturity and it has a much better track record than emotion left to make its way on its own.

4. Act as if your spouse's happiness is more important than your own.  Putting our spouse first nurtures trust, gratitude, generosity and affection. It can also lead to kissing!

5. Put the relationship ahead of everything, including your children. It's unfortunate, but time has a way of eating away at our priorities. "You're the most important thing in my life" gives way to "My work … the family business … the children … my aging parents … even golf, football or drinking …" Marriages don't work well when our partner plays second fiddle to anything – even the children. It's a fact - the happiest kids are those with parents who love one-another best.

6. Start over from scratch. Ask her out. Make sure you remember why you did the first time and build from there. When did you last talk for hours, hold hands at a movie, or smooch behind a plant in the mall? Get silly about one-another. If you don't feel like it, do it anyway- then you'll remember why.

7. Stop taking one-another for granted. Say "thank you" for that cup of coffee. Celebrate obscure anniversaries. Tell her how much it means to you that she cooks a great meal—or vice versa. Notice the haircut. Ask her out. Clean her car. Pay attention to the little things and act like someone who values the relationship.

8. Get counseling. You say you can't afford it? Believe us, it's cheaper than divorce! Most counseling simply involves a few sessions to get the communication flowing again. For guys, a willingness to talk in that context sends a huge positive message to your spouse.

9. Follow the counseling with an action plan. Just like a personal fitness program, counseling comes with homework and an action plan over time. Draw up the plan, ask friends you trust to help hold you accountable, then follow through. When both spouses take responsibility, anything is possible.

10. Change the patterns. Do you always come home angry? Then stop the car a block away and pray about it first. Does she always nag you when you leave dirty clothes on the floor? Try getting changed in a different room and initiate a new reflex. Do you always fight about discipline? Try agreeing with her decisions and supporting her 100 percent—you may find the kids act better because you're not fighting. You've heard the old joke:

 - Patient: "Doctor, it hurts when I do that …"

- Doctor: "Well, don't do that anymore!

All Pro Dad is Family First's innovative and unique program for every father. Their aim is to interlock the hearts of the fathers with their children and, as a byproduct, the hearts of the children with their dads. At AllProDad.com, dads in any stage of fatherhood can find helpful resources to aid in their parenting. Resources include daily emails, blogs, Top 10 lists, articles, printable tools, videos and eBooks. From AllProDad.com, fathers can join the highly engaged All Pro Dad social media communities on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

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Original Page: http://www.charismamag.com/life/men/18896-10-strategies-to-help-solve-your-marriage-problems

Mike Bickle: How I Overcame a Boring Prayer Life

God is going to fill the church with enjoyable prayer that is refreshing and invigorating.

I probably know more about boring, unanointed prayer than any other person on Earth--or I ought to. I've engaged in enough of it during my lifetime! Though I have felt called for more than 20 years to be a person of prayer, it was not until recently that I learned the true secret to a successful prayer life.

I started searching for the secret in my college days, but it eluded me. I read books on prayer and the deeper life in God, but when it got down to actually praying, I was an absolute failure.

I religiously scheduled time to spend alone with God. Yet my efforts at praying were frustrating and unfulfilling.

I dreaded prayer time. I'd made a vow to God that I'd pray an hour every night, and I made up my mind to stick to it, regardless. But after months of drudgery, I told Him, "Lord, I really love You, but I don't enjoy praying."

I still remember the awful condemnation I felt. A sense of defeat nearly overwhelmed me as I shook my head and sighed, "Lord, will I ever like talking to You?"

At the time, I was living in an apartment with three other Christian guys. Every night around 8:45, my roommates would notice that I was starting to get uptight because my prayer time, which I had designated as 9 to 10 p.m., was approaching. I hated going into my room to pray! I knew the next hour was going to be lifeless and boring.

Who would ever have guessed that eventually I would enjoy prayer so much I would resign as pastor of my church to lead a 24-hour-a-day prayer ministry?

My journey to enjoyable prayer began with a study of the tabernacle of David (see Acts 15:16-17). The tabernacle of David refers in part to a 24-hour prayer ministry that King David established. David put musicians and singers before the ark in place of the veil that Moses had used (see 1 Chr. 25:1-7). He valued the prophetic spirit (spirit of inspiration) resting on the singers and musicians that inspired the intercessors to soar in power.

David's model for what I call "intercessory worship" grew out of his primary life desire--"to behold the beauty of the Lord" (Ps. 27:4, NKJV; see also 145:5). The desire to dwell in the beauty realm of God is a vital foundation for intercessory worship in the spirit of the tabernacle of David.

Isaiah prophesied about a paradigm of prayer marked by joy. The Lord promised, "'I will...make [you] joyful in My house of prayer'" (Is. 56:7). Imagine the implications! God is going to fill the church with enjoyable prayer that is refreshing and invigorating.

Revelation tells us "the 24 elders around the throne fall down before Jesus, each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (5:8). The harp speaks of worship; the bowl speaks of intercession. When the harp (worship music) comes together with the bowl (intercession), a spiritual dynamic occurs that enhances our enjoyment of prayer.

God ordained that the worship music around the throne flow interactively with intercession. God's songs and God's prayers flow together. This is the secret to the "enjoyable prayer" that Isaiah prophesied about.

I believe the Holy Spirit is orchestrating a global prayer strategy in these days that will far eclipse any other prayer movement in church history. He is raising up 24-hour-a-day "prayer furnaces" that are vital to the Great Commission. These full-time prayer ministries will be the key to reaching unchurched peoples all over the world and the foundation for the full restoration of the tabernacle of David in the generation in which the Lord returns.

I am now the director of one such prayer ministry, called the International House of Prayer, in Kansas City, Missouri. Much of our structure and the principles on which the ministry is based are posted on our Web site (www.ihopkc.com). We try to follow the pattern established by David, in which worship and intercession go hand in hand and are inspired by holy fascination with God.

With this model, I don't expect prayer ever to be boring again.

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Original Page: http://www.charismamag.com/spirit/prayer/111-mike-bickle-how-i-overcame-a-boring-prayer-life

Thoughts on Firing People in Ministry

This is a difficult post. About a difficult issue. One we don't necessarily like to talk about. But sometimes we must.

I came out of a business background, so some things that are done in ministry are different for me. And, frankly, many should be. Ministry isn't business…it's ministry. At the same time, we should never use "ministry" as an excuse to waste Kingdom dollars. We need good practices of financial accountability just as the business world has to have in place simply to stay in business.

And, also frankly speaking, that hasn't always been my experience in ministry.

One prime example is in the area of staffing…people who are paid by the church. I've seen and encountered numerous times where staff people were allowed to continue drawing salaries from a church when their effectiveness is in serious question. Everyone knows something needs to be done, but no one is willing to make the hard decision.

One of the hardest decisions any leader ever makes is to release someone from their employment. It should never be taken lightly. It always hurts. But, sometimes it's the right thing to do. And, it seems in ministry we are often much slower…if ever…to get there.

I was talking with a pastor recently who knows he needs to make a hard decision regarding a member of his staff, but he simply hasn't been able to garner the support or gumption to do it. This person isn't productive (and isn't trying to be), has a damaging personality on the team, and continues to work against the pastor's leadership. The pastor has counseled with the person, has agreement from elders that something needs to be done, but no one has been willing to make the hard decision. In the meantime, Kingdom dollars are admittedly being wasted. (I have had that same conversation numerous times with other pastors.)

Many times, in my experience, churches haven't made the decision because of fear and they use ministry simply as an excuse. After having this discussion countless times with church leaders, I felt the need to address it. (Please know, I'm talking strictly about poor performance, not about those who lose their jobs because of tightening budgets. That's a growing issue, but not one I'm addressing here.)

Here are some of the objections I've encountered:

We love the person – Of course. We love everyone. It's what we are called to do. Is that a good reason to empower bad behavior or to waste Kingdom dollars?

We don't want to hurt their family – Of course not. And we should be gracious and generous in the exit strategy, and be willing to walk with the person through the recovery process as much as is reasonable and welcomed by the released person. But are we not hurting families who sacrifice and give to the church by misusing their resources on an ineffective staff member?

We are afraid we haven't extended enough grace – I understand. We are to extend grace, but hasn't there been a lot of grace given to allow the person to stay this long? When does truth come into play?

We are afraid of the ripple effects – That's understandable. You should always consider how decisions will impact others. Yet the reality is you probably have ripple effects now anyway. You are injuring other ministries and jeopardizing future progress by delaying what you know you need to do. It will only get more difficult with time. At some point you may have to cut your losses.

Leaders have to make hard decisions. We should first do everything within our power to redeem the person's job. (We did that in business too. It's much more efficient to retain an existing employee than to hire a new one.) But, protecting the vision for all may involve tough love for others. Many times when we delay decisions like this we delay the healing that needs to occur and the benefits of making the right (and difficult) decision. Also, we send a dangerous message that it's acceptable to do whatever this person isn't doing or is doing that merits being let go.

Notice I didn't say this was easy. But genuine leadership never is easy. Don't use ministry as an excuse. Pray about the matter diligently. Do everything in your power to redeem the person. Work through due process. Get wise advice from others before you make the decision. But, when the answer is clear what you need to do…do it.

Let me close with a word to those who have lost or may some day lose your job because of poor performance. I am not insensitive to your plight. In fact, I've helped numerous people pick up the pieces and begin again. I've hired people who were fired from a job and some of them made the best team members.

Sometimes being let go allows God an opportunity to do something new in your life…even something better. If you made mistakes, own them and learn from them. There is grace to begin again. Sometimes it was a matter of fit more than anything else, but whatever the reason, grow from it and let God restore the broken pieces. He specializes in restoration.

Okay, I've opened a can of worms. Please not I'm not trying to add insult to injury. These are difficult issues and should be prayerfully considered. They certainly, however, shouldn't be ignored.

Would a post on some thoughts on how to do this gracefully help?

The post Thoughts on Firing People in Ministry appeared first on Ron Edmondson.

Related posts:

1. The Hardest Thing for Some People in Ministry to Do
2. Thoughts on ministry from a 17 year old.
3. My Advice: Don't Always Give People an Answer
4. Great Organizations Let People Think for Themselves

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