I hear the voice of the Good Shepherd. I hear my Father’s voice, and the voice of a stranger I will not follow. I roll my works upon the Lord. I commit and trust them wholly to Him. He will cause my thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and so shall my plans be established and succeed. (John 10:27, Proverbs 16:3)
For many years I had suffered with invading tormenting thoughts that spoke death to me. The voices were hurtful and hated God, they hated me and wanted me to kill myself and for me to be convinced that I would die horribly. These voices were demons that were given entrance through inner wounds and also through me being molested as a child. People will automatically put this type of spiritual warfare under the category of mentally ill. The Word of God calls it fiery darts from the enemy. Once I realized who and what I was dealing with, repentance came, then Jesus set me free to do battle with these demonic voices.
Many times people are set free from evil but they are too ashamed to share what God has delivered them from. How will people still in bondage know they could be set free unless someone tells them? For the years of torment I went through, there were many seeds that had been planted in my mind by the enemy that had to be rooted up and out. What I saw as impossible was possible for God. He has taken a twisted, sinful mind and transformed it through His Word. He has caused my thoughts to be His thoughts and my desires, His desires. God has truly heard my cry to Him to change my thoughts. No matter what you are facing in your mind, remember that Jesus took upon His head a crown of thorns so that you would have peace of mind!
One of the enemy’s tactics is to make us believe that spiritual warfare doesn’t exist. Our faith must be in Jesus and His word, not what the devil says. I have seen countless Christians lose their battles because they believe the lies of the devil. The devil tells people that their minds are ill or they were born with this tendency to be depressed. God does not make mistakes, but the enemy wants us to believe that. The attacks we are experiencing today are intense because of the times we live in. The enemy knows his time is short as God’s word tells us. If we walk in love, we will win. 1 Corinthians 13:7 says, “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”
The greatest weapon we have in our arsenal is love. Where we find love is in relationship. Relationship with God and relationship with God’s people. There are countless scriptures that talk about loving God and loving people. When we are in relationship with God and His people, we develop bonds that nurture us emotionally and spiritually which then pour out to us physically. Those who are starved from having no relationships are those who are in the most danger. How my relationships started to develop was an answer to prayer. I asked God to please bring people into my life that would love me and nurse me back to emotional health. God did just that. He sent those into my life and with them came the healing touch of Jesus. God uses people to touch people!
God will answer your prayer when you cry out to Him. He is kind and generous and He knows what is best for you!
Apply love to your struggle. Love for others, love for yourself and first, love for God.
Pastor Michael Cannatello
lazarusministry.com
