Prayer and Release from Oppression

May 21, 2020

My dear heart dwelling family, recently Lana Vawser put out a message about an assignment against women in ministry, that their swords were being stolen by a large demon and as a result they were unusually tired, feeling weak and defeated. Chains were also upon them as well, so they could not minister and they didn't have the oomph to get up and run the race. Those are my words; I'm just paraphrasing what I got out of Lana's message. Given the antidote for getting our swords back, "Shake it off." She said this very vigorously, "SHAKE IT OFF!!!," I would say, do it anyway. Do it afraid, do it tired, do it hungry, but do it!!!

Have you ever felt like you just wanted to go back to bed, or find a hole and crawl into it? Have you ever felt like you were letting the Lord down because you just couldn't raise the enthusiasm to keep going? I believe all these negative thoughts are a part of this attack against us. I call it a form of depression...when you know what you have to do, but you just plain don't have the will or desire to get up and do it. I have been shaking that off of my life and pressing in for a good 50 years, at least, because I have been very prone to depression when I was younger, but doing it feeling bland and uninspired, doing it just out of obedience with no other impetus behind me. This same type of assignment against us has been done over and over again in different forms, throughout the years to the point where I have had to force myself to keep going...I would get excited and get into a project and all of a sudden I would lose my momentum and desire. I would flounder. Sometimes I have to use resort to more caffeine to break the lethargy. Also, B12 drops and other vitamins to stimulate the body. Thankfully, that doesn't last for long, when I am up and running and recover my sense of mission and purpose I can go back to normal vitamins without stimulants.

The other thing I use is another book called Jesus CEO by Laurie Beth Jones. It's very inspiring and very provoking to get up and keep moving, as well as authors like John Maxwell, who is also practical and inspiring. And there are some Christians, famous Christian teachers, who specialize in getting people motivated. I know that they come under criticism because people look at them sometimes as prosperity Christians, but let's face it, the Lord has to use different messages and different vessels for different problems in our lives and no preacher is perfect, no teacher is perfect, there is always error somewhere, but let's not focus on the error, let's focus on the gift that they have. Speaking of that, when Ezekiel and I were down in our worst dumps, Joel Osteen, he comes under fire for being a prosperity Christian, but I want to tell you he saved our lives when we were in the deepest pit by just encouraging us to stay out of self-pity and keep climbing.

Also, I have to pray the binding prayer with more passion and even add particular dynamics to it, such as coming against a spirit of Sloth, Indifference, Faithlessness. Oh, my dear family, there are so many ways the devils injure and steal from us. But the Lord has told us we are in a war, not with flesh and blood but with spirits and principalities who plot wicked agendas to discourage, divide and disarm us.

So, I wanted to talk to you about prayer. The binding prayer is wonderful, but it is good to use it as a springboard into praying in tongues and even singing in tongues. In this way Holy Spirit is praying through you, but the enemy cannot understand what He is saying. Tongues are very powerful and even Paul said, that he prayed in tongues more than you all. So, I recommend that you give voice to tongues whenever the inspiration hits you. If you have trouble receiving this gift, be sure to pray to the Holy Spirit to lose your tongue so that He may use it and then don't be afraid, don't be cowed. I think singing is a really good springboard into tongues because the melody kind of helps you along.

There are curses put upon Christians to make them ashamed of tongues, or even to bind the tongue so it cannot be loosed for the Holy Spirit to use. So, you need to address both dynamics when you do your spiritual warfare prayers. Saying simply, Holy Spirit, lose my tongue and use it to praise God, to pray for a change of heart and pray against the enemy. Then renounce all shame and lying teachings about this gift, and let it flow from within you. Sometimes I sing in tongues better than I pray in tongues. So, I recommend you all acquire and use this awesome gift. The Lord will even sometimes give you the interpretation of what you are giving voice to.

So, my conviction dear ones is that you need to pray in tongues as constantly as you possibly can. I do so sporadically, all day, even with people around me. Now the enemy will hear this message and send out assignments to bridle our tongues, but we have authority over him so use it!

I also want to mention to you that early morning is the very best time to pray because your mind is fresh and disengaged from the day's practical demands. If you cannot pray in the morning, evening after a nap is also a good time, or during the wee small hours of the morning. Written prayers are beautiful and sometimes very heartfelt and inspiring. If they become rote and flat, we need to put them aside for a season. You can also add tongues to written prayers when you feel a nudge to do so. The Lord taught us a written prayer, the Our Father, so don't let anyone discourage you from praying in this way.

Praying the word of God and standing on it is so very powerful. The Psalms are loaded with inspiring words that are relevant even today. Tradition calls the Psalms the prayers of Jesus. I recommend you isolate the Psalms with your fingers in your Bible and then take a Rhema from those pages, or you can go on OurLadyLightoftheWoods.org, website and click on the twelve stars over the Blessed Virgin's head in the illustration. And in that pool are all the Psalms. Also, you can click on her heart, a popup will come up and that pool is taken from some of the Scriptures because it says that Mary hid all these things in her heart. This is how we stand against the enemy, standing on the promises of God taken from Scripture. They are so powerful when used as a prayer or petition and repeated and absorbed deeply.

There are other prayers that can be very contemplative and powerful, such as the Jesus Prayer, Lord Jesus, Son of God, Savior, Have Mercy on Me a sinner and you pray that over and over again. That is used a lot in Eastern Orthodox monasteries and also the Rosary which is made up of Scriptures and meditations and the words of the angel, words from scripture.

The meditations are on the life of Jesus. Another powerful devotion the Mother of Jesus began in 33 AD, was the Stations of the Cross, where she went and meditated on what He suffered at each station, and wiped up His Holy Redeeming Blood from the pavement. The first century Christians followed this holy devotion along the same stones leading to Calvary, and even to this day carry on this holy tradition.

And I want to add here a word about tradition, it has been said that men's traditions are bad, quoting from the Scriptures about the traditions of men that oppose holiness. And I agree, those that oppose holiness are not good. But every church on this earth has tradition, be it holy or cultural, there is always a sequence of events that happen in a service that followed faithfully, week after week or year after year, and that becomes that church's or that denomination's tradition.

There are many holy traditions that uphold the Gospel and bring people closer to God. Those are good traditions. Then there are bad traditions that contradict holiness, the Scriptures and do injury to the heart of the Gospel. Each culture has their traditions and as long as they reinforce holiness and loving God, they are good. So, the tradition of the Stations of the Cross is so very, very holy and leads to a deeper relationship with Jesus as we share in His suffering.

The last kind of prayer I want to mention is my favorite, the cry of the heart. This prayer happens when you are immersed in prayer and suddenly it becomes a deep and passionate cry of the heart and it just flows heart to Heart with God. This can even lead to a union of our Heart with His. In these prayers, words are hardly necessary, rather it is the silent cry that is heard loud and clear by the Lord, He knows exactly what we are saying, and with it sometimes comes the sense that you know you've been heard and all that is left for you is peace and to stand in faith that it shall be done unto you according to your faith. I have found the prayer of the heart to be the most effective of all prayers. When we are in this place, we are totally naked and vulnerable before God, coming to Him in upmost sincerity, with spirit, soul and body unified in petition. It feels as though all our being is invested in these prayers.

There is also contemplative prayer, when we contemplate Scripture, or the face of Jesus, or an event in His life, or the petals of a flower, and just get lost in the reality of His greatness as it manifests through other things. Looking up and seeing the Milky Way in the sky and billions of stars can also evoke this feeling. It is a celebration of the wonder of His being and His creation which He had made specifically to bring us pleasure.

Oh dear ones, there are so many, many ways to pray, and all of them have their season in our lives...and we cannot say that one way is better than another because it all depends on the circumstances. But sincerity in prayer, whichever form it takes, is always most pleasing to Jesus...I can never exhaust this topic, please Lord, would You teach us?

Jesus began, "There are countless ways My Love, to approach and come close to Me. Each of you are like a very unique one of a kind diamond that prays in your own way, which I relish. Mostly, I want you to come to Me transparent, hiding nothing, and coming in confidence that I love you and will do for you what is in the end for your very best interests. Perhaps the best way to approach this is to tell you what I do not want you to do when you come to Me. Please do not come with a 'happy face' when you are deeply wounded. You cannot hide anything from Me and basically, I know more about what's really going on inside of you than you do. Do not come to Me with a laundry list of another soul's faults. Do not put others down at all. I expect from you, compassion for things you view as short comings of others. You have no idea what the other souls are suffering through and it is an ugly thing to hear a soul berate and detract from another child of God. I hide 80% of your faults from you because you are still too weak to address them. In truth, you see so very little of your own faults, that it is shameful for you to even notice the short comings of others. Rather you can come to Me asking for help to understand your circumstances and others you find difficult to deal with. I will always anoint you with wisdom and patience when you do that. What I love to see in prayer, is long suffering and kindness with others. This disposes My Heart to grant your requests.

Humility, humility, humility. My child, come to Me steeped in thanksgiving. This is a huge shortcoming in your culture. You tend to be whiney and negative when I want to see you grateful and hopeful. I want to hear how you appreciate the little and the big things My Father gives you. I want you to keep your sufferings in perspective giving thanks that I am teaching you long suffering. I do so want to see you recognize above all, how very fortunate and blessed you are for the things you take for granted...a roof over your head, a spouse, work that edifies, food and clothing, My presence and faithfulness in your life and so much, much more.

These are merely basics I wish for you to steep yourself in day by day. I gave you the perfect format for prayer when I taught you the Our Father. When you say, Our Father who is in Heaven, hallowed be Your Name, you are claiming that you belong to the family of God, that you acknowledge Him as the source of all that concerns you and as your creator and sole provider. Hallowed be thy Name, in other words you are showing great respect and honor to your creator by elevating His name. His name is holy and never to be used lightly. Thy kingdom come, is your acknowledgement and a prayer that His kingdom be established on this earth, and His will be carried out by you. Not the will of earthly agendas but bringing the kingdom of Heaven to earth with brotherly love, forgiveness and righteousness. Give us this day our daily bread is petitioning Him for the necessities of life, in confidence of His goodness. Forgive us our debts as we forgive others, acknowledges that you do not lead a perfect life, you are prone to sin and error and at the same time, in the same measure you will forgive others as you too have been forgiven by me. Lead us not into temptation but protect and deliver us from evil, expresses your desire to stay holy and not consort with evil. These are the most basic elements to prayer, and using them will always bring favor upon your life.

My children, be kindly and gentle with one another. Do not force your impatience on others, do not lord it over them, rather serve, support and build up one another. Then when you come to Me in prayer, My heart will be wide open to receive your requests because you have done for others, what I would have you to do.

I impart to you now, My Blessing, that your prayers would be ordered by My Spirit, that you would cease to find fault with others, that you would lift them up to Me, forgive and pray for them. The blessing of almighty God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit descend upon you and be with you forever Amen.