Tag: selflove
Spiritual Strongholds?!
A stronghold is a way of thinking & feeling that has developed a life of its own in a person. It might be a rut of depression or recurring unbelief or habitually bad temper. That was a stronghold in my life, but with God’s help, not any more!
It might be a repeating pattern of failure:
Sometimes a stronghold will cause you to provoke others to reject you
(without necessarily knowing you’re doing it) It might be a stronghold of resentment or worthlessness. If a child is sexually molested and/or badly verbally abused, a stronghold of worthlessness may build up a stockpile of negative thoughts: “I’m guilty. Nobody could really love me. I’m good for nothing. I’m ugly.” She might actually be beautiful — and certainly is beautiful in the eyes of God. But a stronghold gets filled with arguments like these:
“Nobody would like me if they really got to know me. Nobody really knows me. Nobody really cares for me. Nobody really wants me for me.”
Now all these thoughts may be a pack of lies,
but they can be a stronghold keeping out the truth of God’s love.
Such a person may hear a message about God’s love, whether from a pulpit or a friend, but it goes in one ear and out the other, bouncing off the walls of a stronghold of rejection or worthlessness.
You almost hear the truth come to set you free, and then comes another thought, “Yeah, but what about…?” Or “You just don’t understand….”
And out comes another string of lies, excuses, smokescreens, shot down by blocking spirits. Thus a stronghold creates inner captivity to deception and misery.
A stronghold keeps a person from thinking clearly, accepting the truth,
repenting of sin, and receiving deliverance.
A stronghold can keep a unbeliever from hearing the good news.
A stronghold can keep a believer from hearing the fullness of the good news.
If you want the abundant life and peace that Yeshua promised,
you must let his Spirit capture the stronghold up there!
Nor only is our conscious mind the target:
Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”
In Matt 12:34-35, Yeshua said,For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him,
and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.
Strongholds are also storage places, holding food, water and weapons. A stronghold gets stronger as more stuff—more thought—gets stored in there. In the life of the mind, the stuff that you were once aware of gets stored up in unconscious memory, but it can make a stronghold a tough nut to crack!
So how do you take a stronghold?
First, you have to see it, so you know what you’re dealing with.
It’s kind a hard to take a stronghold you can’t even see.
But strongholds of the mind can be hidden—evil things hang out in darkness.
Satan is the prince of darkness, but Messiah is the prince of light.
You have been called out of darkness into his wonderful light!
Nevertheless, if there is an old, sinful pattern of thought in you,
that is a place of darkness, a stronghold.
Ephesians 5:11 urges us to “have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”
If you want to let the light of God expose the darkness, you need an attitude of humility, willing to let the light of God reveal the darkness in you.
In Ps 26:2, David prayed, “Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind.” Can you agree this request?
If not, if you are not willing to let God reveal any strongholds in your life,
then the first stronghold you may have to start tearing down is pride!
Who was the first to be guilty of pride? Satan! Massively so!
Pride is the armor of Satan — he uses it to keep demonic strongholds hidden. Pride keeps people from ever seeing that they are trapped in demonic darkness. The Spirit of God is determined to bring down the stronghold of pride.
Isaiah 25:11 says,
God will bring down their pride despite the cleverness of their hands.
He will bring down your high fortified walls and lay them low;
he will bring them down to the ground, to the very dust.
If pride is bad news, how much more is humility good news!
James 4:6, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
This is a promise: humility release grace, the power of God to save you.
James 4:7 continues with another promise:
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Satan can’t stand humility! It breaks his power over you!
But God loves it! “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
The sacrifice of Messiah is a perfect shelter of grace enabling you to look at your needs.
Once you recognize the stronghold, the next step to bringing it down is repentance. Be honest before God, and humbly let the Spirit expose the stronghold in the darkness.
Pray, “Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind.”
When the Holy Spirit shows you an area of darkness, repent.
You may need to overcome the instinct of defend yourself.
You may need to silence the little lawyer who steps out of a dark corner of your mind,
pleading, “My client is not so bad.”
If you let him, that whiny defense attorney will defend you just fine—
but you’ll never see what’s wrong in you, nor face what needs to change.
Who is the best defense attorney of all time? Yeshua!
How does He defend you, how does He justify you? By his blood.
So you don’t need to justify yourself. Let him do it.
A broken and contrite heart he will not despise.
Suppose a stronghold has gotten pretty entrenched and strong?
Sometimes a frontal attack on a stronghold doesn’t seem to work. What should you do?
Jewish soldiers tried to capture the Old City of Jerusalem with a frontal attack
a couple of times in the War of Independence,
but as soon as they got up to the gates of the Old City, and were thrown back. Here’s how the IDF took the Old City in 1967:
They swept around the city to the north, then seized the Mount of Scopus,
then kept on going up to the Mount of Olives, to the east—
I’ve seen a picture of Israeli generals looking down at the Old City from the east! Thus, having surrounded the city, they were able to cut off supplies and reinforcements. Though the Jordanian army tried to send reinforcements up from Jericho, this time they were thrown back! When the Jordanian general inside the Old City realized he was surrounded,
he realized, “resistance is futile,” so he cut his losses and fled the city.
Then the Israelis were able to break into the city with relatively little resistance. So, this is how successful military planners usually do it:
surround the stronghold and cut off its supplies.
Does this strategy also apply to spiritual strongholds? I think so….
Something like this strategy was at work in the battle of Jericho.
Who gave Joshua the strategy for taking the city? The angel of the LORD.
What was the strategy? March around the city for seven days then blow your trumpets!
Here’s what I think they were doing, in the Spirit:
They were surrounding the city, with obedience to God’s word, with faith,
with the praises of God. Thus they cut off that city from its supplies, from the realm of darkness. As the power of faith grew in the hearts of the marching people, the power of the walls of Jericho grew weak.
How do you surround a stronghold of negative thinking, bad old speculations? How about praise?
Psalms 32:7. “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”
Surround the stronghold with the praise, singing psalms and spiritual songs to God. Demons can’t stand praise! Praise is a powerful way to bring a stronghold.
For every negative stronghold, there’s a powerful way to surround it with opposite truth from God.
If you are struggling with a stronghold of depression, surround it with hope.
If you are struggling with a stronghold of rejection, surround it with acceptance from Abba.
If you are struggling with a stronghold of unresolved anger, surround it with forgiveness.
If you are struggling with a stronghold of fear, surround it with the knowledge of God’s love.
If you are struggling with a stronghold of failure, surround it with the victory of the resurrection!
Once you’ve identified a stronghold, go to the Scripture, and study the opposite truth from God.
If the stronghold is rejection, study all that the Bible says about God’s acceptance.
Use a concordance or a chain bible or topical bible.
Then surround that stronghold with the word of God!
Listen, once the enemy sees he’s surrounded by humble submission, praise,
and the word of God, his resistance will quickly weaken, and if he isn’t gone already!
Can we take a moment to pray about this?
“Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind.”
Show me any areas in my life that I have not fully surrendered to you.
(If you recognize any area of chronic sin strengthened by negative thinking,
take a moment to confess it to the Lord, now.)
Lord, forgive me of compromise. Give me the courage to pull down every stronghold within me without reluctance or willful deception in my heart.
Thank you, Lord Yeshua, for forgiving and cleansing me from all my sins,
and breaking every curse against me, on the cross.
By the power of the Holy Spirit and in the Name of Yeshua,
I bind any satanic influences that were reinforcing compromise and sin within me.
I submit myself to the light of the Spirit of Truth to expose any strongholds of sin in me. By the mighty weapons of the Spirit and the Word, I proclaim that each evil stronghold is coming down!
I purpose to surround this evil stronghold with praise and affirming truth from the Word of God.
I purpose to take every pattern of negative thinking captive and bring it to the obedience to Messiah.
I purpose, by the grace of God, to follow through until even the ruins of this stronghold
is removed from my mind!
I purpose to think about whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—
I will think about such things.
I will talk about such things. I will get involved in such things.
I purpose, by the grace of God, to build up one stronghold within my mind and my heart:
the stronghold of the living God! “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous will run to it and be safe.” In the shelter of your presence, O God my Savior, you will keep me safe. In Yeshua’s mighty name, Amen.
How to Cope with a whole Narcissistic Family?!
How to Cope with a whole Narcissistic Family, Possible Solutions
Narcissists are particularly difficult for family members who can’t avoid them. Many people have some traits, but not the full disorder, people with a severe pattern of constant criticisms, arrogant statements, preoccupation with themselves, disparaging remarks, and demands for admiration.
You know that this not only gets very tiresome, it can also wear down your own self-esteem, be exhausting, and absorb a huge amount of your time without providing any benefit in return.
This message offers some enlightenment for coping. Do not call them a narcissist. This is always tempting, but it typically backfires and makes things worse. Usually calling someone a narcissist is intended to make them stop and think about the damage they are doing.
People with narcissistic personality disorder can’t reflect on their own behavior and instead become obsessed with proving that you are the one with a problem. They are better at doing that than you can ever be. It’s true that they do not self-reflect and gain insights from people’s feedback, no matter how constructive or intense it may be. Just forget about it! You’re not going to give them insight into themselves. And you may make your relationship worse.
Examples in Some cases in an adult child angrily confronted the parent, telling them they had narcissistic personality. Afterwards, the parent kept dropping by the house uninvited to say, “What you said about me just isn’t true, demanding apologies or I’ll keep coming back until you do. After all I have done for you, I can’t believe how ungrateful you are!” Do not argue with them.
It doesn’t help to argue with them. They’re not going to have insights from your feedback. And you don’t need to defend yourself, because it isn’t about you. It’s really about them and their personality and lack of interpersonal skills. They tend to see things in all-or-nothing terms so that the fault is all yours and all the victimhood as theirs. You can’t change that. They constantly see themselves as victims-in-life, treated so unfairly by those around them, without any recognition of their own part in the problem—which may actually be the primary part of the problem. Arguing just puts them in the emotional parts of their brains where they shift into high gear of defensiveness.
For example, some relationships get hooked into arguments over who is the more intelligent person in the relationship. Narcissists continually put out subtle and blatant messages that their family members are less intelligent than themselves — observations, criticisms that just don’t stop. They must feel superior to feel okay. And even then, it’s a shaky feeling of superiority which they have to constantly shore up by putting others down. In high-conflicts, narcissists fill with their stories of how incompetent financially, morally, and otherwise. Courtship stories of how wonderful they are and how special they will treat you become opposite: They put you down to protect their superior self-image. They’re just telling the “truth,” they insist. Don’t be surprised by this.
Do focus on choices, yours and theirs. People with narcissistic personalities are frequent complainers about their everyday lives. They insist that people treat them unfairly and without the great respect. They also do not see how their own behavior influences how others avoid them or criticize them in return. If your family member is talking to you in this manner, simply let them know that they have some choices in the situation.
Example, “That’s too bad. Sounds like you might want to put your energy somewhere else, or realize that so-and-so isn’t going to give you what you want. You always have a choice of what to do or who to be around. Good luck with that.” At the same time, it helps to know that you have choices, too. Being around a narcissist can be emotionally draining and trigger unnecessary self-criticism. You can choose to avoid them, limit your time together, or have someone else with you when you are around the person. Just thinking that you have choices often helps it feel less stressful. Also, know that you can choose to set limits. Do set limits on what you will do for them.
You cannot control a narcissist’s behavior; you can control your own. Instead of trying to get them to change, look at how you can change. One of the first places to look is at ways you may tolerate or support their narcissism. In many families, a narcissistic sibling or child slowly takes over by demanding the most attention and loyalty, insulting everyone (even parents), violating the family’s rules, and manipulating its decision-making. You do not have to cooperate.
You can withdraw your participation in their actions against others, or even behavior toward yourself: “If you’re going to speak to me that way, I’m going to have to end this conversation.” “I’m sorry, but I can’t go with you when you confront other family members, etc. I don’t agree that they have done anything wrong.”
I have seen adult narcissists in court bring parents and siblings to support them in their legal conflicts such as lawsuits against neighbors, exes, former colleagues or employers, etc. The parents and siblings often appear worn out after a lifetime reluctantly coping with and trying to support their narcissistic family member; trying to placate them so they will calm down or not be angry with them.
The trouble is that this has no positive outcome. It’s better to set limits sooner rather than later. Get support and consultation. People feel alone when dealing with a narcissistic family member.
Your own self-esteem may be worn down after all the insults, criticisms, and public humiliation. Yet with support from friends and/or professionals—such as counselors, lawyers, and others—you can get perspective and learn that you don’t have to be embarrassed. There are millions of narcissists and they are good at making their family members feel like they have a unique problem so that they are too ashamed to deal with it by speaking to others outside the family.
You have nothing to be ashamed of. Your family member may be suffering from a disorder they don’t understand and didn’t ask to have. Tolerating their dysfunction does no one any good.
I have seen many adult children, parents, siblings, and partners gain strength by discussing their situation with a therapist or with friends and deciding on a step-by-step course of action to stop enabling the narcissistic family member. In some cases, they end up cutting ties, but in many others, they learn to get some distance emotionally so that they no longer feel obligated to engage with their narcissism while still staying connected as a family.
As they say , “Let go with love.” This doesn’t have to mean having no contact. It can mean letting go of certain interactions, discussing certain topics, or having certain conversations at all. You can say, “I need to go now. Talk to you later.” And quickly move on. Over time it gets easier. Sometimes writing out what you are going to say in advance can give you confidence, including how you will respond to their predictable disparaging comments when you set limits. Or you can have a practice conversation with a counselor or friend before you have a limit-setting conversation in person.
Conclusion, Millions of people have a narcissist in their family; you’re not alone. These and other tips may help you disengage from the emotional hold they have over you and others. You may be surprised at the energy, free time, and inner peace you gain. It’s not easy, but step by step, it may be possible.
May peace be with us all, always.
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Tough Times?! Mantra & Affirmations!!!
For difficult times these Mantras will help give you the strength so you can be Mentally strong in difficult emotions, staying calm & strong to overcome & survive.
- I can get through anything.
- There are no problems, there are only challenges.
- I welcome & appreciate the challenges into my life.
- Challenges are opportunities to learn and grow.
- I am safe and secure no matter what.
- I can get through anything, win or lose.
- I am getting stronger every day.
- I attract financial abundance into my life now, I am ready & willing to receive all types of assistance.
- My bills & debts are paid, and I will live freely. I will not live my life based on debt worries.
- I am a strong and capable person.
- Hard times will not get the best of me. I will continue to do my best, win or lose.
- I can overcome obstacles, win or lose.
- I release all negative emotions from the day.
- I let go of any stress and anxiety from today.
- I will learn what I need to from today, which will make me a stronger person.
- I know that life is not meant to be easy, win or lose.
- Tomorrow is a brand-new day.
- I accept my lost each day, losing does not define me.
- I am a strong person.
- I can solve problems.
- I will not let fear control me.
- I can survive anything life throws at me.
- I have the strength and courage to get through this.
- I understand the challenges in my life.
- I am ready to be the best version of myself.
- I release all negativity from my life.
- I am with joy and ease right now.
- I do not have to solve this today.
- I am doing what I can with the knowledge and skills I have.
- I choose to let my mind rest right now.
- I understand fear as a sign, to be careful.
- I am doing my best; I release from guilt and shame.
- I am the kind of person who can survive this storm.
- Circumstances change, I feel more grateful for what I have.
- I am not failure, but a survivor. I am in the process of surviving.
- I commit to showing up tomorrow, I accept the mistakes I have made.
- I am holding on in the dark, looking for the light and truth.
- I will face sorts of trauma, & It will not be the last.
- I am flexible, I can adapt when life does not go according to plans.
- I have Courage to face the fear of danger, I am facing the danger despite my fear.
- Problems are not solved by perfection; I am showing up as I am.
- I will persevere along my path. I will accept when to let go, I will accept when to change course.
- I will have to go this road alone. I have, or I can find people in my life to support or inspire me.
- I am love; my life is important & meaningful, despite my losses.
- My Life is of constant change.
- My pain is real, but my pain is not forever.
- This is just a chapter in my life.
- May Peace Be with You All.
- May Peace Be With Me All the Days of My Life.
Spiritual Dimension
Spiritual Dimensions?! Meaning of Life?!
We are currently here in order to achieve realization enough to effectively Ascend and progress into the next existence of living.
What do Spiritualist mean by Spiritual Dimensions, Dimensions is Levels, Personal Progress & Development. Dimension means an aspect, a feature, the scope or extent, the measurement or size of something in another direction. Dimensions in mathematics has to do with shapes, areas, size. This is the dimension of Unity Consciousness, still with an experience of “I” consciousness. Consciousness creates thought & this works when we sleep.
Fifth dimensional consciousness is the awareness of Soul and spirit, No Ego. The 6th dimension holds the templates for the DNA patterns of all types of species and is made up mostly of colour and tone. Spirit Guides often act from the 6th Dimension. Higher dimensions beyond the sixth, we lose shape and form, the dimensions become more abstract and less easily described in human language.
The seventh dimension is the realm of cosmic sound – not the vibratory patterns that we hear in the physical dimension, but the harmonics of creation. The 7th is the first level of the spiritual realm. 7th+ realm / dimension = Spiritual realms / Realms of Being. The 7th dimension is that of pure creativity, pure light, and pure tone.
The Christ level is the true 7th, the beginning of the spiritual realms. Once you are “One” with your Self that resides in the spiritual realms, you can do the works that Jesus did, greater works. There is no time or space on this level there is no illusion of separation. On this level you can meet angels, stellar beings who are in a Light body.
The 7th Dimension is the first energetic explosion into the field of Unconditional Love, or a state of ultimate bliss with its heightened freedoms allowing for the ecstatic brilliance of God-self-realization. The 7th Dimension formally ends the first Universal Cycle for a majority of the souls existing in this Universe. The silent world of the Gods Themselves, state of pure consciousness, Nothingness of Being.
May Peace Be With You!
Codependency
Understanding codependency, Your Self Awareness, Learning to Parent Yourself, Learning to Validate your emotions, trauma, whether you’re highly sensitive or overly emotional.
UNTANGLING YOURSELF-from Others, Owning the emotion & Getting to know yourself by Loving yourself with compassion. Codependents get themselves entangled in other people’s problems trying to fix, control, rescue, give advice, or force solutions on people who often don’t want or may need change. These behaviors, although meaning well, are frustrating for everyone involved. We get frustrated because we usually can’t affect change. Focusing on other people’s problems distracts us from owning our part in the problems & changing ourselves. These controlling & rescuing behaviors strain relationships. Loved ones resent our demanding & ultimatums. Our emotions may also be dependent on other people’s feelings. It might be that when your Other is in a good mood, you’re in a good mood and when they’re in a bad mood, you are in a bad mood. You may have difficulty recognizing your own feelings; you’ve become detached from yourself because you’re constantly concerned about how other people feel. We can untangle ourselves from others by learning to detach with love and stop enabling. Detaching is similar to setting healthy boundaries. Detaching puts healthy emotional, physical space between you & Others, so you & the Other have freedom to make your own choices, & have your own feelings. Detaching can include leaving uncomfortable, unsafe situations, saying “no”, or refraining yourself from giving advice.
Reflection: Do you enable, tangle yourself up in other people’s lives or problems? What boundaries will help you detach, prioritize your needs? How do you feel? .
OWNING YOUR PART- Denial is a self-protective measure that we use to deal with our overwhelming pain. Denial tries to shield us from our anger, despair, shame, it becomes a barrier to changing codependent patterns. We struggle to own our part in dysfunctional relationships, we tend to blame others. When we blame others, we act like victims, putting our happiness on whether other people will change. Gaining awareness means accepting responsibility, but not assuming responsibility for what other adults do. You aren’t responsible for others decisions. You are responsible for your happiness, health, which means you have choices and can take charge.
Reflection: If you’re having trouble seeing a situation objectively, do you have a trusted friend who can help see things from a different perspective? Do you blame others for your unhappiness? Can you empower yourself , solving your problems?
KNOWING YOURSELF– codependent families prevents us from developing a understanding of ourselves. Fear is used to force us to conform to family norms & we weren’t allowed or encouraged to explore our own interests, beliefs during childhood. We learn to suppress who we are to please others. In adulthood, we stay or focus on other people, that we really don’t know who we are, what we like, or what we want. We become defined by our roles, instead of the complex individuals that we are. Codependency recovering has to include getting to know ourselves.Getting to know ourselves isn’t selfish, its healthy & respect for ourselves. It means that we care about ourselves, we are curious about who we are.
Reflection: What do you like to do? How do you like to be treated? What are your goals? What do you believe?
LOVE YOURSELF– We do this through COMPASSION, accepting imperfections & mistakes, self care & Self-love, being kind to yourself, instead of being critical about your flaws. Self-love is your basic physical need, getting sleep, eating healthy food, exercise, taking medications your doctor has prescribed, setting boundaries, your opinions, asking for what you need, making time for fun, social connection. If you’re not used to taking care of yourself, it will feel uncomfortable for a while, but with each step of compassion, self-care, you are taking solid steps to love yourself.
Reflection: What is one thing you can do for your emotional health everyday? What is one thing you can do for your physical health everyday? What are you saying to yourself when you make mistakes? What can you tell yourself that would be understanding, supportive & compassionate?
As Christians We Are like Jars of Clay
Have you ever done any of these things?
Have you ever done any of these things? Or is it possible you are doing this now & don’t even realize what is going on with yourself. Who do you love?! Are you loving yourself?
Do You spend money on yourself because you “deserve it.”
Loving yourself doesn’t mean buying nice things or treating yourself to massages, vacations, a nice car or an expensive restaurant meal.
In fact, I see people constantly looking for the next big “fix” that will allow them to feel momentarily better about their life or relationship.
The fixes never do, because underneath all those treats and expenses, you still don’t love yourself and who you really are, at the core. You do things for others so they won’t think you’re a bad person. This is classic people pleasing behavior. You say “yes” to doing things for others when you really don’t have time or the desire, because you don’t want to disappoint them. You don’t dare disagree with a friend for fear they’ll be angry with you. You often wonder how you got yourself into commitments that turn out to be a giant headache.
If you’re seeking approval from others in order to feel like a good, hard-working, loving person, you’ll forever run yourself ragged. That’s because no matter what compliments others bestow upon you, you’ll never feel like enough.
You keep searching for that perfect relationship.
You keep thinking that someday, life will be so much better when you find the right partner and fall in love. You’ll finally feel as though you belong, or that you’re understood and appreciated for who you are.
Looking to another person to make you feel whole is a losing strategy. That’s because…
No One Can Make You Feel Deserving Of Love, No Matter How Much They Say, “I Love You”
If you don’t love yourself, you won’t be able to feel loved by anyone else.
You’ll criticize, blame and lash out, because deep down, you can’t accept anyone for who they are because you can’t accept who YOU are.
The good news is that loving yourself doesn’t require nearly as much effort as it takes to try to make someone love you. And it certainly doesn’t require maxing out your credit card buying the things you think will make you happy.
Loving yourself is a much simpler process than you think, and it’s WAY more powerful than hearing praise from a loved one or the momentary thrill of spending money on an experience or object. So who do you love? & Are you loving yourself?!
ZENA GALLERY 