500 Lies Destroying Lives!

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Other Scripture quotations are taken from the following sources:

The King James Version of the Bible (KJV). The New King James Version (NKJV), copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. New International Version (NIV) Copyright 1984, International Bible Society. The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, Copyright 2002 Nav Press Publishing Group. The Living Bible (TLB) by Kenneth Taylor, published by Tyndale House Publishers.

LIES that Were Spoken to You or About You by Others?

You have probably blocked off those painful memories. However, if you are truly honest with yourself you will realize that the pain is still there.

QUESTION: What is the most traumatic thing you recall that happened to you as a child, or later in life? If you felt a twang of pain in your heart, you have unresolved issues !

I want to clarify up front that, although this book was written primarily for Christian believers, everyone has been lied to, lied about, and cursed! The pain from those lies in our hearts is just as real, Christian or non-Christian. Lies are destructive in every single human being on the planet !

The Truths in this Book Can Work for EVERYONE Regardless of Race, Color, Religion, Gender or Age !

Most of you are reading this book because you were introduced by a friend or through the website 500Lies.com . If you reviewed the samples of lies, you may have been moved to tears or certainly felt pain in your heart as you pondered over those lists of lies. You want to be free from them, right?

Included in this book and the worksheets are over 500 LIES that are destroying lives! If you have not seen the samples of lies on our website, please read some of them below. Have some of these destructive arrows pierced your heart?

“I hate myself!”

“You are so fat!”

“You are so ugly!”

“You betrayed me!”

“You are so stupid!”

“I wish you were dead!”

“You are such a failure!”

“No one will ever love you!”

“I wish you were never born!”

Why don’t you just kill yourself!”

“You will never amount to anything?”

“The only thing you’re good for is sex!”

“I wish you had been a boy/girl instead!”

“It’s my fault that dad and mom got divorced!”

“I will never trust another man as long as I live!”

“God can’t forgive me after all that I have done!”

“You’re good for paying the bills, and that’s about it!”

If you answered “yes” to any of the above, or felt a tinge of pain as you read those words, please stop! Before you continue reading and, in fairness to yourself, you need to recognize that the reason you felt pain is because you still have unresolved issues and pain in your heart !

Take a moment and formally give yourself permission to face truth . Your freedom is completely dependent upon whether or not you do! Here is how: Declare this statement and pray out loud, “I, _____ (say your name) hereby give myself permission to face the truth about the painful things that were spoken against me which I received into my heart. Jesus, I give you permission to reveal truth to me so that I can be set free from the bondages that are presently in my life, in Jesus Name, Amen.” If you are a non-believer, what have you got to lose by saying the prayer ? Only the pain in your heart ?

There are only three possible responses. You will either say that little prayer or you won’t. OR, you will decide after you have read more of this book. God knows all things, including every one of your dark secrets. You cannot hide anything from Him.

Perhaps your response is, “I have already forgiven that person for what they said and did” or “it is under the blood of Jesus, so I don’t want to think about that pain” or “that’s in the past”. Then why is it that you felt the pain so quickly when you read that short list or questions ?

Have you ever wondered why you are unable to be truly intimate with your spouse, others, and especially with God? Could the reasons be tied to your foundational belief system, your deep hurts, your lack of trust, and the lies that you have taken into your heart, perhaps even unknowingly? Are these the reasons preventing you from experiencing true intimacy?

Truth is What Will Set You Free! Not lies, not deception and certainly not trying to convince yourself that there is no pain when, in reality, your heart is deeply wounded! Realize that harmful words spoken by others cannot pierce your heart , UNLESS YOU ALLOW THEM TO .

Has your heart been pierced? Now you can finally discover the truths that will unlock those prison doors inside your heart. Understanding and applying the truths found in “ 500 LIES Destroying Lives! ” can break the legal rights the enemy has in your life, and set you free from all that bitterness, pain, hatred and unforgiveness! The choice to become free is available to you . Will you choose freedom ?

The devil has a hay day keeping people blinded from the truth ! Scripture teaches us that people perish from a lack of knowledge. If you are raising your kids in a typical home, be aware that 90% of all kids between the ages of 8 to 16 have already been viewing pornography online! Over 70% of pastors struggle with pornography! Everywhere we turn we see and hear EVIDENCE OF LIES that people have bought into!

Perhaps your background includes living in a “sheltered environment” where crude language was never allowed. That alone does not protect you or your children from getting pulverized with damaging words and curses from those outside your home! Over 50% of all marriages end in divorce. Be assured that the language used in those homes has been anything but uplifting and edifying. Hearts have been pierced and wounded by destructive words! Children have been damaged! Their perception of who they are and who God is, has been tarnished, resulting in mistrust toward Him. Is that why two thirds of kids from Christian homes are abandoning their faith after they graduate from high school? Is it because they have not seen their parents or anyone else enjoying a genuine, intimate relationship with God? Or both?

It’s a real world we live in with ALL of us exposed to the destructive LIES of the enemy! People don’t accept Christ because of LIES! This book was written to expose those lies and provide the answers on how to break off the power and legal rights those lies have in our lives! We need to be honest and “tell it like it is” with no sugar-coating! Truth will set you free !

Although you may think your children are naïve, you would be amazed to discover what they have heard. This includes insults and curses that have been hurled at them. Even though they haven’t told you or because you assume everything is fine doesn’t mean that it is. Doesn’t it break your heart every time you hear of a young person taking their life because of online bullying? Perhaps you know someone experiencing that…perhaps that person is you?

I would encourage you to read this book with an open mind, so that truth will be revealed to you . The truth may very well hurt. When it involves painful matters buried deep within the heart it usually does. The result will be freedom! No more guilt or bondage! True intimacy! Experiencing unconditional love!

We are admonished to “Speak the Truth in Love”. My prayer is that you will receive the truth revealed in this book and accompanying materials in the spirit of love, so that you can experience true freedom in your life and home, along with all that God has for you !

NOTE: All testimonials are authentic, from people who applied the truths and procedures found in this book “500 LIES Destroying Lives!”

“For 26 years of my life I was unable to enjoy a normal night’s sleep. Several thousand dollars of therapy, counseling and seminars were unable to solve my problem. It wasn’t until I discovered the truths found in “500 LIES Destroying Lives” that my life dramatically changed! My husband was shocked when he could not wake me up to move me over to my side of the bed because I was sleeping so soundly. This was something that he had not observed or experienced since we were married. I discovered, through these powerful materials, that I was full of hatred, bitterness and rebellion because of lies that I had believed in my heart since I was a little girl. I was able to forgive all of the people in my life who had deeply wounded me. As I proceeded to renounce the lies, I kept feeling lighter and lighter as the legal rights of the enemy were finally broken in my life. Oh, by the way, I have lost a lot of weight because I don’t eat in the middle of the night anymore. Thank you Jesus! - Donna C

“I accepted Christ as my personal Savior when I was in my 30’s. I have lived a dedicated life for Christ since then and am now in my 80’s. I didn’t realize that I had carried painful lies in my heart since I was a young girl, until I was exposed to the list of 500 Lies on the worksheets with this book. I was the victim, and yet I felt guilty and blackmailed. I was a prisoner held captive by those lies. When I repeated the specific prayers outlined in these materials, I immediately felt a huge release in my spirit from those lies that had plagued me and kept me as a prisoner for over 70 years! I no longer feel condemned! The burdens and guilt are finally gone! Praise the Lord!” - Marianne P.

“I have known the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior for several years, following a past that included many hurtful, painful experiences. I accepted Christ at age 14, and was raised in a very emotionally abusive home. In my 40’s I served as a missionary in the U.S. for a year. I am now in my 70’s, and at no time in my entire life had I ever been exposed to the truth about the deep-seated lies that were firmly entrenched in my heart, even though I was a dedicated Christian whose sins were all forgiven! I have attended several excellent seminars and read many popular Christian books, but none of them identified the source of, or provided instructions on how to be set free from the roots of that pain. I became very passionate about helping others discover the powerful truths found in “500 Lies Destroying Lives!” just like I have experienced, and have been involved with Bernie and the ministry team ever since. I highly recommend that you download your own copy of this life-changing book, prayerfully go through the attached worksheets and follow the instructions. I have literally watched countless numbers of people’s lives radically change over the course of the past year, and am confident that as you apply the truths found in this book, and address the lies that are buried in your heart, your life will be transformed as well.” - Gwen Q.

“When I approached Gwen at church, we started talking. I shared my pain with her, and tears started to flow down my cheeks as she recommended going through the freedom ministry of breaking off the lies in my life. Finally there was hope, and I knew in my heart it was what the Lord was directing me to do; so I filled out the sheets of lies, came to the session and experienced a tremendous freedom as the lies and legal rights the devil had in my life were finally broken! I was finally set free! When I got home, my husband couldn’t believe the difference he saw in my life and wanted to attend as well, so we went to the next session together. He is now a changed man! His kids and others have seen the radical change in him the same way I have. I am in love with him again! We want to help all married couples experience the new freedom we have been enjoying, and strongly recommend this book and materials to everyone! Thank you!” - Donna D.

“After 30 years of extreme highs and lows which included being abused, lost and broken, I accepted Christ as my Savior in 2009. My marriage continued to be a nightmare because of the lies I believed in my heart. My heart was broken, because I was left alone with three daughters and was terrified about losing them at an upcoming custody court appointment. Then I was exposed to this powerful system of breaking off the lies and legal rights the enemy had in me. I went through the ministry sessions and my life was radically transformed! I got to keep my kids, which was a miracle in itself. I am so thankful for this freedom in the Lord! I am now involved sharing these truths with those I care about and have also been reaching out to young girls through the prison ministry! Thank you Jesus! Thank you Bernie and Gwen!” - Maria H.

“People who observe me see a calm, submissive wife who loves the Lord very deeply, and serves on the elders team at our church. I did not realize the volcano that was buried deep inside my heart until I attended a few sessions. As we went through that list of 500 lies that I had completed, when we came to one lie in particular, and as I was saying the prayer out loud, an explosion of emotion, anger, tears and sorrow came spewing out of my mouth as I yelled at the top of my lungs, and sobbed from the depth of my soul! I was shaking with intensity. I followed the procedure of breaking off the power of that lie, and then a peaceful calm came over me as the power of that lie was broken! The further down the lists we went, the freer I became. Praise the Lord for victory, and that it is truth that does set us free!” - Samyra G. “My wife, who has been a Christian for the past 5 years, went to a session with the ministry team, and when she got home, I saw such an incredible change in her that I knew, as a Christian, I needed to go as well, and I did. My wife and I were having marital issues because of my addictions. I took my completed list of 500 Lies with me to a few sessions and God transformed me, by breaking off the power and legal rights the enemy had in my life because of the lies that were in my heart. I love my wife, and thanks to this ministry, we are now experiencing a wonderful new romance together, and want to help others discover these truths as well.” - Dominick D.

“I was raised Baptist and never wanted to look less than perfect in my father’s eyes. I knew he loved me, but never felt I lived up to his approval. Later, after I was married, people thought we had the perfect marriage. They didn’t see the mental abuse, anger and hatred behind the scenes. We ended up in divorce, just like my dad and mom had. My dad took my x-husband’s side which hurt me deeply, until he learned my x had been lying to him also. My twin daughters were my pride and joy, and my x convinced my girls to move in with him and his new wife after I remarried yet another wrong, controlling man. The girls became very distant from me, which broke my heart. I became very hateful and bitter, not realizing that the lies in my heart were giving the devil the legal right to torment me, which he was doing. I thought I deserved all of the misery I was enduring because of my bad choices in men. Then I was invited to go through this program, and I was set free! I was shouting for joy! Hallelujah! I am at peace with God. It is easier to trust Him with all areas of my life now. I realize that I don’t need to depend on another human being (including men) for validation in my life. As a result, the Lord has given me a new job, which I really enjoy, and my daughters and I are re-uniting! They have seen through the lies of my x-husband, without me even telling them! You know that it is God doing His thing in their lives as well. Thank you Jesus for these powerful materials on breaking off the power of lies! - Rhonda K.

“I am a licensed reverend and am actively involved in prison ministry. When I and a few of my girlfriends were invited to meet Bernie at Gwen’s home, I still remember all three of us sitting on her couch with our arms crossed, skeptical about what he had to say. Within minutes all three of us were reaching for tissues to wipe away the tears that were running down our cheeks. He was speaking directly to our hearts as he revealed the truth about the pain from the lies that were buried deep within us. We all proceeded to go through the process of breaking off those lies. As a result, even our countenance changed. We all look and feel younger now! Since that evening I have experienced such a powerful release from the hatred, despair, worthlessness, rejection and lack of love that had gripped my heart all these years. You really need this book & materials for your congregation. It will revolutionize your lives and your church! - Tracy S.

Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………. 2

Testimonials ……………………………………………………………………………………… 5

Contents …………………………..……………………………………………………………. 8

Special Acknowledgements ………………………… ………………………..………………….9

From the Author ……………………………………………………………………………..….…10

Chapter 1: What Exactly is a LIE? ……………………………………………………………... 11

Chapter 2: The Power of the Tongue …………………………………………………………... 17

Chapter 3: Understanding Legal Rights AGAINST You ………………………………………. 21

Chapter 4: Curses & Lies - How to Break Their Power ……………………………..………… 32

Chapter 5: Instructions for 500 LIES & Powerful Prayers …….………………………………. 38

Chapter 6: The 500 LIES Worksheets ……………………………………………………….……44

Chapter 7: The Power of True Confession & Forgiveness ……………………………………….47

Chapter 8: Dealing with Guilt, Torment & Deep Wounds ……………………………………….64

Chapter 9: Understanding YOUR Legal Rights ……………………………………………….. 81

Chapter 10: Living a Joyful, Victorious Christian Life …………………………………………..91

I dedicate this book to my darling wife Marcia, family, all my brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus worldwide, as well as those of a different faith or no religious faith. My prayer is that the truths in this book will help young and old discover true freedom that comes from breaking off the power and legal rights of all the lies and curses they have received into their hearts.

I have a lifetime of relationships, friendships and acquaintances to thank for their input into my life. “Thank you” to each and every one of you who contributed love, wisdom, friendship, prayers and your time!

It has been said that writing a book is similar to giving birth. Having spent close to 1,000 hours on this project including writing this book, the supporting ministry materials and creating the accompanying website 500Lies.com, I have gained a new appreciation for that statement.

Without the help of several people this would not have become reality and I would like to acknowledge and thank them.

• Wes Andrei. Thank you for leading me to the Lord at VBS when I was 11. • George & Barbara Ragland. Thanks to George and Barbara who are enjoying their eternal rewards with the Lord. Their global ministry impacted thousands of lives, including mine. • Pastor Anthony McDaniel. Following my initial visit to ALM, we met in your office for a couple hours. A few days later you felt led to ask me to help a Christian from your church who needed to be set free from the enemy’s grip. God set that person free and sessions began happening multiple times a week! Because of you providing the platform and encouragement for this ministry, many people have been set free and God is expanding it. • Gwen Quick. Thank you Gwen for being so passionate about this ministry! You coordinated all the multiple weekly sessions at your home for two years and were also directly involved in them. Thank you! • Ministry Team. A special thanks to each of you who has ministered with me: Marcia, Carl & Brenda, John & Marlene, Randy & Donna, Gwen, Rhonda, Tracy and others. • My Family. My darling wife Marcia, my parents Con & Marianne Petrescue who have been faithful throughout my life. Thank you Marcia for using your skills in proofreading this book and for loving me. My children: Burt and his family; Randy and his family and Melissa. My siblings: Dave, Karen & Michelle (and their families).

Jesus. The person I am indebted to with my life is my precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I love Him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. I have had the privilege of walking with Him for over 57 years and wouldn’t trade the incredible relationship I enjoy with Him for anything or anyone! I am thankful that He has been able to use the difficult experiences I have gone through for His glory. Thank you Jesus for Your unconditional love and absolute faithfulness!

I have been passionate about seeing people set free since I was 20. I have been ministering to people for over forty-five years and have studied business administration & psychology at Biola University in California, religious education at Canadian Bible College and numerous training seminars. I have studied evangelism seminars in Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, and Seattle.

NOT LONG AGO THE LORD REVEALED TO ME THE TRUTH ABOUT THE POWER OF LIES AND THE LEGAL RIGHTS THE DEVIL HAS IN OUR LIVES BECAUSE OF THEM!

Due to that revelation, I sense a very strong, compelling drive in my spirit to expose the LIES of the Devil that have been crippling and robbing people of all ages, so they can be set free from those lies and live powerful, joyful, loving, victorious lives!

I personally understand the devastating power that lies can have in a home and life, like they did in mine. I can therefore understand the pain that most people, young and old have experienced and continue to endure because of the lies in their hearts and lives. Lies that have blocked the truth and freedom GOD has for them!

A few examples are:

• I grew up in an alcoholic home. • I was brutally beaten black and blue at 10 years of age. • I have been personally betrayed. • I have gone through divorce. • I have had friends turn their backs on me when I needed them. • I have been betrayed in business and forced into the loss of everything. • Both my father and brother died a few months apart.

Although I shed many tears through all of those experiences, I chose to rejoice in all things and continued to live victoriously. I did not get angry with God because I knew that His faithfulness was and is absolute. I continue enjoying wonderful intimacy with Him. He truly is my best friend!

God recently blessed me with my wife Marcia, a beautiful Godly woman! We have been enjoying God’s richest blessings and growing together in His and each others’ love.

Praise the Lord for truth that sets us free and also keeps us free ! May the Lord draw you into a closer, intimate, joyful walk with Himself through these powerful truths!

Bernie Petrescue

• We have spoken them over others and ourselves • They have been spoken over us by others • We have all heard them and told them • We have believed them • We have spread them • They have killed • They have ruined trust • They have crippled lives • They have destroyed marriages • They have condemned the innocent • They have separated the best of friends • They are destroying Christian and non-Christian lives everywhere!

Before you read another sentence, stop for a moment. Think about a damaging lie that was spoken about you when you were young. A lie that hurt you deeply. Do you remember one? Did any lies from the website lists on 500Lies.com, or from the introductory section pierce your heart? Can you recall the pain it caused deep in the depths of your soul? That pain still lingers because you still have a wound in your heart from the “invisible arrows”!

Do you remember believing something told to you by someone you know very well? You were completely convinced it was the real truth even to the point of convincing others. However, you later discovered that just the opposite was true. What happened inside you the moment you realized it was not true? You lost trust in that person because you felt he or she had lied to you or intentionally deceived you. Your subconscious mind put up an emotional wall to protect you from that individual being able to penetrate your heart with further lies and damage.

What Exactly IS a LIE? Merriam Webster defines a lie as “an assertion of something known or believed by the speaker to be untrue with the intent to deceive”. We know that according to the Bible the father of lies is Satan (the Devil).

Imagine for a moment a world without lies where everyone told the truth all the time. Can you? What a different environment we would all be living in! It is hard to comprehend because we know that the enemy has come to kill, steal and destroy. That is exactly what he is able to do by perpetrating lies throughout the world!

Do you know what the very first lie spoken on earth was and who spoke it? According to Scripture it was the serpent (the Devil) when he lied to Eve. Although an entire chapter could be devoted to the impact of the first encounter Eve had with the serpent, the very first lie spoken

to a human being was the serpent declaring to Eve, “You surely will not die!” Incredulous that the father of lies himself was telling a lie and, within the lie, calling God a liar…talk about an oxymoron!

Because this book was written primarily to Christian brothers and sisters, allow me to use an example. You hear someone say “God doesn’t really love you because He allowed that to happen” or “If God really loved you He would not have allowed that to happen”. Immediately your mind responds with “ that’s not true, because God does love me! ” Your heart , however, may be feeling “ perhaps He doesn’t care about me . After all, He did take something or someone away from me. ” He did not heal you or that person, or, He allowed a loved one die even though you pleaded with Him for their life. He left your prayer unanswered. Can you identify?

If you are completely honest with yourself, the truth may very well be that in your heart you feel rejected, abandoned or unloved by God. But your mind quickly blocks that thought with, “I can’t think that about God.” It seems sacrilegious to even entertain such a thought! Many Christians suffer from anger and even hatred toward God but are afraid to admit it . A fragmentation exists between their minds and their hearts . In other words, in their mind they know and live out the Christian life even though their heart is not fully convinced. Their emotions have been shattered at some point in their life. Their heart has been broken. They don’t have a sweet intimate relationship with the Lord even though they would really like one. They don’t know what genuine love looks like because they haven’t experienced it or seen it demonstrated while growing up in their home. Does that sound like you?

It is IMPOSSIBLE to love someone INTIMATELY who you • don’t fully trust • are afraid of • feel like a slave to • feel used by • don’t care about

You can act out deeds of kindness, but it won’t be coming from your heart. It certainly will not be intimacy! That is why your relationships (including the one you have with God) seem so distant.

Picture a young girl being brought up in a home where bickering and fighting is going on, day in and day out; a home where the father is abusive to his wife and children. The mother screams at her husband and frequently throws things around in a fit of rage. The young girl gets yelled at and blamed on a regular basis for things she didn’t do. She has been told that she was a mistake. To further complicate her life, she has two brothers who sexually abuse her and verbally abuse their mother just like their dad does. At school her teacher is a man who ridicules her in front of

the whole class. The kids all make fun of her. She goes to church where the kids are mean and make fun of her.

What do you think this little girl’s understanding of love is? What does she really feel like as a person? How do you think she views male authority and, more importantly, how she views God? When you say, “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life!” What do you think that means to her, considering what she has gone through?

Her interpretation of her own earthly father “loving her” and the abuse she experienced from her brothers will most likely result in hatred toward men, resistance to male authority, and disgust when hearing about a God who “loves her”. She will undoubtedly have built up emotional walls to protect herself from further abuse, pain, and “love” the way she understands it.

What About Her Belief System?

• She sees herself as a mistake • She is a nuisance • She feels like a tramp • She hates her dad and brothers • She doesn’t trust men • She hates her teacher • She hates the kids at school • She hates men • She hates being touched by men • She hates God • She hates herself • She has a very low self-esteem and has entertained suicide on more than one occasion

Now, let’s look at that home through another set of eyes…the oldest son, Billy. He was the first- born child in the family and, from his youth, he wanted to be just like his dad. He heard the coarse, sarcastic comments his dad frequently made about women, and especially about his mother. During the evenings when Billy walked into the living room he had often seen his dad quickly change the TV channel or hide a magazine. He had even seen his dad on pornographic websites when Billy walked in unexpectedly. During TV programs and, especially sporting events, he heard his dad yell to his wife to bring him food and drinks. When she did, and asked him a simple question he told her to be quiet and get out of his way because she was blocking his view. Billy learned, first hand, how to treat women. After all, he wanted to be just like his dad!

His dad taught him to be tough and not take any crap from anyone. He had been out with his dad and watched him flirt with other women. He had listened to his dad remark about how sexy certain women are and what he would do if…When his dad arrived home Billy frequently heard these lines rattled at his mother “Hey what’s for dinner, How come this house is so messy, It’s been a rough day, can you hurry up with the food already, Why does it take you so long to prepare a meal anyway, I can probably do it faster myself”. She tried to explain what a difficult day she had, but he quickly cut her off with “You think YOU’VE had a rough day! You don’t know what rough IS woman!” He completely ignored her comments. When his mother

confronted Billy’s dad about the incest with their sister, he laughed it off, stating that they are just boys learning about the birds and bees. He retorted with, “It’s much safer if they learn about sex inside the family than with strangers, right?”

What About Billy’s Belief System?

• He sees himself as superior to everyone • He is charming and can sway almost anyone • He shows no respect to others • He always grabs things away from others • He definitely disrespects women • He is abrupt with everyone • He will not listen to others • He is always interrupting • He is heavily involved in pornography • He quickly defends his actions • He believes women have to submit to men • He bosses his mother, sister and brother around • He believes women are subservient to men • He is proud of being reckless and insensitive • He thinks he has a right to have sex (including with his sister) • He believes women are objects for man’s self gratification • He thinks that God is “the big guy up in the sky”

Just imagine what is in store for ANY woman who marries Billy! The same hell his mother experienced with his dad! Ironically, he will more than likely seek out a woman just like his mother, and abuse her the same way he had seen his dad abuse his wife!

The younger brother Tommy still feels rejected by his dad and Billy. He knows that Billy is his dad’s favorite. They both frequently make fun of Tommy. Tommy learned to resent, and even hate his brother, who got all the attention and recognition. Every time he did something good, he was told if he had tried a little harder it could have been as good as what Billy did. He still feels that Billy can do no wrong! Anytime there is an issue between Billy and himself, Billy is always right, and able to convince everyone that Tommy is the culprit. Sadly, Tommy grew up expecting to be dumped on by everyone, believing that he is nothing, suffering with the same low self-esteem as his sister. He too is a target for emotional, mental and physical abuse.

Although the examples above are fictitious, they represent more homes than we would like to think possible. What is even more disheartening is that the girl and boys in this home could just as easily be Christians in a Christian home! Incest and pornography are very common problems in homes today, including Christian homes.

Each one of us comes from a different nationality, family tree, religious understanding, belief, value system, work ethic, morality, upbringing, financial security and self worth. Who you are

today is a result of several sources of input, interaction and responses in your life from each of those pre-mentioned topics.

Foundational Belief Issues:

• Who are you? • Do you feel loved? • Do you like who you are? • What is your purpose in life? • Why do you do what you do? • What foundational questions are you struggling with? • What do you really believe…deep down in your heart? • Does God really exist? • Is there an afterlife? • Are you happy? • Why do people keep telling you that you’re doing great, while deep in your heart you know that you’re not?

Regardless of your upbringing, you do have your own views and beliefs about these and other questions.

If your views have been based on fantasies, lies, or the beliefs of others, you will, at some point in your life, find yourself questioning the very foundation of what you actually believe. That is a good thing, and this book will undoubtedly challenge you in those areas.

If you have been brought up in a Christian home, you have likely been taught to walk in “Christian ways”. Going to church regularly, having daily devotions, wanting to please the Lord and follow the teachings of the Church are some of those “ways”. Many young people are “told” that Christianity is truth. They just have to accept it as truth because it is truth. Unless young people truly discover a “real and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ” Christianity, to them, will be primarily based on their intellectual understanding of who Jesus is and not on a personal, intimate level. That is why, according to independent reports, the majority of young people are walking away from their “Christian roots” after graduating from high school or college.

It is not surprising that our young people, who have been following in our footsteps, are realizing that what we have doesn’t really cut it. We may be willing to carry on with our status quo religious habits; THEY WANT THE REAL THING! You cannot hide the truth from your kids with a “Do as I say, not as I do” attitude. They see the pain, hatred and unforgiveness displayed in their own homes. They hear the cutting, piercing, condescending words spoken by their parents to each other, to their siblings and to them. They feel the pain in their own hearts from being told they are not good enough, that they won’t amount to much in life, and they wonder why God made them the way He did. Why would they want to continue with those same patterns in their own lives, now that they are free to make their own decisions and decide what works for them?

Here is a challenging thought to consider as we dig further. I would encourage you to be totally honest with yourself from your heart , not your mind , as you answer this 3-part soul-searching question:

Based on your PRESENT relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, would you HIGHLY RECOMMEND the same level of intimacy you are presently experiencing with Him to others? Would you recommend it to your kids? Would they EMBRACE the opportunity to experience and enjoy the Lord just like you ?

This question is not posed to condemn you or belittle your relationship with the Lord. It is to help you realize that the hidden barriers and pain deep in your heart have actually prevented YOU from experiencing deep intimacy with the Lord Jesus and every other human being! You may think you understand intimacy and perhaps you do, to a certain level, but not the way the Lord really intends for each of us to know Him.

What then prevents us from experiencing true intimacy with the Lord and others?

The answer is… LIES and Unforgiveness!

Regardless of how bad a past you come from, or how many arrows you have taken into your heart YOU CAN BE SET FREE !

What do you do when an open wound on your body becomes infected? You remove the infection and poison so it can heal, correct?

It is the same way with our hearts. The healing process can only begin after you remove the arrows (lies) that are causing the poison and pain in your heart!

ARE YOU READY TO GET RID OF THE POISON?

“Life and death is in the power of the tongue.” (Proverbs 18:21)

I am sure that you have heard these words stated when it comes to legal matters, “anything and everything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law ”. God tells us about the power of the tongue and so does our own legal system. Why? Because there is incredible power in the spoken word . Although you may wrestle with thoughts, you can never be prosecuted in a court of law for thinking something bad, so guard your tongue!

God could have thought the universe into existence, but scripture tells us that He spoke it into being. Jesus was confronted by Satan who tempted Him in the desert. His response on all three temptations began with, “It is written…” and He proceeded to speak the Word of God to the enemy.

For those of you who are animal lovers, let’s use a loving little pet dog as an example. When you speak positive words in an encouraging voice to your pet like, “good Suzie, you’re such a good doggy”. How does your pet respond? By wagging its tail, returning affection, rubbing up against you, wanting to please you. These are all positive responses because you have spoken “life” over your animal. However, what happens when you speak harshly in an angry voice to that same pet? It lowers its head and walks away dejected as if you have kicked the life out of it. That is because you have spoken words of “death” over your pet. Whether it is animals, children, teens or adults, all respond the same way when words of “life” or “death” are spoken over them . This is so very important to understand !

Spoken words can encourage, do good, and bring life to others. Spoken words can also be devastating, destructive, catastrophic and bring death. I am sure every reader has heard lines like these before, whether spoken to yourself, to someone else, or by yourself, “Billy, you are so stupid! You’ll never amount to anything in life!” By contrast, “Billy, what you did was absolutely wonderful! You helped so many people. Thank you!” These words could be from the same person but, the impact on Billy can make a permanent impression on his mind, his character and even his future destiny, for good or for bad . The negative words spoken in this example are the kind of words that if “received into your heart” have pierced your heart like an invisible arrow, wounding you deep inside. Proverbs 12:18 reminds us that reckless words pierce the heart like a sword! The pain is still there even though you have tried to forget about it or even block it out of your mind. You need to break the power of these and all curses that have been spoken over you, including the ones you have spoken over yourself ! This is covered in a separate chapter, “Curses & Lies – How to Break their Power”.

Did you know that one day we will give an account for every word that we have spoken! Jesus said it very clearly in Matthew 12:36, “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.” Yikes! Why does the poison flow

so freely and, where does it really come from? It flows from deep within your heart, revealing what is really inside you and what you are made of. Most people that criticize others are usually insecure themselves, which gives them a way to “justify their own shortcomings”. In talking with many people like this, I have found that they actually hate people in their past, hate themselves and even hate God. They are deeply wounded. What they really want is unconditional love , someone who will accept them the way they are, faults and all . Proverbs 19:22 states, “What a man desires is unfailing love”. Isn’t that what we all want?

Do you remember the old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me”? What a lie that is! Words can cut deep into your heart and they do ! Unfortunately once they are spoken we can never recall them . An old kids’ chorus went like this "So be careful little eyes what you see; be careful little mouth what you say; be careful little ears what you hear." Once spoken words go forth, they reverberate in the ears and hearts of others and bring forth good or bad fruit, life or death!

Have you ever thrown a stone into a body of water that was still? What happened? It triggered a ripple effect, which caused ripples to carry out a long distance. What actually happens when that stone makes contact with the water? It pierces the surface of the water and its mass forces the water around it to move outward, which causes the ripples. In other words, it has impacted a significant surrounding area even though it is tiny in size. When you speak out loud, you send out sound waves, like ripples, that go forth in all directions in front of you. When you speak to someone, your words can pierce their heart, causing a ripple effect in their life. Positive words will edify and encourage them; negative words will tear them down and set them up for defeat. Like it or not, you are impacting people around you every day with your words: for good or for bad.

Are you concerned about your health? In today’s fast moving society we are preoccupied with healthy diets, drinking bottled and vitamin water, proper sleeping habits, physical fitness, regular checkups and structured regimens in our daily routines. You would think that we should be in great shape, right?

For the record, I am definitely in favor of a good diet, balanced lifestyle and healthy exercise. Unfortunately the focus there is primarily on what we eat, breathe and touch! We do not realize that we are being poisoned from the inside out and it has nothing to do with the EPA standards!

What Poison You Ask? The damaging word curses you speak to others and those lies you receive that pierce your heart like invisible arrows. Those lies trigger hatred, unforgiveness, worthlessness, bitterness and jealousy (to name just a few). They are eating people alive and causing a host of deadly health issues, including cancer. Bitterness and unforgiveness will suck the life out of you ! This is the poison that is far more damaging than a poor diet, polluted air, or chemical smells we breathe!

Stop and Think for a Moment...

• Are words of life or death coming out of your mouth? • Are people encouraged or discouraged by your words? • Do people try to avoid you because they are tired of your negativity? • Are you constantly illustrating your point by sharing negative statistics like - how many people died from … - how many accidents there were because … - how many people got sick as a result of … • Do your illustrations produce peace, contentment and joy or do they cause fear, anxiety and stress?

If you find yourself steeped in negativism and compelled to share the kind of statistics mentioned above on a regular basis, YOU HAVE A POISONED HEART !

Matthew 15:17-20 (The Message) “But what comes out of the mouth gets its start in the heart. It's from the heart that we vomit up evil arguments, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, lies, and cussing. That's what pollutes. Eating or not eating certain foods, washing or not washing your hands-that's neither here nor there."

We are encouraged in Philippians 4:8 (NIV) with “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.”

The enemy loves to destroy lives and he is trying to destroy yours ! He frequently uses Christians to take down other Christians with their gossip and slander. You have probably heard it said that, “Christians are the only army that shoots its own wounded”. A brother or sister falls and instead of lifting them up in prayer and encouraging them, we join the bandwagon of condemnation that is hurled their way by throwing stones at them! Not physical stones, but ones that are far more damaging…the “verbal stones”! We abandon them at their greatest time of need. Imagine if Jesus did that with each of us? None of us would survive.

Here is a zinger that will pierce hearts…Do you build others up with your comments or do you tear them down? Are you a gossiper ? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you answer honestly. If you are gossiping about others, the enemy is using you for his own kingdom ! Ouch! There is no justification for gossip! It is a horrible sin. You are working against the Kingdom of God. If you are gossiping, confess your sin, repent, and stop gossiping ! If you hear someone spreading gossip or someone approaches you and begins to gossip about someone, confront them on the spot. Ask them if they have spoken directly to that person they are referring to. They will quickly stop because they are embarrassed that they were caught gossiping. Scripture teaches us if we have a problem with someone, we are to go to them and resolve the issue privately (Matthew 18:15). Rather choose to bless others with your mouth! Keep reading and discover how.

How do you respond when someone approaches you with “a word or message from the Lord”, “a warning from the Lord” or “a prophetic word”? It is easy to go on the defensive and begin stating your case as to why this does not or should not apply, etc. Be gracious, humble, and listen to what they say to you! I strongly recommend that you respond with the following:

“Thank you so much for (your concern and for) sharing those words with me. I heard what you said and I will spend time with the Lord and ask Him for directions as to what He wants me to do, see or learn from them. Thank you again”.

You won’t offend anyone with that response, and there will be no need for arguing. Proverbs teaches us that a wise man will carefully consider each suggestion, and one who listens to a rebuke will be considered among the wise (Proverbs 15:31). Again in Proverbs 19:20 “Listen to advice and accept instruction.” “Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice” (Proverbs 13:10).

Regarding their Message to You, Here Are the Three Possible Options:

• They are wrong • They are right, or • It is a wakeup call for you, and God is trying to get your attention.

If you are quick to defend yourself, it is almost a sure giveaway that there is an issue between you and the Lord! If you are walking in the Spirit, you won’t feel threatened by anyone’s comments. I am not talking about arrogance, but rather a confidence that our hearts are clean before the Lord and we are genuinely walking in the Spirit.

Thanking someone for their comments does not mean that you are necessarily agreeing with them, but indicates you will genuinely seek the Lord on the matter. Don’t make the mistake of pre-judging someone who says they are delivering a message to you based on your knowledge of their relationship with the Lord. After all, God used a donkey to speak to a man years ago!

Speaking life into others and yourself is covered in a separate chapter, “Understanding YOUR Legal Rights”.

The purpose of this chapter is not to condemn you for what you have done in the past or to make you feel guilty. It is written to help you identify and understand events that have knowingly or unknowingly taken place in your life or the lives of your ancestors.

These events may have opened a door by giving the enemy a legal right whereby he can legally and relentlessly attack you. It is to provide you with the solutions for breaking and completely removing those legal rights the enemy has in your life. This will allow you to experience true joy, happiness and fulfillment the way God intends it to be.

Legal rights are clearly “rights which exist under the rules/laws of a given legal system”. If you buy a car today you own that vehicle. It is yours to do with as you wish. You may repaint it, reupholster it, or spray paint the seats if you like. It is yours to enjoy. However, you may not crash your car into another vehicle without there being consequences, which can be devastating; depending upon the degree of damage you have caused. Your legal rights allow you to modify the color or upholstery of your car as you wish. However, your legal rights are subject to another set of legal rights when it comes to actually driving your car in another city or state (which you have no jurisdiction over). In other words, when you enter someone else’s territory, their laws apply to you .

Legal Rights and the Legal System: You must be charged with a specific violation of the law before you can be tried in court, correct?

What a farce the entire legal process would be if, while driving your car, an officer pulled you over and charged you with breaking the law. He did not specify any violation. The only thing on your ticket was “driver broke the law”. There has to be a specific charge against a specific law before a case can be prosecuted. Therefore, a judge would have to dismiss the case.

The same rules apply when confessing our sins and are also applicable to breaking off legal rights the enemy has in our lives...they have to be identified specifically .

Correct Confession: It is so important to understand what correct confession is and what it is not. Correct confession involves:

• knowing what specific sin you have committed and then • agreeing with God about that specific sin • asking for His forgiveness • turning your back on it (repenting) • thanking Him for His forgiveness based on 1 John 1:9 • Fellowship with Him is Restored

Refer to the chapter that covers this in detail, “The Power of True Confession & Forgiveness”.

When attempting to break off legal rights the enemy has in your life, if you pray “I come against ALL legal rights the enemy has against me and break them off in Jesus Name” what do you think the enemy’s position is when those words are presented in God’s court of law? The case will be thrown out because there is no violation specifically stated . There is no obligation for the enemy to rescind his specific legal rights against you…rights you gave him! Although your prayer may very well be genuine, your words are as ineffective as the meaningless prayer of confession that says, “Lord please forgive me IF I have sinned today”.

I cannot overemphasize the importance of understanding how legal rights work and what is required to break and cancel their power in your life !

In the spiritual world there are legal rights as well, which can affect you in the physical world. For example, say you are a Christian who loves the Lord and you are walking in obedience. You know and understand that doing drugs is a sin and can cause a person to lose control of his/her decision making process. You can “hand” your mind over to the enemy! Knowing this does not have any negative impact on you UNLESS you choose to shoot up or snort drugs . If you do, by your own decision, you have literally entered the enemy’s territory. You have given him a legal right to attack and possibly enter you. YOU ARE NOW SUBJECT TO HIS LAWS!

Another example is pornography! If you choose to feast on images of nude women, men or children, those images will burn into your mind and heart. You will have given a spirit of lust (perversion, incest, rape or a host of others) the legal right to harass you, and take up residence in you (occupy you, not possess you), even though you may be a Christian! As long as that spirit of lust has a legal right to be in your life, it will reek havoc in your flesh. It will drive you to more lust and perversion. Why does it have a legal right to be in your life? Because you gave it that legal right !

Important Question : Can a Christian be demon-possessed? I do not believe a true Christian can be demon-possessed. Most church people believe there are only two possibilities when it comes to demonic… possession (in full control of from within) or, oppression (from the outside). BUT, there is a third possibility… occupancy (not possession, but occupancy ). I have personally witnessed numerous examples of this in strong Christians over the years through my involvement in the deliverance ministry. An unclean spirit can occupy our mind/flesh/body (not our spirit or soul). Jesus sent a legion of demons into a herd of pigs (Matthew 8:31-33).

THE ONLY WAY THAT SPIRIT WILL LEAVE AND NOT BE REPLACED BY ANOTHER ONE IS FOR THOSE LEGAL RIGHTS TO FIRST BE BROKEN AND THE UNCLEAN SPIRIT(S) TO BE CAST OUT !

Have you ever pulled weeds from your lawn? Those weeds will continue to grow if cut or snapped off above the surface. Why? Because you did not get the root of that weed out. Just like weeds, every problem and sin has a root, which ties to a lie. The longer it has been there, the deeper and thicker the roots have grown. Unless you remove the power and legal rights of the root AND the lie, you will be battling with that problem again and again. You will never be able to achieve total victory until it has been completely removed.

Follow These Steps to Break the Legal Rights of Unclean Spirits in Your Life

• Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to you and expose any unconfessed sin in your life • Identify the lies you received into your heart about that issue • Renounce the lies and curses associated with the matter • Repent of the unconfessed sin(s) He has revealed

You May Need Help with These Last Steps, Which Are

• Plead the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ over yourself and surroundings • Curse the spirit by name (example: spirit of lust) in Jesus’ Name • Cut off and cancel its assignment and all its legal rights • Command it to leave, roots and all, and go straight to the pit, with no ripping, tearing, transference and no violence, in Jesus’ Name.

One Sunday morning, a very prominent senior pastor of one of America’s mega churches read a statement to his congregation, which included the following excerpts: “I am guilty of sexual immorality, and I take responsibility for the entire problem. I am a deceiver and a liar. There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I’ve been warring against it all of my adult life. For extended periods of time, I would enjoy victory and rejoice in freedom. Then, from time to time, the dirt that I thought was gone would resurface, and I would find myself thinking thoughts and experiencing desires that were contrary to everything I believe and teach. Through the years, I’ve sought assistance in a variety of ways, with none of them proving to be effective in me . Then, because of pride, I began deceiving those I love the most because I didn’t want to hurt or disappoint them. The public person I was wasn’t a lie; it was just incomplete. When I stopped communicating about my problems, the darkness increased and finally dominated me. As a result, I did things that were contrary to everything I believe.”

He would later speak about how he was sexually abused as a 7-year old child by one of his dad’s workers. He said that although he had been saved at age 16, the incident and "a demonic power" gripped his mind and later, "There I was, 50 years old, a conservative Republican, loving the word of God, an evangelical, born-again, spirit-filled, charismatic, all those things," he said. "But some of the things that were buried in the depths of the sea, from when I was in the second grade, started to rage in my heart and mind and produce fruit." He said he wrestled over and over with his secret. He told himself "I hate this thing, but there were times I loved it."

"There came a moment in my life when I was so alone and there was so much despair that I was suicidal," he said. "And I'd figured out how I was going to kill myself and rid the world of the horrible curse of myself."

In subsequent interviews, he acknowledged that his actions were hypocritical. He said he could not control his urges. "I felt like God's plan was for sexuality to be in a monogamous, heterosexual marriage," he said. "I wanted that, but, at the same time, I had these other things going on." He thought that focusing on his spiritual life would help. It did not. "It actually made me worse and, for a time, I lost the ability to read the Scriptures and became suicidal. I think it was divine intervention that stopped me," he said.

Probably the most disheartening comments I read were his words, “Through the years, I’ve sought assistance in a variety of ways, with none of them proving to be effective in me ”. How sad! He had unlimited access to literally any counsel and advice available from the most Godly people in the nation. He was still unable to find the solution, even though he searched and searched for the answer!

My heart grieved when I first heard the news about this brother in the Lord. It was like Satan had another victory and was taunting, “another one bites the dust”. Then I began to do some research. As I prayed about this, I sensed in my spirit that this had to do with demonic activity. I discovered that he made reference to one of his dad’s workers sexually abusing him at the age of 7. This is likely where the legal right of the enemy took place in his life (if not from a previous generational spirit). I wondered about the lie or curse previously spoken over him that left him vulnerable for that sexual abuse. The legal right was likely in place prior to the sexual encounter. By “participating” in that sexual event, the enemy was given an opening in his life and took root in his heart. He believed one or more lies of the enemy, and the root of that spirit continued to strengthen. It became more entrenched in his heart over the years, making it that much more difficult to remove. It became a constant battle in his life, in which he was unable to be victorious.

Another Christian brother shared with me that at the age of 9 he and his buddies were walking along the schoolyard one day and came across a Playboy magazine which they feasted on. He told me several times over the years (including the last time I saw him before his passing) how pornography was a relentless ongoing battle for him. He was never able to fully overcome it. He would have victory for-a-period-of-time but inevitably succumbed to pornography throughout his entire life.

Pornography was a constant struggle and extreme source of frustration for him because it made him feel disconnected from a close relationship with God. He didn’t realize pornography would become as widespread an epidemic in churches around the world as it has. It is plaguing pastors, clergy and parishioners of all ages alike.

God used him mightily in winning many people to Christ. He was compassionate and cared about everyone. I know it would be his desire to help throngs of brothers and sisters in Christ

(especially pastors and Christian leaders) gain victory over pornography and other strongholds in their lives.

Before you are tempted to become judgmental of those two Godly men or anyone else, examine your own heart! Ask the Lord to speak to you first. You will probably discover that you also have issues that need to be dealt with.

They Both Loved Jesus! Both people I am referring to walked “sold-out lives for Jesus”. How is it possible that the Lord could very successfully use them in ministry and, simultaneously, the enemy could have such a stronghold in their lives? How can these two forces co-exist in a Christian at the same time?

By their own permission they gave legal rights to the enemy. You may be thinking, “Wait a minute! They never gave Satan any permission!” Oh, but they did! When they “indulged themselves” at that early age, a spirit of lust took root in their young hearts. Every time they took the opportunity to look at pornographic materials, the rooting became stronger and stronger in each of their lives. This problem of pornography has grown into an epidemic with both males and females, of all ages , indulging in their “secret lust” through the Internet and magazines.

Talk to any Christian who has been involved in sex outside of marriage. They will tell you that the first time they participated in promiscuous sexual activity, their conscience was shouting “Stop, don’t do it!” The more they repeated their sin, the less and less that little voice was heard. Eventually, it didn’t bother them at all. Their hearts had become hardened.

Does that Sound Like You?

To further complicate your personal theology and your “evaluation” of these precious lives, the two people I am referring to became Christians after their 7 and 9-year old events took place. So, you would think that they should no longer have had an issue with lust and pornography. These sins were all under the blood of Christ at the time of their salvation! Their sins were, in fact, forgiven and under the blood. What about the legal rights the enemy had in their lives after they accepted Christ as their Savior? Unless those legal rights were specifically broken and cancelled, they continued to be enforceable by the enemy after salvation ! That is why both boys, throughout their lives, continued to struggle with these issues after they accepted Christ! The enemy had legal rights in their lives to be there, even though their sins were forgiven and they were strong Christians!

Clarification: Legal rights of the enemy in a person’s life do not mean there is necessarily demonic occupancy. It is through legal rights that the enemy may gain entry when a Christian chooses to be involved sexually outside of marriage, or gets completely drunk or stoned (a few examples). At those moments an individual (through their disobedience) actually places him/herself in the enemy’s territory. This creates an opening in that area through which the enemy can attack and even enter a person! When you make the choice to step out from under

God’s “umbrella of protection”, the Lord still has His hand on you, but you are open to the full attack of the enemy!

I wish I had known the truths found in this book years ago. Truths that could have set them free as well as multitudes of Christian brothers and sisters around the world! Freedom from the guilt and shame of being enslaved to strongholds in their lives!

NOW YOU CAN FINALLY BE FREE!

• Would it shock you to learn that over 70% of pastors struggle with pornography? • 90% of 8-16 year olds have viewed pornography online. - Rick Warren’s Ministry • 61% of today’s young adults had been churched at one point during their teen years but they are now spiritually disengaged. - The Barna Group • 70% of Christians admit to struggling with pornography in their daily lives. • 90% of the 500 Christian men at a men’s retreat admitted feeling disconnected from God because lust, pornography, or fantasy had gained a foothold in their lives. • 87% of university students are having sex over webcams, instant messenger or the telephone. - Reuters, Ontario Canada

Paul’s writings indicate that he struggled with legal rights as well. Notice what he says in Romans 7: 15-25 (Amplified Bible):

15 For I do not understand my own actions [I am baffled, bewildered]. I do not practice or accomplish what I wish, but I do the very thing that I loathe [which my moral instinct condemns]. 16 Now if I do [habitually] what is contrary to my desire, [that means that] I acknowledge and agree that the Law is good (morally excellent) and that I take sides with it. 17 However, it is no longer I who do the deed, but the sin [principle] which is at home in me and has possession of me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot perform it. [I have the intention and urge to do what is right, but no power to carry it out.] 19 For I fail to practice the good deeds I desire to do, but the evil deeds that I do not desire to do are what I am [ever] doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not desire to do, it is no longer I doing it [it is not myself that acts], but the sin [principle] which dwells within me [fixed and operating in my soul].

21 So I find it to be a law (rule of action of my being) that when I want to do what is right and good, evil is ever present with me and I am subject to its insistent demands. 22 For I endorse and delight in the Law of God in my inmost self [with my new nature]. 23 But I discern in my bodily members [in the sensitive appetites and wills of the flesh] a different law (rule of action) at war against the law of my mind (my reason) and making me a prisoner to the law of sin that dwells in my bodily organs [in the sensitive appetites and wills of the flesh]. 24 O unhappy and pitiable and wretched man that I am! Who will release and deliver me from [the shackles of] this body of death? 25 O thank God! [He will!] through Jesus Christ (the Anointed One) our Lord! So then indeed I, of myself with the mind and heart, serve the Law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. Consider verse 17 where he writes “the sin which is at home in me and has possession of me ”, and in verse 21, “and I am subject to its insistent demands”, and again in verse 23, “a different law… making me a prisoner to the law of sin that dwells in my bodily organs ”. Paul was very much human, just like you and I. He was a champion of Christianity when he wrote the above text about his struggles and the “besetting sin” in Hebrews 12:11. Paul referred to himself as the “chief of sinners”. Although the Bible does not elaborate on Paul’s sins, we do know he was a murderer. Murder can be tied to hatred, rage, and anger, to mention a few zones of legal rights. Only God knows the struggles Paul underwent and He also knows the heart of every person reading these words .

This is a topic that will be covered in detailed depth in a forthcoming book to be released by this author on 500Lies.com. There are a number of individuals and organizations dedicated to helping people get free from demonic activity in their lives. Sadly, many of them “see demons behind every tree” and blame every negative thing on a demon. Their lives seem to be completely wrapped around the demonic. They feel it is their “God-given duty” to look for demons everywhere they go, every minute of the day. I personally do not embrace or endorse their position doctrinally, because they are missing out on the joy and fullness that the Lord Jesus Christ has for them! We are admonished to keep our eyes on the Lord, not on Satan and his cronies ! We deal with demonic as the Lord leads, when necessary. It is not the starting platform from which we begin ministering to people. We need to start by dealing with the lies and unforgiveness!

I have personally been involved in freedom ministry spanning 45 plus years. During that time and up until early 2010, I followed a system that worked, successfully casting out demons as I felt led by the Lord. It could take up to an hour or more to cast a demon out because of the legal rights they had. Then, the Lord showed me the powerful truth about first taking down the lies in a person’s life !

THE LIES RECEIVED AND BELIEVED IN HEARTS CAN AND DO PROVIDE THE LEGAL RIGHTS THE ENEMY HAS IN CHRISTIAN AND NON-CHRISTIAN LIVES !

After implementing this new process of having a person deal with the lies first (500 Lies Worksheets), 95% of the issues were gone! When we have needed to take care of demonic activity, after the lies are renounced , demons come out quickly, with little or no fight left because their legal rights, which were founded on lies, are gone!

COUNSELLORS: If you are presently involved in deliverance ministry, you understand that you can cast out demons in the authority of Jesus’ Name. IMPORTANT: When you cast out demons and the legal rights have not been broken and cancelled, that person can be subjected to further demonic activity as long as those legal rights are there! Casting a demon out does not automatically cancel the legal rights it had to be there ! Jesus cautioned about this in Matthew 12:42-45 when He talked about an unclean spirit leaving a man and returning with seven more spirits more wicked than itself. It is important to know that an evil spirit cannot enter a person just because it wants to. It must have a legal right (including generational) in order to do so.

What Should You Do? First take down the legal rights by having a person identify and renounce each of the lies in their heart! Have him/her cut off and cancel the legal rights and assignments of the enemy because of each lie and place them under the blood of Jesus Christ, AND specifically forgive and release the person(s) who spoke that over you .

WARNING: Matthew 6:15 (NIV) says “ BUT IF YOU DO NOT FORGIVE OTHERS THEIR SINS, YOUR FATHER WILL NOT FORGIVE YOUR SINS .” This is one of the scariest verses in the Bible…it is straightforward…if you do not forgive others you will NOT be going to Heaven !

Even a non-Christian will experience release and victory from the power of lies by following this process, because it is TRUTH that sets us free!

Here is a simple test that can help determine if you as a Christian have “legal rights” issues in your life . In whatever areas of your life you have previously sinned frequently, it is very likely that the enemy has been attacking or will attack you in those same areas. Some examples:

• If you have been promiscuous before salvation you will likely struggle with strong temptations to lust, indulge in pornography and have sex outside of marriage after salvation. • If you had a habit of lying or being deceitful, temptations to lie and deceive can continue. • If you were greedy and uncaring of others, you will be tempted to continue the same patterns. ANYTHING you are a slave to or that has “control” over you, or you cannot overcome is there because of legal rights !

Question for You. If someone who is a non-Christian, murders in cold blood, he is convicted of murder and goes to jail. If, during his jail time he accepts Christ as his Savior and asks forgiveness for all his sins, is his sin of murder forgiven? Yes! According to the Bible it is forgiven. Picture another person who is a Christian and, in a fit of rage murders a man he found having an affair with his wife. He is also convicted of murder and goes to jail. During his jail

time he repents of his sin of murder. Is he forgiven? Yes, the blood of Jesus Christ also covers his sin . Are these men released from jail because their sins are forgiven? No . Although both men are forgiven , their legal obligation of doing time must still be served by both of them. The system has a legal right to keep both men locked up to pay for their crimes . Jesus has forgiven both of them and has paid the price for the eternal punishment of their sins. The consequences of their breaking the law must be paid to society.

If the enemy has legal rights in your life, you will not be free from them until those legal rights and curses are specifically renounced, broken and cancelled !

Sexual involvement outside of marriage opens the door to spirits of perversion, lust, fornication, adultery, rape, homosexuality, bestiality and others. The more you continue in these sins, the more deeply rooted they become. That is why so many Christians have a constant struggle in this area of their lives. They only gain victory for a short time before falling back into that sin(s) again and again. Thus it becomes their “besetting sin” because of those legal rights the enemy has in their lives.

The Difference: Christians say, “IT’S ALL UNDER THE BLOOD!” Yet they continue to struggle intensely and don’t know why. Do not assume, that because you confessed your sins, that you won’t have an issue with those areas that the enemy has a legal right to in your life . Legal rights are separate from the act of sin itself, just like the example of the fictitious murderers mentioned earlier. Confessing your sins will cleanse you from unrighteousness. The legal rights need to be dealt with separately!

When you choose to have sex with someone outside of marriage (adultery) or have sex before marriage (fornication), you have entered the enemy’s camp by disobeying God . You have violated the person you had sex with, violated yourself, and have specifically given the enemy permission (legal rights) to have free reign in that area of your life! With that legal right, the enemy can attack you constantly with strong temptations to commit adultery and fornication. You may feel “driven”, helpless and unable to resist any longer. You can’t stop thinking about how to satisfy your craving. There are even more damaging consequences that can take place in your life because of your disobedience. You will have, by your choice, created an ungodly soul tie with each partner that you had sex with outside of marriage ! These ungodly soul ties remain, even after you confess your sin! They are legal rights that you have given to the enemy, and they MUST be broken.

When you have sex with another person who has had multiple partners, you are joining yourself with all the partners involved! It’s not just the physical that is joined together through sex with another person. You actually open yourself up to the curses and possible demonic transference

from not just the partner you had sex with, but also any of the partners they had sex with, as well as all the partners you had sex with! This is serious! I have watched several people respond in shock after they hear this and the truth really hits them. Thank God that there is a solution!

If you accepted Christ as your personal Savior, your sins were all forgiven according to the Bible. However, the habits that you had in your life prior to salvation were learned habits. Obviously, good habits are encouraged and should be continued; bad habits like picking your nose or chewing your nails are questionable. SINFUL habits need to be changed or broken. If you had sinful habits (before salvation) of lying, cheating, stealing, smoking, enjoying pornography, doing drugs, over-eating, gambling, having sex outside of marriage, living in fear, controlling others, or whatever sinful habits were in your life, your flesh will want to continue with those habits (sins), even though you accepted Christ as your personal Savior and all your sins were forgiven!

It is a generally accepted fact that it takes 21 days to make or break a habit. It is possible that you may slip up during that 21-day period. You will eventually gain the victory over the bad habit you are trying to quit. Now that you are a Christian, the enemy will make a concerted effort to try to keep those bad habitual sins continuing in your life through strong temptation. Being tempted to sin is not a sin ! We sin when we give in to that temptation .

Human Sinful Nature Being What it is, Wants to Make Excuses!

Do Any of These Sound Familiar: • It is my way of escape • I don’t what to hurt their feelings so I just go along with it • I can’t stop • I’m afraid to quit • What will they think if I quit? • Nobody’s perfect • It is their fault that I do this • Everyone’s doing it • He (or she) drives me to drink • It helps to calm my nerves • If I don’t do it, I’ll lose my mind • I do it for medical reasons • That’s not a sin, it’s just a habit

If you choose to continue those sinful habits in your life after salvation, they will almost always become a foothold in your life! If the enemy already has a legal right in one or more areas of your life, it will only intensify as he continues to attack you.

We All Sin Because WE CHOOSE TO SIN ! Don’t blame others or make excuses! Stop denying it! Call it what it is, even though it is ugly or embarrassing. Take ownership and call it SIN. Truth is what will set you free, not lies or deception .

So, What Legal Rights Have You Given Over to the Enemy? Which areas in your life need to be reclaimed?

• Pornography? • Lust? • Sex? • Greed? • Alcohol? • Cigarettes? • Gambling? • Shopping? • The past? • Money? • Drugs?

• Over-eating? • Being verbally abusive? • Being physically abusive? • Controlling? • Having fits of rage? • Gossiping?

WHAT IS YOUR STRONGHOLD - THE SIN THAT KEEPS TRIPPING YOU UP OVER AND OVER?

STOP! Before you read any further, answer this question…While you were reading the lists above, did your heartbeat speed up, did your breathing accelerate, or any items on that list make you uncomfortable? It is likely God’s Holy Spirit confirming truth in your heart about issues that need to be dealt with. Be encouraged, He wants you to be free !

Can These Legal Rights that the Enemy Has in Our Lives Be Broken, and if so How?

The Answer is YES!

You have to recognize that the enemy’s platform is to convince you to believe LIES. So the first thing you need to do is complete the 500 LIES Worksheets and then follow the procedure for breaking off the power of those lies; canceling and removing their legal rights, so the claims of the enemy against you are no longer valid! This is not to be confused with the confession of sins (although legal rights can be tied to unconfessed sin). Refer to the chapter “The Power of True Confession & Forgiveness” for clarity.

Much of what we will discuss is intertwined, so one particular section of this book is not by any means conclusive. You need to read and apply the entire book to fully understand and experience total victory in your life.

Webster’s Dictionary defines “curse” as “a prayer or invocation for harm or injury to come upon one; something that is cursed or accursed; evil or misfortune that comes as if in response to imprecation or as retribution; a cause of great harm or misfortune; to invoke evil on.” The related word “cursed” is defined as “being under or deserving a curse”.

A curse is a spoken or written statement, utterance, pronouncement or invocation of ill will or misfortune addressed specifically to an individual, animal or object, from God, other people, or one’s own self. A curse is not feelings of hatred or anger or bad thoughts about someone or something. It is expressed verbally or in writing. Jesus audibly cursed a fig tree and it died.

Throughout the Bible, God provided blessings to those who obeyed Him and followed His commands and, cursed to those who disobeyed Him. God often went out of His way to try to bring His people back into obedience in order to spare them the punishment that their disobedience warranted (Deuteronomy 11:26-28).

Are there different kinds of curses? Yes! We will be focusing primarily on the “spoken” type of curses. Probably 90-95% of our counseling focuses on the issues covered in this book.

Some of the most destructive curses of all are those caused by the tongue . We are aware of the verse that states, “Life and death is in the power of the tongue ” (Proverbs 18:21). Sadly, we often speak death over others and ourselves , inflicting the victims with curses and openings through which the enemy can attack ruthlessly. Think for a moment about how destructive

and debilitating the painful words that were spoken to you in the past have gone deep into your heart. You can still remember them, can’t you! And the pain remains… they can and do pierce one’s heart like invisible arrows!

How? When you receive them into your heart and believe that they are true ! Just because words are harsh, crude or cruel does not necessarily mean that they will injure you. It is all dependent upon the hearer’s own heart . As an example, words having different meanings. Consider the statement “I sent you to school and you ate the books ”. To one person that might be interpreted as a compliment . I counseled one gal to whom those very words meant that she was stupid and a dumb student that didn’t study . She was devastated at a young age when her dad spoke those words to her! Decades later she continued to feel the pain of those condemning words that were still in her heart, capable of triggering tears at their very mention.

Bullying has been going on in schools for decades. I remember going through that painful process myself at a young age, as many of you have, and still bear the scars. It has greatly saddened my heart when I read of young people committing suicide because of cyber-bullying. For those not familiar with the term, it is the newer version of the old method of using text messaging to send cruel messages to the intended victim. The pain is very real for these kids.

One article I was reading referenced a girl whose body lay in an open casket, dressed in the sparkly pink dress she had planned to wear to her prom. Days earlier, she had tied one end of a rope around her neck and the other around a bed post before jumping out her bedroom window.

The 16-year-old's last words told of her daily torment at her high school where students mocked her accent, taunted her with insults like "Slutty Jana" or "Slut-Jana-Vagina" and threw food at her. A boy pushed her down the stairs. A girl smacked her in the face with a water bottle.

How cruel! How sad! That poor child was tormented by mean, thoughtless kids who were likely a byproduct of unloving, dysfunctional homes themselves. Those cruel words spoken to her had penetrated deep into her heart . The family watched as the girls who had tormented this girl for months walked up to her casket - and laughed at the way she looked!

Parents, your children desperately need your encouragement! They need to know that they can come home to a safe fortress; a place where they can share their burdens and be understood .

Almost all word curses have one common thing that collectively defines them…they are LIES, or are predicated on Lies! When these lies are spoken and received into the hearts of young children, adolescents and adults, they can cripple them emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually, financially, vocationally, relationally and prophetically. The destinies of the lied-to recipients frequently follow and become those very lies.

They receive the lies into their hearts, believe the lies as truth, expect the lies to become reality, speak the lies over themselves, and fulfill the lies by actually living out those lies!

Were You Reading About Yourself in the Above Paragraph? I would venture to say that everyone reading this book has experienced the pain of lies spoken to/about them by others and over themselves, and have also caused pain in others by speaking word curses to/over them.

Applying these truths about breaking off the power and legal rights of lies and word curses in peoples’ lives is, for many, the most powerful truth of the entire book ! It is specifically responsible for major victories in many lives of young and old from different nationalities, backgrounds and color.

For most of my life, I believed the way to break off word curses was to pray and declare emphatically (loudly and convincingly) that they were broken with a prayer like this; “Lord Jesus, right now I come against all word curses that have ever been spoken against me or over me by others, or by me over myself. I renounce those words and cancel their assignment in Jesus Name, Amen! Thank you Jesus!”

Now that sounds like a powerful prayer of authority doesn’t it? I prayed that prayer over myself and over others in ministry for years. I was shocked when the Lord revealed the truth to me on how ineffective those words were! I realized that it was just as meaningless as praying “Please forgive me for any sins that I may have committed today” or “Please forgive me if I have sinned ”.

The reason they were ineffective is because they were totally vague . Do you remember the illustration in the last chapter about the traffic ticket, and how the judge would throw it out because no specific violation had been identified? The same thing applies to word curses. The enemy doesn’t have to release his right against you because, you have not specified anything !

The enemy has a legal right to attack us when we have given him legal rights in our lives through specific lies and word curses that we have received into our hearts as truth; from words spoken by others or by ourselves; from us not forgiving others! This can also take place by believing the lies that the enemy tempts us with in our minds. You cannot stop yourself from being tempted, but you can certainly choose not to receive that lie into your heart as truth .

So what do some of us do? We proceed by “renouncing all curses (non-specifically) in Jesus Name” expecting them to be gone, and then wonder why the enemy is still allowed to attack us so much in those areas of our life! The enemy, in the meantime, is laughing and mocking us because he knows that he doesn’t have to give up any rights based on our non-specific request (“all curses”). Granted, you may very well have a genuine and sincere heart when you are praying this way, but it will still be ineffective. Make no mistake, if you have accepted Christ as your Savior, your sins are forgiven and under the blood of Jesus, but the legal rights that

the enemy has in your life are completely enforceable and can be passed on from one generation to the next until you break them off !

You Need to be Specific

• Which word curse(s) pierced your heart and felt like an arrow stuck deep inside you? • What insult made you feel like you wanted to die? • Who made you feel useless with cutting words that degraded your character? • When were those words spoken to you that caused you to withdraw from everyone? • Did you speak to yourself with words like, “I am so ugly”, or • “No one will ever love me” or • “I am such a failure”

Those are specific, destructive word curses. Recognize that they are LIES!

Perhaps you grew up in a Christian home where crude, foul language was not spoken or tolerated. Understand this important truth: It is not the selection of words that does the damage from a lie or word curse but the intent . More importantly, the spirit in which they are received into your heart . Cruel arrows can penetrate your heart whether they come from “acceptable words” or “four-letter words”, with the same damaging results! When someone in your home is intensely angry and fires a collection of cutting, degrading words at you, and you receive them into your heart as truth, the damage has taken place, leaving you with a wounded, vulnerable heart !

It is a real world we live in and the enemy is trying to destroy you. Don’t be deceived by him! The ministry teams I have worked with have been astounded at the incredible releases we witnessed from people doing just this procedure alone…breaking off the lies and word curses ! Forgiving and releasing the verbal assailants from all responsibility . Truth is what is setting people free! Calling sin exactly what it is…sin. Renouncing lies and word curses specifically how they were spoken, word for word ! Powerful releases are taking place in lives because of it.

When renouncing lies and curses, the reason you need to speak them out exactly as they were spoken to you is… because that is the way they were taken into your heart ! In order to break off their legal rights against you, you need to renounce and speak out loud, the SPECIFIC WORDS that pierced your heart when they were spoken to/about you!

You will be amazed at the release and victory you will gain through this process!

Be careful not to take shortcuts by avoiding renouncing crude curses! Say them and break them off!

QUESTION: How do you think Jesus responded to people who were non-believers? He responded with love and compassion. He understood their hurts and pain and reached out to them right where they were. I am sure he got his ears rung with curses and condemning words more than once, without receiving them into His heart ! As you will recall, it was the Pharisees that were always on His case, condemning and criticizing Him through their pious arrogance, while Jesus was busy mending and healing broken hearts. This book is all about healing broken- hearted people who are suffering because of lies they have received into their hearts and believed as truth. More importantly, it provides the roadmap of how they can cut off and cancel the legal rights of those lies and curses, and the power that Satan has in their lives !

Scripture teaches us that Jesus was tempted in every way that we are tempted. Although the Bible does not specify, there is not one verse that suggests that Jesus kept getting tempted over and over in the same area of His life . I believe the reason is because He had NO openings (legal rights) in His heart through which the enemy could continuously bombard Him. The enemy realized it was pointless to keep tempting Jesus with the same temptation again and again. Jesus stood on truth, spoke truth, believed truth, lived truth, and truth is what kept Him free, the same way truth will keep us free.

The purpose of including the lists of 500 LIES (downloadable separately) is not to be offensive or crude, but rather to be truthful and expose those damaging and destructive word curses that have been spoken by others to you, by you over yourself, and by you over others so you can finally be free from the pain those words have caused in your life and the lives of others! If applicable you can fill in the blanks where you see an *.

The LIES and Word Curses are Separated into 12 Different Groups

1. Religious – church people often use these word curses in place of harsher words 2. Character & Self Worth – these word curses attack who you really are 3. Physical – hurtful word curses spoken to you about your physical characteristics 4. Behavior – word curses that impact how you live, and your habits 5. Health & Safety – word curses that can affect your health & safety 6. Financial & Vocational – word curses that impact your finances and destiny 7. Security & Eternity – word curses that cause anxiety and insecurity 8. Relational – word curses that affect relationships 9. Sexual & Marital – word curses that can tear down your marriage & your spouse 10. God – word curses that impact your relationship with God and His blessings 11. Ungodly soul ties – adultery, promiscuity, homosexuality, bestiality 12. Occult – Witchcraft, séances, astrology, reiki, acupuncture, voodoo and other practices

Q: Doesn’t the blood of Jesus Christ cover all my sins? A: Yes! If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, the blood of Jesus Christ does cover all your sins. Legal rights in themselves are not sin. Legal rights that the enemy has are enforceable as a result of violations (sins) in our lives (including those of our ancestors), and lies that we have received and believed as truth. These have left openings in our hearts through which the enemy can attack us.

Q: What if I don’t see a lie or word curse that was spoken over me on the lists? A: Add it to the list and renounce it. The lists that are included are not exhaustive by any means. They include many of the most common lies that we hear through counseling. Just remember to be specific and say it out loud when renouncing it.

Q: Can curses and legal rights be passed on from one generation to the next? A: The Bible talks about curses and the effects of sin being carried on to several generations. Unless these are broken off and dealt with, they will carry on from one generation to the next. That is truth that most people are not even aware of or unwilling to receive. The enemy is thrilled to keep them in ignorance with all kinds of bondages, curses and sickness.

Q: Do you mean that even if I make statements out of habit, not really meaning them, that the enemy can use them against me? A: Life and death is in the power of the tongue and statements like “I would die for that”, “I’m sure I must have cancer”, “I am such a failure”, “God could never forgive me for what I have done” and many more statements like that bring curses upon ourselves and open us up to self pity, rejection, lying spirits and religious spirits (the Pharisees were notorious for this).

Q: What should I do if I slip and speak a word curse over myself after renouncing it? A: Specifically renounce it again following the same procedure as you did before. Also ask the Lord to show you if there is another opening that you haven’t addressed yet.

Q: How do I avoid having words pierce my heart in the future? A: You must understand the following facts: • You cannot control what someone else will say. • You are not responsible for what another person says. • You can choose to control how you will react .

Hearing words spoken and receiving them into your heart as truth are two totally different things. You cannot stop someone from saying something about you, but how you react will determine the impact those words will have on you. If you interpret the words as a personal attack, you will be on the defense and likely receive those painful words into your heart and be hurt. However, if you determine to see that person through the eyes of Jesus as a hurting, needy individual that is lacking love or understanding, you will be able to respond with compassion. You will see them in need of encouragement instead of you feeling threatened or attacked by them. You must purpose to not receive their words into your heart, and allow them to go right past you without any damage done.

In order to break off the power and legal rights of the LIES that were spoken against you, you need to renounce and speak out loud those specific words that pierced your heart! To accomplish this you need to IDENTIFY the actual words, renounce them audibly , exactly the same way you received them into your heart . Certain word curses may seem offensive. However, they hold the key to breaking the power of the lies AND the blackmail associated with those words and “hidden secrets”.

Please understand that the “degree of crudeness” of the words is not the issue. The key is understanding that the specific words spoken to you that caused the pain in your heart are the same ones that need to be identified and renounced, word-for-word ! They may be crude, they may not be. Their legal rights need to be cut off so their power is cancelled! Don’t allow pride, embarrassment or your “sensitivity to word selection” stand in the way of your freedom! 97% of all people using these materials have either spoken or received curses that included “F” bombs and offensive crude words…97%! God wants you to be free from their power! The enemy wants to keep you bound by them. He will fight against you identifying and speaking out those curses. He knows that his power will be broken when you do!

As you read the 500 Lies Worksheet curses, be sensitive to the Holy Spirit revealing truth to you. Check the ones you know caused pain when they were spoken to you. A tinge of pain in your heart or tears forming in your eyes is a giveaway. Be honest with yourself. Don’t rationalize or excuse them away with “I have already dealt with that”, “I forgave them already”, “It’s just part of growing up” or “Just get over it”. If you still feel pain in your heart from those words, it is because the arrows are still there and the legal rights have not been broken . Allow the tears to flow. It is part of the healing process that needs to take place in your precious life.

Having been involved in counseling people for the past 45 plus years, I can tell you that almost always, very painful memories are quickly triggered by the lists of lies. You may feel tinges of pain in your heart. You may get choked up. Tears may start to well up in your eyes because many of these events seem as though they happened yesterday. They may have taken place decades ago, or in pre-teen years and have been locked away this whole time behind an emotional wall. Oh the pain that is caused by the tongue!

“Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your love. Thank you that You do want me to be set free from any and all legal rights the enemy has in my life, so I ask you to reveal any and all lies and curses that I have received into my heart and believed as truth. I hereby give you permission to search my heart and expose the innermost hidden things deep in my heart with your light of truth. Thank you in Jesus Name, Amen.”

NOTE: It is recommended that you download and print off a full set of the 500 LIES Worksheets rather than using the samples in the next chapter. • The DOWNLOADABLE version of this book, the Instructions and Worksheets are available as separate files at www.500Lies.com. There is no charge for them. • If you purchased the PRINTED version of the book from a book seller or online, you will need to download the Instructions and Worksheets separately. You may download a complimentary copy of this book “500 Lies Destroying Lives” including the Instructions and Worksheets by visiting www.500Lies.com .

Each Word Curse/LIE Has 3 Boxes to the Left of the Curse:

TO Me Over Self To Others A B C ß ß ß You’re (I’m) nothing but a big mistake______(example)

To the left of each Curse/LIE there are 3 boxes. Check X as many boxes that apply to you. You may have 1, 2 or all 3 of the boxes checked for the same curse, depending on its application

• Check the First box (A) if the curse has been spoken TO YOU by others • Check the Second box (B) if YOU have spoken the curse OVER YOURSELF • Check the Third box (C) if YOU have spoken the curse OVER OTHERS • If you feel extra pain from a certain curse, place an arrow to the left of the box in the special column on the left side of the page. • The blank line to the right of the curse is for names God (Holy Spirit) brings to your mind. Don’t spend any time “digging”; allow Him to reveal names to you. * NOTE: If you thought a curse and believed it in your heart, the damage is there so checkmark the box.

• Print the “500 LIES Worksheets” and “How to Use the 500 LIES Worksheets.” • Before you start, read these instructions and familiarize yourself with them. • Pray before you begin on the Worksheets with a prayer like this: “Dear Jesus, thank you for your love. You know my heart and how much I long to be free in my spirit to experience your love. I give you permission to search my heart and reveal the hidden things that are keeping me from you. I want to be free. Reveal the lies and curses that I have received into my heart in the past, so I can be set free. In Jesus Name, Amen. • Take your time and checkmark all the applicable A, B and C boxes. • You may want to do the renouncing and prayers with a good friend who is also going through this process, thereby helping keep each other on track by declaring the renunciations and prayers correctly.

You can follow this simple procedure, but you must recognize the power that spoken words have . This is not a game. This is about life and death! In the same way you confess sin

[identify what sin you committed, agree with God, repent of the sin (turn your back on it) and accept His forgiveness], you need to follow a similar pattern when breaking off word curses. • First acknowledge the word curses – don’t rationalize, make excuses or say that they didn’t hurt. Admit that they did cause deep pain. • Recognize that they were a lie, or discover the lie they were founded upon. Look up the scripture that refutes the lie if you need to. • Renounce the lies specifically, one at a time. Declare out loud that you are renouncing and turning your back on those words. • Cancel the assignment and all legal rights the devil has had in your life because of that lie. • Place those words under the blood of Jesus Christ. • Audibly forgive the person (as the Holy Spirit brings them to mind) that spoke those words to you or over you, and release them from all responsibility . • After completing the list, thank the Lord and rejoice that truth has set you free!

The actual words that have pierced your heart and crushed your spirit need to be audibly renounced as LIES, broken off, cancelled and placed under the blood of Jesus Christ so you can be set free from them ! Select from the applicable prayers below .

“Dear Jesus, I am sorry for receiving into my heart the words “_____” that were spoken over me (speak them out specifically, regardless of how crude they sound) . I realize that I believed them as truth, when in fact they were a lie. I hereby renounce them as lies, in Jesus Name. I cancel their assignment over me. I cut off and sever all legal rights the enemy has in my life or my family’s lives because of those words, and I place them under the blood of Jesus Christ right now.” (If you remember who spoke those words to you, continue your prayer with), “I choose to forgive ______for speaking those words over me and I release that person from all responsibility. In Jesus Name, Amen.”

“Dear Jesus, I am sorry for speaking death over myself with the words “_____” (speak them out specifically, regardless of how crude they sound) . I realize that they were lies, and I hereby renounce them as lies, in Jesus Name. I cancel their assignment over me, I cut off and cancel all legal rights the enemy has in my life or my family’s lives because of those words, and I place them under the blood of Jesus Christ right now. I choose to forgive myself for speaking those lies over myself. Thank you for truth that sets me free Lord Jesus!”

“Dear Jesus, Your Word, the Bible says that You will NOT forgive me if I will not forgive others. Even though I may not feel like it, through Your strength and by a decision of my

will, I now choose to forgive all who have harmed me or wronged me, including _____” (name each person and the offense) - allow the Holy Spirit to reveal them to you and then state their name out loud). “I release _____ from the pain he/she caused me, and ask you to bless them. I give that pain to You Jesus.” (Repeat this last paragraph for each person you need to forgive).

If you choose not to forgive someone by saying you “just can’t because you don’t know or understand what they did to me!”, you CANNOT grow in the Lord any further ! You will have come to a stalemate in your life! You will have to eventually come back to this point of forgiveness before you can move on in your Christian walk.

DEATHBED ACCOUNT : Some time ago I was with a team ministering at a church and was with a middle-aged guy named Keith. He was struggling because his wife had cheated on him. While we were praying I told him that he needed to forgive his wife (Carol). He said “I can’t” to which I replied, “You mean that you won’t forgive her”. He said he would not. I responded saying that there was nothing more I could do for him and, when he decided to get right with God he would have to revisit the forgiveness issue before going forward. Three years later I was at my desk when his wife Carol called me, desperate because Keith was in the hospital with incurable, inoperable cancer and was told to go home and die. There was nothing the hospital could do for him. When she confirmed that he was ready to forgive her, I visited them at the hospital that evening. After some discussion I led him in a prayer of repentance for not being willing to forgive her, and then directed him to verbally forgive her, which he did. They were hugging and kissing through tears of joy. Then I sensed that God wanted to heal him. He had a lump of cancer the size of a fist protruding from his stomach on his right side. I asked him if he would like to be healed. He said yes, so I anointed him, placed my hand on the lump of cancer and began an audible command, “You spirit of cancer, I curse you at the roots; I cancel your assignment and command you to come out of him and go straight to the pit, with no ripping, no tearing, no violence, no transference and no return, in Jesus’ Name . When I got to the word “cancel” the lump started flipping and spinning under my hand like crazy, and then it completely disappeared and was gone! An MRI the next morning confirmed that there was no trace of cancer ! Praise the Lord! The CAUSE of his cancer? UNFORGIVENESS !

TERRIFYING FACT ! The Bible says in Matthew 6:15 (NIV) “But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” This is one of the scariest verses in the Bible…it is straightforward… IF YOU DO NOT FORGIVE OTHERS YOU WILL NOT BE GOING TO HEAVEN !

“Dear Jesus, I am sorry for speaking death into the hearts of others when I said “_____” (speak them out specifically, regardless of how crude they sound) to _____ (name the person if you recall their name). I realize the damage that I caused with my tongue and that those words were in fact a lie. I hereby renounce them as lies, in Jesus Name. I cancel their assignment over _____, I cut and sever any legal rights the enemy has in my life, my

family’s lives, or their family’s lives because of those words. I place them under the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ right now.”

Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit as He directs you to ask forgiveness of certain individuals that you have spoken these cruel words to. This step may very well open the door to restoration in your relationships with others. When you call you may want to say something like

“Hi _____, God has been doing some special things in my life. He has pointed out to me how thoughtless and unloving I was to you when I said “_____”. I am so very sorry for saying those cruel words to you. Will you please forgive me?”

Be gracious and humble. Do not try to explain why you said the words. Do not try to rationalize, justify what you said, or pass the blame on to them. In a spirit of humility , simply apologize, ask their forgiveness and wait. If they vent, allow them to do that without defending yourself. Say “I am so sorry”. If they won’t forgive you, thank them for taking the time to speak with you and wish them all the best. Leave the results with God .

As God reveals truth to you through the Holy Spirit, you may feel compelled to humble yourself and contact certain individuals, asking their forgiveness for your specific selfish, unloving, cruel words that you have spoken to them. Having a clean heart before the Lord is priceless, and by taking this step it may very well help re-establish friendships and relationships that have been broken. Even if they choose not to forgive you, at least you have done your part in God’s eyes.

Gossip is included in word curses because EVERY TIME YOU GOSSIP ABOUT SOMEONE YOU ARE CURSING THEM WITH YOUR TONGUE AND SPREADING POISON ! God hates gossip! If you have been guilty of gossiping about others, follow the same prayer and repentance as the last section, and don’t gossip anymore ! It is very sobering to realize that we will all give an account of each word we have spoken!

If you were previously (or are currently) involved in sex outside of marriage you need to repent of the sin in which you participated with each person (ask the Holy Spirit to reveal their names), turn your back on it, ask forgiveness of the one(s) you have been involved with and break off the ungodly soul ties. AND, stop having sex immediately until you are married !

“Dear Jesus, I am so sorry for disobeying your Word by having sex outside of marriage with _____” (state their name). “I confess my sin of _____ (adultery or fornication), I repent of it and ask you to forgive me and cleanse me. I also ask you to break off the ungodly soul

tie I have with _____ in Jesus Name.” (Repeat individually with each person the Holy Spirit reveals). “I turn my back on this sin and ask you to help me wait until my wedding night before engaging in any more sex. Thank you for your cleansing blood and your forgiveness, in Jesus Name, Amen.”

“Jesus I declare that You and You alone are my Lord and Savior. I submit my body, soul and spirit to You as a living sacrifice from this day forward. Help me to follow Your will for my life to the best of my ability as You make it known to me. In Jesus Name, Amen.”

Remember that it is the job of the Holy Spirit to reveal any sin that is in our lives. He never condemns us ! He gently convicts us. All we need to do is ask Him and listen. When He does reveal a sin it will be specific, and we need to confess it calling it exactly what He showed us.

“Dear Jesus, thank you that you love me with your perfect unconditional love . There is nothing I can say or do, that can make you love me more than you already do . Thank you that you love me just the way I am! Thank you that because you love me so much You don’t want to leave me the way I am, but want to change me so I can become all You want me to be and enjoy all that You have for me.

In 1 John 1:9 Your Word says, if I confess my sins You are faithful and just to forgive me for my sins and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I understand that it is the job of the Holy Spirit to convict me of sin in my life, and right now Holy Spirit, I ask you, and give you permission to reveal any unconfessed sin that is still in my heart.” (Take time to listen to what He says. Confess those sins He has revealed to you (following the pattern in Chapter 7) saying them out loud). “Dear Father, I confess that I sinned against you when I _____ (name the sin) , and I ask you to forgive me for sinning against You (and _____). I repent of that sin, turn my back on it and ask you to give me strength to walk victoriously from this day forward. Thank you for your forgiveness! In Jesus Name, Amen.” (Repeat the previous sentence as many times as necessary, naming the specific revealed sin).

FIRST BREAK THE POWER OF THE LIES YOU HAVE BELIEVED BY COMPLETING THE 500 LIES WORKSHEETS AND RENOUNCING THOSE LIES. THIS WILL FACILITATE THE FORGIVENESS, INNER HEALING, RESTORATION AND FREEDOM YOU DESPERATELY NEED!

NOTE: Please Read the Instructions FIRST, Before Completing the Worksheets.

If you downloaded the complimentary copy of 500 LIES Destroying Lives! or you purchased the spiral bound book, you can download the complimentary set of Instructions and 500 LIES Worksheets at www.500Lies.com .

Below is a sampling of some of the Word Curses that are included in the Worksheets. There are a total of 12 separate sections to review in the full download version.

LEGEND: A = Curses spoken TO you B = Spoken Over yourself C = Spoken BY you to Others

- XCheck off the appropriate boxes (even if you think you have already dealt with the issue). - If you are questioning a box, check it anyway - there is probably an unresolved issue. - If you have thought a curse over yourself and believed it in your heart , check the box. - If you feel extra pain on a particular issue, mark an arrow to the left of that curse.

1. Religious Word Curses: They sound nicer but cause equal pain

TO Me Over Self To Others A B C ß ß ß And you (I) call yourself (myself) a Christian?______ß ß ß If you are a Christian, I don’t want anything to do with it______ß ß ß The church is filled with hypocrites______ß ß ß You (I) can’t be a Christian if you (I) smoke______ß ß ß God won’t/can’t ever use you (me)______ß ß ß You’re (I’m) an awful wife/husband ______ß ß ß I’m not trying to be hurtful, I’m just being honest______

2. Character & Self Worth Word Curses: Curses that attack who you really are

ß ß ß You’re (I’m) nothing but a big mistake______ß ß ß I wish you (I) were (was) never born______ß ß ß I wish you were (I was) dead ______ß ß ß I (They) really wanted a boy (girl) instead of you (me)______ß ß ß You’re (I’m) a bad boy (girl)______ß ß ß Sticks & stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me ______ß ß ß You are (I am) so stupid______ß ß ß How can you (I) be so stupid? ______ß ß ß You’re (I’m) nothing but a slave______ß ß ß You fag/homo ______ß ß ß You’re (I’m) nothing but a tramp______ß ß ß You’re (I’m) nothing but a liar______ß ß ß You are (I am) worthless______ß ß ß Don’t pick him (me) or you’ll lose______ß ß ß You’re (I’m) nothing but a cheater______ß ß ß No one will ever love you (me) ______ß ß ß I hope you (I) die ______ß ß ß I know you’re (I’m) going to die of cancer ______

3. Physical Word Curses: Curses spoken about your physical characteristics

TO Me Over Self To Others A B C ß ß ß You are (I am) fat as a pig______ß ß ß You are (I am) so ugly______ß ß ß I hate your (my) body______ß ß ß I hate the way you (I) look ______

4. Behavior Word Curses: Curses that impact how you live and your habits

ß ß ß Don’t cry; only babies cry______ß ß ß Shut your stupid mouth______ß ß ß You (I) never do anything right______ß ß ß If you do that again I’ll kill you______

5. Health & Safety Word Curses: Curses that affect your health & safety

ß ß ß You’re (I’m) all alone______ß ß ß The pressure is killing you (me)______ß ß ß I just know You’re (I’m) going to get cancer ______ß ß ß You’re (I’m) too old ______ß ß ß Every muscle in my body is killing me ______ß ß ß You scared me half to death ______

6. Financial & Vocation Word Curses: Curses that impact your finances & destiny

ß ß ß You’ll (I’ll) be broke all your (my) life______ß ß ß You’d (I’d) rip off your (my) own mother/father______ß ß ß Why bother trying, you’re (I’m) going to fail anyway______ß ß ß Nothing you (I) ever do is good enough ______ß ß ß You (I) don’t deserve anything good ______ß ß ß You are (I am) just a piece of garbage ______

7. Security & Eternity Word Curses: Curses that impact your future

ß ß ß Damn you (me) anyway______ß ß ß To hell with you (myself) ______ß ß ß You are (I am) a child of the devil______ß ß ß I wish you were (I was) dead______ß ß ß Do everyone a favor and kill yourself______ß ß ß I hope you (I) die______ß ß ß How can you (I) possibly forgive yourself (myself) ______ß ß ß You (I) murdered a baby (babies) by having abortion(s) ______ß ß ß Suicide is the only thing left ______ß ß ß Everyone will be better off with you (me) dead ______ß ß ß I don’t want to live ______ß ß ß Don’t tell a soul or else______

8. Relational Word Curses: Curses that affect relationships with family, friends, others

ß ß ß No one loves you (me) ______ß ß ß I hate you (myself) ______ß ß ß No one could ever love you (me)______ß ß ß I don’t love you (myself) anymore______ß ß ß That will never, ever happen to me again______ß ß ß Women are only good for one thing, sex______ß ß ß You (I) don’t get mad, you (I) get even______ß ß ß I will never trust another man as long as I live______ß ß ß I am always left behind______

9. Sexual & Marital Word Curses: Curses that will tear down your marriage

ß ß ß You’ll (I’ll) probably end up marrying some poor slob______ß ß ß If you don’t have sex with me it’s over-you don’t love me______ß ß ß You (I ) deserved to be raped ______ß ß ß It’s your (my) fault that I (you) had an affair______ß ß ß You (I) have a strong hatred toward men and authority ______ß ß ß You (I) destroyed our home______ß ß ß You killed my love for you______ß ß ß It’s all your (my) fault______ß ß ß When you (I) betrayed me (you), a part of me died______ß ß ß You’re (I’m) a terrible father/mother______ß ß ß You’re (I’m) just like your (my) mother/father______ß ß ß No person in their right mind would ever want you (me) ______ß ß ß I’m going to divorce you______ß ß ß The only thing you’re (I’m) good for is paying the bills______

10. God Word Curses: Curses that impact your relationship with God and His blessings

ß ß ß God threw you (me) under the bus ______ß ß ß God doesn’t love you (me) ______ß ß ß God could never forgive you (me) after all you/I’ve done ______ß ß ß God, why did You allow her (me) to get raped? ______ß ß ß God, why didn’t (don’t) You heal them (me)? ______ß ß ß God, why did You take their (my) loved one? ______ß ß ß God, why did You allow my parents to get divorced? ______ß ß ß I hate the way God (You) made (you) me ______ß ß ß God, why did You take my husband/wife? ______ß ß ß God, why did You take my baby/child? ______ß ß ß God, I trusted You and You let me down______ß ß ß God I hate You because______ß ß ß I hate God (You) because______ß ß ß ______ß ß ß ______ß ß ß ______

NOTE: The samples above are a small portion of the extensive list on the Worksheets. Feel free to add more as the Holy Spirit reveals them to you.

This chapter is foundational for both the sinner who is accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and for each person that has, at some point, accepted Christ as their Savior. This is true regardless of their age or how long they have been a Christian. Please read this carefully so you understand exactly what confession is, what it is not, and how you can walk in freedom and liberty before the Lord . Many Christian brothers and sisters have grown up surrounded by a cloud of guilt and condemnation, never fully understanding what it really means to be forgiven. Jesus wants to set you free from all that! He wants you to be liberated…to walk in victory! Are you ready to be free from guilt and condemnation? Will you give yourself permission to be free?

ASK YOURSELF THESE 2 KEY QUESTIONS THAT WILL HELP YOU DETERMINE IF YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN OR NOT :

Q1: If you died tonight, do you know for sure that you would go to heaven ? a) Yes, I would go to heaven b) No, I would not c) I’m not sure…I hope so

Q2: If you did die tonight, and God said to you, “Why should I let you into heaven ”, what would you say to Him ? a) I have done my best, given to the poor, helped my neighbor, etc. (good works) b) Because I don’t want to go to hell for eternity c) I confessed my sins and accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. He forgave all my sins by His shed blood on the cross of Calvary.

If you answered a) on Question #1 , and c) on Question #3 , you ARE on your way to Heaven! If you did not answer correctly, you can accept Jesus as your personal Savior right now, simply by saying the “Sinner’s Prayer of Salvation” below .

The Truth is We All Sin - Sin literally means “to miss the mark” of God’s standard of righteousness. It is the breaking or transgression of God’s law. In Deuteronomy 9:7 we are told that it is disobedience or rebellion against God. All humans have inherited this sinful nature through Adam's original act of disobedience. Romans 3:23 (NIV) states “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

The Penalty of Sin - Every sin and every act of rebellion leads to condemnation and eternal death (Romans 6:23). If the penalty of our sins had not been paid for, every one of us would be spending eternity in hell; separated from God.

Jesus Paid the Price - God provided the solution through His son Jesus Christ. Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life. At the age of 33 he was crucified on the cross to pay the price for all the sins of mankind. Three days later He rose from the dead conquering death, hell, the devil and all his demons. He ascended into Heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to earth to take His place. The Holy Spirit lives in each person who has accepted Christ as their Savior. He is constantly teaching and helping each one of us to become more like Jesus.

Salvation is a Free Gift - God has made a way for us to spend eternity with Jesus in Heaven. All we have to do is accept His free gift of salvation by calling out to God, acknowledging that we are a sinner, repenting of our sin, asking Him to cleanse our heart from sin and surrendering our life to Him.

When people accept Christ as their personal Savior their prayer of repentance can be something like this: “Dear Lord Jesus, I believe you died on the cross and shed your blood to pay the penalty of death for my sins. I confess that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I ask you to forgive me for all my sins. I repent of my sins. I ask you to come into my heart, cleanse me of all my sins and make me a new person. Thank you for forgiving me. Help me to live for you every day of my life and grow in your love. Thank you for your forgiveness, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

The previous paragraph is a sinner’s prayer of salvation. If you prayed that prayer sincerely from your heart for the first time, you just accepted Christ as your Savior . You are a brand new Christian. Congratulations!

In order to grow in your walk with the Lord you need to spend time in God’s Word (the Bible), in prayer, fellowshipping with other Christians, and attending a Bible-based, Spirit-filled Church. We are instructed to keep our hearts clean before the Lord and confess our sins to God when the Holy Spirit convicts us that we have sinned. I John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

We confess our sins to restore fellowship with one another , the Lord, our spouse, a child or anyone else. Restoration provides healing, peace and wellness in one’s own soul, as well as with others .

Every person needs boundaries and accountability. Why? Boundaries actually provide freedom and security! God gave specific instructions to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. They were able to enjoy everything! They had tremendous freedom and flexibility! There was only one thing they were told not to do. Everything else was acceptable!

We all need boundaries and accountability. If you do not already have an accountability friend, work on finding someone of like-mindedness that you can confide in…a true friend that will allow you to be yourself; a friend that you can share about the struggles and victories you are having; a friend that you respect and will be open to listening to corrective suggestions they may offer you, helping you to keep on track.

Every child is born with a sinful nature and will automatically choose to sin without any training! Children need to be taught how to make good decisions. They will model the examples they see in their parents, those they look up to and especially those they aspire to become like.

Destructive patterns are engrained in children at a young age. You probably know of parents who hit their children when they do something unacceptable, without any advanced warning! Little Mikey has been playing in the living room and accidentally knocks something over that breaks. His mother rushes into the living room, sees her broken vase and immediately starts screaming at him “You stupid brat! Are you blind? What’s wrong with you anyway? You broke my favorite vase!” In a fit of rage she viciously grabs him by the arm and starts beating him while yelling “Don’t you ever do that again!” “Do you hear me you dumb kid!” Little Mikey runs to his room deeply hurt, bruised, terrified, confused and wondering what just happened. Perhaps you saw this pattern in your own home while growing up or at a friend’s place.

The example above illustrates a home where punishment can occur at any moment because there are no pre-defined boundaries . The sad reality is that a child who is raised in this type of abusive environment will frequently grow up with an inferiority complex and low self-esteem. They come to believe that they are stupid and not good enough for anything or anyone. Many children have been raised this way. They perceive God as a big mean ogre with a big stick; just waiting for them to step out of line so He can beat them over the head! Establishing Boundaries for a Child: The purpose of establishing boundaries for your children is to help them grow and develop into mature, responsible, loving adults. Parents need to define (and both agree upon) what is not acceptable behavior by their child. They need to clearly state the consequences for violating those standards. Consider your “absolutes” carefully before announcing them to your child. Outright defiance will normally require the most severe punishment of a spanking. However, a child should not be spanked just because they picked their nose! The degree of punishment should match the offence.

Warning: It is very damaging to hit a child while telling them “don’t ever do that again”, if they were never warned about such action in the first place. Never assume that a child knows what boundaries you have set. Clarify them.

Consequences & Confession: Proper parenting includes laying out the consequences for bad behavior in advance. “Suzie you are not to kick the dog. If you do kick the dog mommy will have to spank you. Do you understand?” Bend down to the child’s level and look into their eyes when you are warning them. Make sure that they are hearing and understanding you. Ask them to repeat what you just said.

If Suzie does kick the dog after you warned her it is important that you administer the consequences. Gently take her to her room (while collecting your emotions). Don’t ever hit your child out of anger or while you are in a rage ! Look into her eyes and say “Suzie, Mommy told you not to kick the dog. You disobeyed me and now I have to spank you (or whatever form of punishment you previously warned her about) because I love you.” Punish your child and then embrace her, assuring her of your love. Explain how important it is to be obedient. Encourage her to join you in prayer and have her repeat after you a prayer like, “ Dear Jesus, I am sorry for

disobeying Mommy by kicking the dog. It hurt my dog, it hurt my Mommy’s heart and it hurt your heart too Jesus. I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you for your forgiveness. In Jesus Name, Amen! ” Embrace your child again and assure her that you have forgiven her and you love her. Your fellowship and “closeness” has now been restored.

Two dynamics are present when a child disobeys their parent. On the child’s part there is sadness and guilt for disobeying; on the parent’s part there is disappointment in that child’s wrong decision.

The Disobedience Does Not Change the Relationship only the Fellowship and Sense of Closeness

Parents have immense biblical authority to influence the destiny of their children for better or for worse. Their words carry with them the power to bless or curse their children – mentally, physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually.

If a couple has an argument and tempers flare with hurtful things said or done, there is a temporary withdrawal of the emotions by one or both until one says, without making excuses or justifying their actions , “ I am so sorry for hurting you by _____ (confessing what they did), will you please forgive me? ” The other one’s correct response should be, “ Yes, I forgive you, and I want you to forgive me too, for _____ (naming the infraction without offering advice or justification). Will you forgive me? ” Fellowship is restored.

It is the same way with God. When we sin we sense a “break in our fellowship or closeness” with Him. The first example of this took place in the Garden of Eden. After Adam and Eve had sinned God came looking for Adam. Adam was hiding because he was afraid of God. That would definitely qualify as broken fellowship. Why? Because he felt guilty and ashamed for disobeying God.

You Cannot Stand Against the Enemy if You Persist in Disobeying God ! The enemy will rob you of your confidence in God so you cannot claim faith (I Samuel 15:19; 16:14). It is very important to develop a history of trusting God and experiencing His faithfulness!

Daily Spiritual Bath: A popular phrase you may have heard is, “you need to take a spiritual bath each day”. This statement sounds spiritual by suggesting that we keep a daily account with the Lord as far as unconfessed sin is concerned. However, it implies that you are frequently

sinning so much that you have to do a “single daily confession” to cover the numerous sins you commit every day. Does that sound like something the Lord would say to you? Of course not! That my friend is condemnation spoken upon yourself by yourself! You should not go about your day expecting to sin (Satan would love you to expect that). Choose to walk in the Spirit. Allow Him to guide and direct you. Expect to live a blameless life. Expect the very best of yourself. Be your very best by allowing Him to live through you.

Focus on Victorious Living: Don’t get caught up being so pre-occupied about not sinning that you forget to focus on the Lord, His love and faithfulness. Focus on living in victory! We all make numerous decisions every single day. There is no right or wrong decision for changing a roll of toilet paper by having it roll over the top or under. Make a choice. It doesn’t matter, unless you know that in so doing it will cause an argument with your spouse. If that is the case, be gracious and choose the non-confrontational decision. When you visit at a friend’s home and use their restroom, you don’t flip their roll of toilet paper over just because you prefer it under! Be gracious in your home as well…after all, it’s not a deal-breaker, or at least it shouldn’t be.

Stop for a moment and think about all the little decisions you made today. Every action you took required a decision…whether you brushed your upper teeth first or the bottom ones first. Are you sinning if you choose to follow a different route to work? Of course not, unless God specifically tells you otherwise. God gives us the liberty to go about living our lives and making all those decisions based on the principles found in His Word and using our common sense.

By keeping a short account with the Lord, you can walk in confidence without guilt and with a clear conscience throughout the day. Just like a magic slate. When you lift up the sheet (or slide the lever) all the writing on it disappears! When we truly confess our sin God “cleans our slate”. That sin is totally gone and our fellowship with Him is restored! It is so important that you understand this truth! In other words, until the Holy Spirit reveals to you that you have sinned, you can walk through the day knowing you have not sinned. That is how He sees us after He has forgiven us… as though we have not sinned ! That is liberating truth!

When the Holy Spirit reveals a sin to you, simply confess it to God in prayer (I recommend out loud), “ Dear Father, I am so sorry for sinning against You by ______(name the sin specifically). I repent of my sin and turn my back on it. Please forgive me and help me to choose correctly in the future. Thank you for your forgiveness and cleansing me from all unrighteousness according to I John 1:9. In Jesus Name, Amen! ”

Celebrate! That sin is gone! Rejoice!

• Conviction - The Holy Spirit will convict you & identify when you have sinned • Confess - Confessing means “agreeing with God” (saying the same thing) about the offense we committed • Ask for Forgiveness - Ask Him to forgive you for that specific sin by naming it • Repent - Means to turn your back on that sin (stop it and do a 180 degree about-face) • Thank Him - Thank the Lord for His forgiveness based on I John 1:9 and rejoice

It is the Holy Spirit’s Job to Convict You When You Sin . Once He reveals that you have sinned, your conscience will bother you and you will feel guilty (a check in your spirit). You don’t have to go digging around or join in on “group confessions” of sin. Simply ask Him to reveal any unconfessed sin in your life and He will show you what needs to be confessed.

Important: Understand that the enemy accuses and condemns. The enemy will mock you with things like, “If you were really a Christian, you wouldn’t be doing _____” or “God can’t possibly forgive you for doing that! ” or “You’ll never have victory in your life…you’re such a loser!” The enemy is such a liar! Don’t believe him! THE ENEMY ACCUSES AND CONDEMNS YOU! THE HOLY SPIRIT GENTLY REVEALS AND CONVICTS .

You cannot agree with God if you do not know what sin you have committed. That is why it is so important to depend on the Holy Spirit to reveal sin to you. The best time to confess your sin is when the Holy Spirit has revealed it to you. Don’t wait until the end of the day or the next morning.

Important Truth - You sin because you choose to sin! Don’t blame others. Don’t make excuses or explain why you sinned. Stop rationalizing. Stop denying it. Call it what it is, even though it is ugly, embarrassing or even devastating. Take ownership and call it sin! Truth is what will set you free; not deception, not partial truth, not blaming others, and certainly not lies. Deal with it and move on!

Here is What it Does Not Mean: “Dear God please forgive me for any and all sins that I have committed today.” If you follow this pattern you will see yourself as always walking in sin, always feeling guilty, always condemned. You will expect God to be waiting with a big stick to whack you over the head when you step out of line. I have heard several pastors use this kind of verbiage…it is not scriptural because God does not want you to live under condemnation! The enemy is the one who condemns. The Holy Spirit gently convicts.

Words like, “Please forgive me IF I have sinned against you in any way” is meaningless! Whether it is a prayer to the Lord or a request for forgiveness from another person. This is nothing more than a lame back-door excuse. You have either sinned or not ! The word “if” does not fit at all, so never use it when confessing sin. The same applies when speaking to an

individual. “If I have hurt you in any way please forgive me”…meaningless! Say it! “I lied to you”. “I gossiped about you”. “I was being selfish by not caring about anyone but myself”. “I was being proud”, please forgive me. When you speak out the specific sin you break the power it has over you ! You cannot be blackmailed with it any longer! Once you have been forgiven or have forgiven another person, do not bring it up again! That is under the blood of Jesus Christ!

If you repeatedly “remind” a spouse, child, friend or anyone else about their past offenses, you actually damage their trust toward you. You hinder future openness and communication with them. DON’T’ DO IT! Resist the temptation to bring up the past, especially during times of heated discussions and you are tempted to take a verbal shot at the other person. Thank God that He doesn’t bring up all your past sins!

I remember one day when I was in my early 20’s, and I started to pray “Dear Father, I am so sorry for doing _____ again”. He stopped me and said, “ WHAT have you done again? ” Then it hit me. In His sight I was coming to Him with a brand new confession. From His perspective I hadn’t done anything again! He truly had previously forgiven me! It was gone! What liberty! What freedom! What forgiveness!

If your sin consists of a bad habit that you know in your spirit is wrong, get rid of whatever is causing you to slip and fall. It may be one of the following, or something else that the Holy Spirit reveals to you .

• Stop having sex outside of marriage • Destroy all pornographic items including magazines, videos, DVDs, books, pictures of previous partners in the nude; even magazines or catalogues that cause you to lust • Cigarettes & Alcohol • Destroy evil CDs or DVDs, any items that have been dedicated to the devil • Discontinue a wrong relationship or desire to be in a wrong relationship • Stop watching pornography on the Internet. Purge your computer • Stop hanging out at bars and strip joints secretly • Why set yourself up for disaster? Run away from it! This is just a brief list.

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal anything else He wants you to get rid of or discontinue. If you truly understand the foothold that the enemy has had in your life because of these things, you will want to take the first important step to breaking that power by getting rid of them.

Thank the Lord for His forgiveness! There is therefore now no condemnation to him that is in Christ Jesus! Choose to walk in victory! When is the last time you felt completely clean before the Lord? Remember how refreshing and light you felt? Be thankful for Him setting you free. You can walk in His presence daily, forgiven! You can come into the Holy of Holies, right into the throne room of God!

You have asked for forgiveness from the Lord. He has forgiven you. What about accountability with others? Forgiveness does not necessarily remove accountability. The Holy Spirit will guide you into truth. Just ask Him. It may hurt to follow in obedience, but you will receive such a blessing for doing the right thing! As you read this list and you sense your conscience being pricked by the Holy Spirit, pay attention and respond to whatever He shows you to do. This is just a partial list, so ask Him to reveal any reconciling that needs to take place in your life.

• If you have stolen from someone, return what you have stolen or reimburse them. • If you have lied about your tax return, have it corrected and pay for the applicable penalties and interest. • If you have stolen supplies, long distance phone calls, extended time, or anything else from your employer, confess it to them and reimburse them for it. • If you have cheated someone out of something, make it up to them. • If you have gossiped about someone (slandered them), ask them to forgive you (without justifying why you did it). Take a position that you will stop any further gossip or rumors about them. Then ask those people to whom you have spread the gossip to forgive you as well. There are Debts that Cannot Be Reversed or Repaid - You cannot undo murder, adultery, evil words spoken or many other things. The damage is done. A genuine heart of remorse is all that you can offer the offended person, sincerely asking for their forgiveness. If they refuse to forgive you, that offense is now between them and the Lord, who has warned against unforgiveness. Bless them anyway and pray for them.

If you are the offended person, forgive that person (this is a must on your part). Take your hands off, release them from all responsibility in Jesus Name, set them free and pray a blessing over them. Don’t do it vindictively, but in a gracious spirit of love. You will be the blessed one!

If you refuse to forgive someone because you feel it is unfair to let the other person off the hook for their failure, justifying that they deserve to bear the full consequence of their crime, be warned about unforgiveness! If that is you, vengeance may be seething in your spirit and God will not forgive you either! Thank God that He doesn’t repay you with what you deserve!

A common misconception about forgiveness is that we are to forgive and forget . It is impossible to forget because God made us with a memory. When God forgives our sins He doesn’t forget our sins because He knows all things. He chooses not to recall them and not bring them up against us again . We are to do the same to others and to ourselves.

A number of years ago a unique but brilliant individual was working for a company in which we were both stockholders. He was in charge of the IT department. He was a very large man with a deep voice and used intimidation to manage people. He wore a pair of beady glasses, smoked cigars, and would get in your face with his voice raised and intense. Many people were terrified of him. My style of management was just the opposite of his. One day he walked into my office, very angry about something someone did to him and began yelling at me. I calmly told him to lower his voice, sit down, and I would listen to him. After I refused to talk to him unless he sat down and lowered his voice, he politely sat down. I discovered a very lonely, insecure individual under that “tough front” who didn’t have any close friends. About 5 months before he died, I received an email from him that included a video clip about two penguins walking on ice. The one penguin whacked the other penguin on the back of the head with its flipper, and the victim penguin fell forward and broke through the ice. The video clip itself was intended to be funny. However, in his email to me, he added a caption to that video clip, “The story of my life”. I felt so sad for him…here he was, probably the smartest, most intelligent man that I have ever known, that nobody wanted to be around. In that clip he saw himself getting knocked down over and over. Deep inside, he was like a little boy, all alone, with no one to play with, and I realized what a sad life he had been living. The pain of the past had him locked up inside. The primary thing people saw in him was his intense anger and intimidation, just the opposite of what he really wanted them to see.

How about you? Who has deeply hurt you in the past? What hidden pain, anger or even hatred have you tried to ignore that keeps revisiting you?

Forgiveness is Not for the Person Who Hurt You…it is for YOU! Unforgiveness is like a poison we take, hoping that others will suffer, or even die. Who thinks about it all the time? Who bears the resentment and the ongoing pain? Who holds onto the bitterness? It’s you , not them! The truth is the poison of unforgiveness will sour your personality, strip you of joy, cause you to be sickly, age prematurely, and eventually kill you! Don’t allow unforgiveness to rob you of your joy and peace. Forgive and release them. It’s the healthiest thing you can do for yourself!

Forgiveness Must Be Done Without Any Strings Attached. Forgiveness is not, “I will forgive you if you first do such and such” or, “I will forgive you when you do _____”. That is not forgiveness. It is manipulation! Jesus doesn’t offer us conditional forgiveness. He gives unconditional forgiveness and we must do the same. Forgiveness is permanent, as though the offense never took place! Understandably we don’t forget such events, but we can choose to release the offender and leave the results in the Lord’s hands . It takes time for things to heal so be patient.

It is imperative that you forgive all others for any and all offenses they have committed against you. Scripture teaches that if you do not forgive others, then God will not forgive you! (Matthew 6:14-15)

Unforgiveness will keep YOU locked up as the prisoner, not the other person. It also blocks your emotions. You cannot experience a truly intimate relationship with someone that you do not trust, including God. Unless you genuinely believe in your heart that He really does love you and that you can absolutely trust Him with your life, you cannot know the deep intimate sweetness of His presence! The majority of Christians do not know this level of intimacy with the Lord because of the blockages in their lives . They only understand with their minds, not their hearts. If you subconsciously keep people at a distance emotionally (so you don’t get hurt again), whether you realize it or not, you are also keeping God at that same distance as well, preventing Him from getting real close to you and becoming your closest friend! Translated, “you don’t fully trust Him”.

I do understand deep pain, having experienced the childhood trauma of a massive beating. I have been cheated more than once, out of money that I have earned. I have experienced business failure. I have experienced heartache many times. I have experienced the rejection of others. I have experienced death of loved ones. I have been falsely accused. I know what it is like to have others turn against me because of lies spoken about me. I know the pain of divorce and the rejection that goes with it.

Each of these hardships has paved the way for me to experience a very deep, intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Although I wouldn’t wish those heartaches on anyone, and certainly wouldn’t want to go through them again, I wouldn’t trade the experience I gained from them either because of what God has been able to do in and through me as a result of them.

I trust that your reading and applying these truths will lead you into total freedom from bondages, curses and legal rights that the enemy presently has in your life, and further inspire you to a more joyful and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ !

I sense in my spirit that God is going to do major healing and restoration in many of your lives as you read through this book, respond with humility, forgiveness and obedience to the Lord, and apply these principles of truth in your lives. Oh, how He wants to set you free from those chains that bind you! As you read, give yourself permission to be vulnerable to truth . Allow the Holy Spirit access to those innermost thoughts that you have been protecting consciously or even subconsciously. In fact, right now, just stop for a moment and pray.

“Dear Lord, you know how much I need You and want to be set free from the past. I ask you to speak to me by your Holy Spirit, and reveal truth to me right now as I read through this book. I give you permission to touch even the most painful things in my past and shine your light of truth on them so I can be set free. I choose to trust you Lord Jesus with my heart because I know that You really do love me. Thank you in Jesus Name, Amen. ”

Have you ever heard the phrase, “you can’t unscramble eggs”? You cannot undo what has previously taken place. You cannot retract words that you have spoken. That is why it is so important to guard your tongue and be careful what you do say.

Having been involved quite heavily in counseling and freedom ministry over the past number of years, common issues seem to surface quite regularly. I have discovered that UNFORGIVENESS IS THE NUMBER ONE CULPRIT THAT PREVENTS PEOPLE FROM BEING SET FREE! Frequently, Christians think that they have forgiven others but in their heart they really haven’t. Why? Often it is because they have not forgiven themselves . They have not forgiven God either. Have you ever spoken any of these lines? “If only I had done _____ instead” or “if only I had been there” or “if only I had said _____” or “if only I had not done _____” “ if only …” etc.” If you have, that likely means you are blaming yourself for a tragedy or an undesirable outcome, which you feel responsible for or that you believe you could have prevented.

You probably remember the old saying, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me”. What a lie! Words can cut deep into our heart, and they do hurt! Unfortunately we can never recall them. This book is geared to helping you break off the power and legal rights of the lies and word curses that have been spoken over you by others, by yourself, and words you have spoken to others. You need to forgive those who hurt you with their cutting tongues. Forgive them and set them free. Pray a blessing over them!

Remember the little kids chorus from years ago that went, "So be careful little mouth what you say"? Spoken words are very powerful! A very sobering thought is that we will one day give an account for every word that we have spoken. Once spoken words go forth they create ripples, and reverberate in the ears and hearts of others. It is also true when speaking words of life into others .

TIP: Make sure you have a pen and paper handy so you can write down things as the Lord reveals them to you. It will be helpful to create 5 columns on lined paper with the following headers:

Person’s Name Offence/Event Age Forgiveness Restoration

Do You Remember any Deep Pain from the Past? Think back to your childhood for a few moments. Do not dig or force the information. Do not deny them or make excuses for yourself or others. Do not counter with “they are under the blood of Jesus”. Simply ask the Holy Spirit to reveal them to you and write them down.

WHAT EVENT OR EVENTS STAND OUT IN YOUR MIND AS THE MOST TRAUMATIC OR PAINFUL EXPERIENCE(S) YOU REMEMBER AS A CHILD OR ADULT ? Do you remember them clearly, or have you blocked out that part of your life? Do you remember who caused you that pain? When you think of them now, how does it make you feel? Angry? Rejected? Cheated? Unloved? Hateful? Guilty? Allow the tears to flow. Truth is going to set you free.

Were you molested by a relative or outsider? Did kids pick on you or even beat you up? Were you told that you were good for nothing and would amount to nothing? Maybe they called you ugly, too short, or too fat? Were you ever cheated? Were you hurt by deep-cutting, cruel words others said about you, or to you? Did either of your parents ever say “I wish you were never born” or “I wish you would have been a boy (or girl) instead? Did you cry yourself to sleep many nights because your dad or mom walked out on the family? Did your best friend desert you or make fun of you in front of your peers? What was it that took place that even to this day, when you think about it, tears well up in your eyes? Or does the memory cause you to become enraged? Write these things down so the legal rights they have over you can be broken.

Were you sexually abused? Were you ever physically beaten by a parent? Emotionally abused? Taken advantage of by someone? Abandoned? Raped? What dark, horrible experience did you go through? Did you watch your dad beat your mom? Do you hate your dad or your mom for abandoning you? Do you hate the way you look? Or your voice? Or personality? Write them down.

Did your spouse betray you? Did you feel like you had a crushed spirit…and that you simply wanted to die? Did your “x” turn the kids and family against you? Were you ripped off by a business partner or friend? Did you lose your investments? Did someone spread rumors about you or misrepresent you? Do you hate your “x”?

You Need to Forgive Them All and Release Them, Just Like Jesus Did For You It’s the only way to gain victory in your life. “But you don’t understand what they did to me!” Jesus understands and He wants to wrap His arms around you right now and assure you of His unconditional love.

Right now, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal those people in your life that have hurt you deeply and make a list. Don’t skip this step. It is very important . If there are tears, its OK, let them flow. It’s all part of the cleansing process. Get a pen and some lined paper and make 4 columns with the header list as follows:

Person’s Name Offence/Event Age Forgiveness

Speak this prayer out loud and from your heart, understanding that unless you forgive each one of those on your list, God cannot forgive you! “ Dear God, thank you for forgiving me for my sins. Although I don’t feel like it, I choose to forgive “_____” (name the person) for _____ (state the offence they did against you). I completely release them from all responsibility for what they did to me, and pray that you will bless them and draw them closer to yourself, in Jesus Name, Amen! ” (go down your list, one at a time, including the person’s name, and what they did against you). My friend, after you have completed your list you will feel like a whole load has been lifted off your back! If the Holy Spirit reveals more things and people, then deal with them as He shows you. You are starting to walk in true liberty!

Ready for a shocker? A big issue with many Christians is hidden resentment, hatred and unforgiveness toward God ! If questions like “God, how could you have allowed this?” “Why didn’t you heal that loved one?” “Why didn’t you prevent that?” “Why did you allow this to happen to me?” or, “I thought you loved me; allowing that to happen isn’t love!” They are all very natural questions and reactions, but it exposes your anger toward God! If you are angry toward God, it indicates that you have been unable to fully trust Him up to this point in your life. Yes, you say the politically correct thing that you trust Him but, in reality, it is mainly lip service. You need to tell Him, “God, I don’t trust you right now. I feel cheated (or) I feel rejected by You.” “God, I hate you for allowing _____ to die!” Be honest with Him. It is at this point of total honesty (not where you are saying the “Christian-correct” thing to God),

speaking from your heart , that He can reach down and touch your wounded heart and begin to mend your relationship with Him and with others.

The Lord extends an invitation to each of us in Isaiah 1:18, where we read, “Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” The Message Bible begins with “Come. Sit down. Let's argue this out." We are encouraged to approach Him with our reasoning, our frustrations, anger and even hatred. Like working out any disagreement, open communication with respect for the other is absolutely necessary in resolving conflicts.

Take some time right now and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal those things in your life that have made you angry toward God . Make a separate list with these headers:

Event When How You felt toward God Forgiveness

As the next step, you will need to pray to Him, “ Dear God, I forgive You for _____ (speak out each item on your list, addressing one at a time). Even though I don’t feel that You were watching out for me, I believe in my heart that You WERE protecting me and that You truly DID have my best interest in mind. I CHOOSE TO TRUST YOU FROM THIS DAY FORWARD, in Jesus Name, Amen. ” If you don’t forgive God, your relationship with Him will grow farther and farther apart. If you have this issue, it is very important to have it resolved or your Christian life will go nowhere!

Now for one of the toughest challenges of all…forgiving yourself! It may take more than one session to deal with, so be patient with yourself. It’s worth the freedom that you will experience after you have gone through this successfully.

YOU NEED TO FORGIVE YOURSELF , JUST AS CHRIST HAS FORGIVEN YOU!

Have you at any time in your life …

• Felt like a failure? • Killed someone? • Had an abortion? • Been a prostitute? • Permanently maimed or disfigured someone in an accident? • Miscarried a child? • Stolen money from your parents? • Committed adultery?

• Lied about your tax returns? • Cheated someone? • Betrayed your spouse? • Been betrayed by your spouse? • Beaten your child? • Sold drugs? • Have you ever had your home or car repossessed? • Lost your job? • Experienced business failure? • Cheated on an exam or report? • Told lies? • Blamed yourself for not being there…If only I had…

Have you spoken cruel things …

• Over your parents? • Over your spouse, or his/her parents? • Over your kids or someone else’s kids? • Over those in authority? • Over those with other skin color? • Over your boss? • Over your neighbor? • Over yourself?

Ask the Holy Spirit to touch your heart right now and reveal those painful times in your life where you feel that you have harmed others or let them down when they needed you most. Also, list those horrible things that you did or allowed to happen that have haunted you all these years. Write them down on a separate list. Ask Him to reveal any traumatic experience(s) you encountered when you were very young, whether sexual abuse, beatings, verbal abuse, or whatever else caused you to recoil and hide. Don’t rush this step. Take whatever time is necessary.

As God reaches way down into your heart at the core of who you really are, tears will likely flow, perhaps even deep sobbing will occur. Don’t be afraid to let that happen (especially guys). The result will be very healthy for you and for those you hold dear. Create a new list for this section and continue writing as the Holy Spirit opens up your heart. Here are the headers for this section:

Person’s Name Your Offence/Event Age Forgiveness

“Dear Heavenly Father, You have stated in Your Word that I must forgive everyone, which includes me . I confess my sin of unforgiveness toward myself for _____ (speak out each item on your list, addressing one at a time). I recognize that I cannot change the past. Your blood on the cross has already paid the price for all my sins, so I don’t have to feel guilty any longer. I turn my back on the unforgiveness toward myself and thank you for your forgiveness. I choose to leave each one of those issues I have stated at the cross and thank you that You have completely forgiven me for them!” If you don’t forgive God, your relationship with Him will grow farther and farther apart. If you have this issue, it is very important to have it resolved or your Christian life will go nowhere!

Stand in front of your mirror, look yourself in the eyes , and AUDIBLY FORGIVE YOURSELF! Start by saying “_____ (state your name) God has commanded me to forgive everyone, and I specifically forgive you for _____ (go down your list again and audibly state each infraction). I declare that God has forgiven you, I have forgiven you and release you from the guilt and self-condemnation in the mighty name of Jesus! I choose to speak life over you from this day forward, in Jesus Name, Amen! ”

Q: What is temptation? A: First of all, being tempted is NOT sin. The Bible teaches that Jesus was tempted - Hebrews 2:18 (Living Bible) “For since he himself has now been through suffering and temptation, he knows what it is like when we suffer and are tempted, and he is wonderfully able to help us). Jesus was without sin, so obviously being tempted is not sinful . In James 1: 13-15 we read “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God” But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin ; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

Q: How do I deal with temptation? VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION! A: The answer is REFOCUS ON THE LORD ! When you are being tempted, the temptation is taking place in your mind . In other words, your FOCUS is on the temptation . At that moment purposefully change your focus to the Lord Jesus , audibly thanking Him for truth. Quote scripture right then! One of the best references you can use is found in II Corinthians 10:5 (King James Version) “Casting down imaginations , and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ ”

Q: What should I do if I keep doing the same sin over and over? A: Confess it each time, repenting as though you had not done it before. If this is a besetting sin, recognize it as a stronghold that has a legal right attached to it . Ask the Lord for wisdom in discovering what lie it is associated with and renounce it. Refer to the chapter “Curses and Lies- How to Break Their Power” for details.

Q: What if I don’t feel like forgiving someone? Isn’t that hypocritical to forgive? A: No, forgiveness is a choice based on your will , not your emotions. Whether you feel like it or not, choose to forgive others, even as Jesus Christ has forgiven you. When you forgive, you are taking a step of obedience following God’s command. Thereafter, if you are tempted to be bitter toward the person again, speak out loud “I forgave that person in Jesus Name. Thank you Lord that you have forgiven me for my sins!”

Q: How can I be sure that all my sins are confessed? A: Remember, it is the job of the Holy Spirit to convict you of sin . You don’t have to go digging! Simply ask Him to search your heart and reveal any unconfessed sin. When you ask, wait quietly and patiently. It is very important to know that He will reveal specific sins, like “you lied to your dad” or “you cheated on your taxes”. He will not be accusing you with “you sinned and you are guilty”. Only the enemy condemns, whereas the Holy Spirit gently reveals your sin .

Q: I just cannot forgive that person after what they have done. What should I do? A: Remember the stern warning from Jesus. If you do not forgive others, God will not forgive you! (Matthew 6:14-15). You choose to forgive by your will. Say it out loud, “ Lord Jesus, even though I don’t feel like forgiving _____ for doing _____ to me, I am stepping out in obedience to your Word and declaring that I CHOOSE to forgive _____ for _____ and release them from all responsibility . I ask you to bless them! Thank you in Jesus Name, Amen! ”

You have heard the phrase “No pain, no gain”, correct? This chapter is dedicated to helping you through some of the very difficult issues that are suppressed deeply in most of your hearts. Some of you may be incarcerated, reading this from behind steel prison bars because of your bad decisions. Others may be deeply guilt-ridden or tormented, behind the kind of prison bars you cannot see. Again, I ask that you allow the Holy Spirit to minister to you. He wants you to be free from the past! Do you really want to be free from guilt, anguish and fears that have crippled you mentally, physically and spiritually? Know that it is God’s will for you to achieve total freedom and victory in your life by His Spirit!

“Dear Lord, I have carried a lot of pain deep inside and want to be free of it so, right now, I ask you in Jesus Name to speak to me by your Holy Spirit and reveal the areas deep within that need Your healing touch. I give you permission to expose even the most painful, hidden things that have taken place in my life, including traumatic experiences. Jesus, I want to be free! Thank you that you love me. Speak to me now. Thank you in Jesus Name, Amen. ”

Over half of all marriages now end in divorce, including Christian marriages, with adultery as the primary reason. For the rest of the married couples, most are paralyzed with “emotional divorce”. It is imperative to understand the dynamics and consequences that accompany adultery and fornication in our personal lives and churches. Why is this taking place and where do the problems start?

Girls have been brought up believing in the fairy tale that there is a prince charming that will sweep her off her feet, and they will live in a castle happily ever after! Guys have grown up thinking there is a princess to rescue who will make him feel like a king, will honor and respect him, support him in his career, satisfy him, always be there for him, always look up to him and always submit to his authority. Sounds wonderful, except for one problem. We look toward marriage as the answer for being completely, totally fulfilled in life! That is fantasy! In other words, we have built expectations, which are not based on truth. THESE EXPECTATIONS ARE LIES! Therein lies the problem. No person on this earth can completely fulfill another person. Only God, who designed marriage, holds the key to complete happiness and contentment, not another mortal person.

In the average relationship there are two people with differing backgrounds and experiences coming together. Each of them has come from unique homes with various idiosyncrasies and patterns. They have their own unique belief systems about God, family, their values, themselves and others. Each have had their share of disappointments, tears, hurts, punishment, failure,

rejection, beatings, abuse, abandonment, divorce, curses and so on, but have learned to suppress those negatives as they have become older.

During courtship these two people grow closer to each other. They get to know one another. They experience normal romantic feelings with a desire to give themselves completely to each other. What takes place is a growing trust towards the other person, seeing the other as that “prince” or “princess” who will make them complete and happy. They grow in love and eventually plan their wedding.

They get married. As time moves on, they begin to discover that the prince or princess they thought they had married isn’t that person after all. They begin to see their flaws and faults surfacing. Sarcasm, criticism and degrading comments start to flow, replacing the words that used to encourage, elevate and cherish one another. Seeds of self-doubt, with doubt and mistrust about the other person, now begin driving a wedge between them, causing them to withdraw emotionally. They individually begin revisiting the past in their minds, once again experiencing the hurt, failure, rejection, abuse, abandonment and the degrading word curses that were previously spoken to them in years past. The pain is now revisiting them through the harsh words, rejection, and thoughtless treatment they are now experiencing from their spouse.

What is Actually Happening Between Them? You have two wounded people who were never freed from past pain and lies, who are starting to wound each other. Wounded people wound people, especially those that are closest to them. They begin to withdraw from each other emotionally and are now focusing on the other person’s faults and shortcomings. Instead of speaking life into their marriage partner, they are tearing one another down and speaking death over their relationship and each other. They are becoming vulnerable to an attack of the enemy that can drive their interest toward another person of the opposite sex. That person can and will fill the emotional void they are experiencing. If not dealt with properly, this will frequently result in an affair. Have you been there? Does that sound like where your relationship is at now?

Your marriage is suffering because of the delayed reaction to those unresolved issues that have been hidden deep in your heart for a long time. The nagging pain and heartache from failure, death of a loved one, rejection, disappointments, hurts, betrayal, punishment, beatings, abuse, abandonment, previous divorce, your parents’ divorce, anger, hate, plus word curses spoken over you. These have been locked up inside you and are now coming to the surface. When you put pressure on the outside of a tube of toothpaste the contents will come out. In the same way, your spouse is merely triggering the content that was already deep down inside you , long before you met each other.

Remember, adversity and the pressures of life do not create character…they simply REVEAL character !

Before you can fix your relationship with your spouse or anyone else, you need to first be repaired and healed yourself ! You must take care of those past pains and hurts, those invisible arrows that are still piercing your heart. The hate, resentment, bitterness, unforgiveness, self pity, rage, anger, vindictiveness and other poisons need to go. But, they can only be dealt with if you are willing to let them go, and forgive the perpetrators! Are you ready to forgive and release those people who have hurt you, or do you want to hang on and continue in the muck and mire? You are the one getting robbed of your joy and happiness, so why not let it go and allow the Lord to do a cleansing and healing in your heart. Only then will you be in a position to work toward repairing the relationship with your spouse.

Although this list is not exhaustive, I trust that the Lord will use it to trigger issues that are buried in the core of your innermost being. Through my years of counseling others, there are some common issues that surface frequently which are included here. As you are reading through this list, if you feel the Holy Spirit tugging, or you feel an ache in your heart, or your heart starts beating faster, or tears start to well up, it is an indication that there are unresolved issues in those areas of your life.

As a married person , have you had (or are you having) sex with someone other than your spouse? If you have had, or are presently having sex outside of marriage you have committed or are committing the sin of adultery .

May God open your spiritual eyes to the truths about adultery and fornication. Adultery is a serious sin because it involves you physically joining yourself with another person. There are consequences that were set in motion as a result of this violation of God’s Word. I Corinthians 6:16 (NASB) states, ‘Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, "the two shall become one flesh."’

Hollywood tries to downplay this by referring to it as “having an affair”. It is SIN . Period! Ungodly soul ties have been created that need to be broken. You actually open yourself up to possible demonic activity as well, because you have entered the enemy’s territory. This is serious! When you participate in sex outside of marriage, you give the enemy a legal right in that area of your life. This creates a stronghold and also brings a curse upon yourself. That curse needs to be broken and those legal rights need to be cut off and cancelled.

YOU Betrayed Your Spouse! The one that you spoke your vows to in the presence of God... the one you took an oath to love faithfully, to forsake all others, to cherish, honor, for richer or poorer, in health and sickness, until death do you part… You rejected them! You betrayed them! You violated your oath to God! You violated your own body! That truth stings in your spirit doesn’t it!

Being betrayed by the one you love is probably THE most painful experience a person can go through on this earth! You need to understand the depth of the pain that you have caused in

your spouse (and loved ones) through your choice to violate God’s Word, to violate your vows to your spouse, and to violate your own body by choosing to have sex with another person other than your spouse. The worst thing you can do is make excuses about why you did it, blaming others or your spouse for your own destructive decision ! Face up to the fact that it was YOUR CHOICE ! Accept full responsibility for your adultery! THERE IS NO JUSTIFICATION FOR ADULTERY IN GOD’S WORD! Let that truth sink into your spirit so you never do it again and also warn others against adultery and any sex outside of marriage!

Before you get together to discuss this with your spouse, ask the Lord to prepare your spouse’s heart and your heart. Ask Him to guide and direct your conversation and help you to speak the truth in love. Don’t make excuses about why you got involved and do not blame your spouse for your affair! Take full responsibility. Understand that his/her reaction will probably be shock, anger, resentment, storming out of the room, screaming, yelling an obscenity at you, sobbing, or any number of reactions. Understand that this will be part of the healing process, and you have to allow your spouse to deal with your rejection, betrayal and his/her own emotions. It is very important to be truthful. Allow your spouse to ask questions such as who, where, why and anything else that may be necessary, including “Do you still love that person?”

Don’t allow the enemy to feed you the lie that if you tell them it will destroy your home and your family. The truth is your affair is what has already done the destruction! That is why God’s Word frequently warns against adultery and sex outside of marriage. Pray to God that He will spare your family having to reap the consequences of your sin. The first step is you being totally honest and accepting full responsibility for your adultery. Don’t try to “pass the buck” either. It was a very sinful decision on your part. Own up to it.

Confess Your Sin to the Lord : “Dear Lord Jesus, I am so sorry for committing adultery with _____ (speak out the name of the person you had sex with). I know that it was a sin against you, my spouse, my own body - your temple. I am so sorry! Please forgive me! I repent of my sin and turn my back on it. It was my choice to have sex with _____ (name them) and I forgive him/her for committing adultery with me. I release him/her from all responsibility. I forgive myself for committing adultery with _____ (name them). You said in I John 1:9 that if I confess my sin You will forgive me so, based on Your promise, I receive Your forgiveness and thank You for forgiving me and cleansing me. I understand that repentance requires an about face on my sin, so I choose to not have sex outside of marriage again. Thank you Jesus.” Repeat this step for each person you committed adultery with.

You need to ask your spouse to forgive you for betrayal and violating your marriage vows. Caution: Don’t buy into the enemy’s lies such as “what they don’t know won’t hurt them”, “it is better left unsaid” or “no one has to know”. Lies will undermine your relationship and emotions, preventing you and your spouse from experiencing true intimacy. Your “secret” will always be a blackmail card the enemy can play on you anytime he wants to. Truth trumps lies

and renders them ineffective, so remove that card from the enemy’s hand by declaring the truth about what happened. Trust the Lord to work in the heart of your spouse.

Your approach will probably be different depending on whether your spouse knows about your adultery yet or not. This is such an important conversation that you need to plan a specific time without interruption by kids, phone calls or anything else so the two of you can discuss this privately. a) YOUR CONFESSION TO YOUR SPOUSE IN PERSON : “ _____ (say their name) , I have spent time with Jesus Christ, and have confessed my sin to Him of committing adultery. He has revealed to me that I also sinned against you. I asked God for His forgiveness and He has forgiven me. I am asking you to forgive me for betraying you, committing adultery and breaking our marriage vows. I am truly sorry for my sin and the damage it has caused in your life, my life, and our home. It is my fault and I accept full responsibility. Will you please forgive me?”

Once you ask your spouse to forgive you, be silent and wait for his/her response. Remember, you have just dropped a bomb on your spouse and totally shattered his/her marriage foundation! Regardless of your spouses’ reaction, be humble and gracious! Answer any questions and don’t blame your spouse for anything! He/she may want to leave for a while to think about the situation. Give him/her the space needed. Allow God to work in his/her heart.

• If he/she says, “ yes, I forgive you ”, genuinely thank them. Offer to see a Christian marriage counselor. NOTE: IF you have already done some research and were recommended to a specific counselor, this will indicate to your spouse that you have a sincere desire to make corrections and are being pro-active about restoring your relationship.

• If he/she won’t forgive you , do not “preach” forgiveness! Graciously conclude with, “Again, I am truly sorry for the pain I have caused you. I pray that you will eventually be able to forgive me”. Then ask, “Would you like me to sleep in the other room tonight? Wait for his/her answer. If you are asked to leave, do so graciously. DO NOT beg to stay or not leave. If asked to move out, respond with “I respect your wishes. Can I do that in the morning or do you want me to leave now?” b) IF YOU ARE SEPARATED : Contact your spouse and ask that just the two of you meet in a neutral place you are both comfortable with. If they ask why, answer with, “_____ I have been carrying a lot of pain and guilt inside my heart, and want to be free of it. I have confessed my sin of adultery to the Lord and He has forgiven me. I want to make things right with you as well, and was wondering if we could meet somewhere that is comfortable for you and I to talk.”

• Phone Response if He/She Says Yes Set up a time and place, and thank him/her for being willing to do this. Be praying that God will intervene in your situation prior to you getting together with your spouse. When you meet for your appointment, follow the detailed sequence “Your confession to your spouse in person”.

- Your Homework if He/She Said Yes - Prior to getting together with him/her do some research and locate a good Christian marriage counselor that you would feel comfortable recommending. - Your Meeting - Be prompt at the place you agreed to meet. Pick a quiet, private corner out of the way if it is in a public facility, restaurant or coffee shop. If you feel so inclined, a little gift would be a good gesture (flowers or chocolates for her; something small that you know he would like). Small talk may include how the kids are doing, how work is going, or an area of interest you know they are intrigued with. - Your Confession - Follow the detailed sequence “Your confession to your spouse in person”. - Be Gracious: Once you have asked for their forgiveness, he/she will most likely forgive you. However, if he/she says he/she can’t or won’t forgive you, respond graciously with, “ Again, I am truly sorry for the pain I have caused you. I pray that you will eventually find it in your heart to be able to forgive me. Thanks for meeting with me ”. Remember to be gracious when you leave.

• Phone Response if He/She Says No - Proceed on the phone with the same sequence listed under “ YOUR CONFESSION TO YOUR SPOUSE IN PERSON ”.

Discuss this with your spouse first. They may want to be in on the conversation with you, which will help you stay on course. If your spouse is listening in, it is very important that he/she says absolutely nothing to the other person during your conversation! The best way to do this will probably be over the phone, by letter or email. It is not recommended that you do this in person because you may open yourself up to the temptation of having sex again. Don’t place yourself directly in that path of temptation. Following is a suggested phone confession:

“Hi, _____ (say their name), how are you? Listen, I have spent time with the Lord Jesus Christ, and have confessed my sin to Him of committing adultery with you. He has revealed to me that I also sinned against you. I asked God for His forgiveness and He has forgiven me. I am calling to ask you to forgive me for committing adultery with you. Will you please forgive me? (wait for an answer, and don’t make any excuses for the other person – God will undoubtedly be convicting them of their sin as well). If they won’t forgive you, conclude with, “ Again, I am truly sorry for the pain I have caused you. I trust that you will eventually find it in your heart to forgive me. Thank you. ” (then hang up). If they ask to meet with you, say “ No, that’s not a good idea, because I want to be obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ. ” You have done your part; now allow God to do His intervention in their life. Be encouraged, King David was an adulterer and a murderer!

Similar to adultery, except you as an unmarried person have had (or are having) sex outside of marriage. If you have had, or are presently having sex outside of marriage you have committed/are committing the sin of fornication . Just like adultery, fornication is a serious sin because it also involves you joining yourself sexually with another person, with consequences

that are set in motion. Ungodly soul ties have been created that need to be broken. You have opened yourself up to possible demonic activity by entering the enemy’s territory! When you participate in sex outside of marriage, you give the enemy legal rights in that area of your life and bring a curse upon yourself, which also needs to be broken.

“Dear Lord Jesus, I am so sorry for sinning against you by having sex outside of marriage with _____ (speak out the name of the person you had sex with). I know that it was a sin against you as well as against my own body, your temple. I am so sorry! Please forgive me! I repent of my sin and turn my back on it. It was my choice to have sex with _____ (name the sexual partner who you had sex with) and I forgive him/her for having sex outside of marriage with me. I release him/her from all responsibility. I forgive myself for having sex with _____ (speak out your sex partner’s name). You said in I John 1:9 that if I confess my sin You will forgive me, so based on Your promise, I receive Your forgiveness, and thank You for forgiving me and cleansing me. I understand that repentance requires an about face on my sin, so I declare that I will not have sex with _____ (speak out your sex partner’s name) again, unless we are married. Thank you Jesus.” Repeat this step for each person you committed fornication with.

The best way to do this will probably be over the phone, by letter or email if it is in the past. Normally, it is not recommended that you do this in person because you may open yourself up to temptation of having sex again. If you have been living with someone the enemy will try to get you back in the sack with that person and thereby negate your turnaround with the Lord. Don’t get sucked in! Here is a suggested phone conversation:

“Hi _____ (say their name). Listen, I have spent time with the Lord Jesus and have confessed to Him my sin of having sex with you outside of marriage. He has revealed to me that I also sinned against you . I asked God’s forgiveness and He has forgiven me. I called to ask you to forgive me for sinning against you when we had sex. Will you please forgive me? (wait for an answer, and don’t make any excuses for the other person – God will undoubtedly be convicting them of their sin as well). If they won’t forgive you, conclude with, “Again, I am truly sorry for the pain I have caused you by sinning against you. ” (and hang up). If they ask to meet with you, say “ No, that’s not a good idea, because I want to be obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ. ” You have done your part; now allow God to do His intervention in their life.

This may seem harsh, but it will bring about God’s blessing upon your life (lives), rather than His curse. If the other person genuinely loves you they will understand and be accepting of your recommendation that one of you moves out.

WARNING : DON’T EVEN STAY THE NIGHT! If you do, you are just asking for trouble and providing the enemy a perfect opportunity to have you crash and burn! Go to a friend’s house, a hotel or a relative’s place where they will understand.

There are laws that God placed into effect when He created the heavens and the earth. You may agree or disagree with them. Example: The law of gravity… Your opinion about gravity has no bearing on the consequences of what will happen to you if you jump off the top of the Empire State Building in New York. When you start falling, your speed will accelerate due to the force of gravity. Depending on air resistance, you will likely reach terminal velocity of about 110 miles per hour when you hit the ground below. Arguing, lobbying, picketing, revolting or writing a new law against “Gravity” would not change the outcome…DEATH!

Before getting into any of the issues surrounding LGBT, consider the following. Being completely honest with yourself, would you say that you are genuinely happy, content, and know absolutely for sure that you will go to Heaven when you die? Would you be willing to bet your life and your eternal destiny on your present understanding? OR, what if you could know , with absolute certainty , that you could enjoy a life with peace and contentment here on earth, and that you would go to heaven and enjoy eternal bliss after you die? With absolutely certainty? The truth is, you can know ! How much would that kind of guarantee be worth? It would be priceless, right? Another truth is, it is a free gift !

Culture and pressure from special interest groups are desperately wanting to change some of God’s laws. They are pressuring politicians, local authorities and the media to exercise a sympathetic ear to their cause, belief or desire, under the guise of tolerance and being politically correct, not wanting to offend any. Sadly, laws that are completely opposed to God’s written Word (the Bible) have been passed and are continuing to be passed, with little or no regard to the consequences that will occur. Rebellious, sinful mankind wants what it wants . If you study the history of societies, when they move away from God they crash and burn.

The purpose of this section is not to “take sides” with anyone or promote hatred against the LGBT community or any other cause. The purpose is to address issues that are blocking true freedom and happiness from taking place in your life and the lives of your loved ones, and reveal the solution ! So, whether you are reading this as a straight heterosexual person or homosexual person, I invite you to read with an open mind and not as an offensive debate .

DEFINITIONS : Before going any further, let’s look at some definitions. According to Webster’s dictionary , “Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender.” “LGBT or GLBT is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. In use since the 1990s”. “A lesbian is a female homosexual”. “Gay originally used to refer to feelings of being "carefree", "happy", or "bright and showy", but since the 1960s (by reappropriation) has most commonly referred to a male (and later also a female) whose sexual orientation is attraction to persons of the same sex.” Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females, or romantic or sexual attraction to people of any sex or gender identity”. Transgender people experience a mismatch between their gender identity or gender expression and their assigned sex.” “Bestiality is cross-species sexual activity between human and non-human animals.”

According to the Bible, all of the above are sinful and fall under the classification of sexual perversion . Please understand that, just like the law of gravity, whether you agree or not, God’s Word calls sexual perversion of every kind SEXUAL SIN . If you are involved in any sexual sin (the list identified above, OR adultery, promiscuity, “hooking up”, lust of the flesh, pornography, etc.) IN GOD’S SIGHT IT IS ALL SIN AND PUNISHABLE BY DEATH!

You will not be able to gain victory in your life unless you first realize the TRUTH that God created you male or female . Saying “ I was born gay ” is a LIE ! GOD DID NOT CREATE YOU GAY ! THAT IS A LIE FROM SATAN! GOD NEVER CREATED ANYONE GAY! He created mankind male or female! Period! To suggest otherwise is to call God a liar! Not a good idea!

Secondly, and more importantly, God truly loves you and has a meaningful plan for your life, if you will let Him heal you inwardly ! Realize that Satan is trying to kill, steal and destroy and take you to Hell with himself. God wants to give you eternal life in Heaven through Jesus Christ His Son! AND, it’s a free gift!

You may be confused, and that is understandable. All the media, activists, and of course Satan, would have you believe that the LGBT lifestyle is condoned by God and that you will get to Heaven being part of that “homosexual community” anyway.

NEWSFLASH ! God’s Word clearly states in “I Corinthians 6: 9-10 (Living Bible): Don’t you know that those doing such things have no share in the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves . Those who live immoral lives , who are idol worshipers , adulterers or homosexuals —will have no share in his Kingdom . Neither will thieves or greedy people, drunkards, slanderers, or robbers .” If you are actively living in one or more of the above sins when you die (without having repented and turned from those sins) you will NOT be going to Heaven. That is a very scary verse that should literally “scare the hell out you”. , It is God’s Word! Plain and simple…God does NOT condone homosexuality ! He loves the homosexual, but not their homosexual activity. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar and the truth is not in them ! Do not believe them, including government regulators.

So, why do you struggle with being attracted to the same sex, or both sexes, LGBT, or sex with animals? They are all connected to the same underlying root issue…sexual perversion.

Do you have a “sweet tooth, which craves sugar and sweets. It’s like little Pacman munchies inside you that are chomping along looking for more sugar and sweets, craving more and more. About four years ago, after trying weight loss program after program, I finally determined that I was going to lose 40 pounds. So, I cut out eating after 6 pm , not having second helpings at meal time, and, eliminating white sugar from my diet . Over the next 16 months I gradually did drop the 40 pounds and have been able to successfully keep it off. Sugar, which has been called “white death” and, “the new cocaine”, was the primary culprit.

Sexual sin is like that craving for sugar. The more you feed it, the more you want it, and you never have enough! Here are some possible reasons why you may struggle with sexual sin :

• Generational legal rights – Satan may have a legal right in you because of your parents and/or ancestors who were unable to defeat sexual sin in their own lives • Sexual abuse as a child – You were sexually abused as a child and felt that it was your fault, or you were told it was your fault, or some other lie and you feel guilty about it • Pornography – You feast on pornography online or “skin”magazines and it has a grip on you. You cannot leave it alone. You use it to stimulate yourself to orgasm • You enjoy “R” and “X” rated movies – In the computer world there is an old saying that has been around for decades. It states, “Garbage in, garbage out”. What you put into your mind and heart is what comes out. Put evil in, evil will come out. Put purity in, purity will come out. The bible states that “Whatsoever a man thinketh in his heart • Addiction – you are addicted to sex and picture yourself sexually involved with partners of the same sex as yourself • Curse spoken over you or your family – Someone may have cursed your marriage, or cursed your determination to abstain from sexual sin, or you spoke a sexual curse over yourself, or any number of possibilities • Perverted sex outside of marriage – You are actively involved sexually with one or more partners outside of your own heterosexual marriage • Demonic activity – Demonic transference took place when you were born because of your parents operating sexually outside of God’s laws on sexual activity, or, you made a pact with the devil that if you could only get that person in bed with you, you’d do anything, or, ?

KEY TRUTH: The bottom line about why you struggle…the Devil has legal rights in your life that need to be broken off, and their assignment cancelled in Jesus Name.

What should you do ? That would depend on what result you want to take place in your life. Which option would you choose? a) Continue in the lifestyle you are currently involved in and go to Hell when you die , and be tormented in the lake of fire and brimstone for eternity , OR, b) Choose Heaven as your destiny by recognizing that your sin of homosexuality is punishable by death and: i AGREE with God that homosexuality is a sin ii REPENT – Tell God you are sorry for your sins and purpose not to do them again iii ASK Him (the Holy Spirit) to take up residence in you heart iv THANK Him for cleansing you and saving you v OBEY Him by reading your Bible daily, and praying to (talking to) Him often daily vi GET INVOLVED in a local church that believes the Bible is the infallible living Word of God. Do not confuse God with false gods like Allah, Buddah and others ! Jehovah is God Almighty, whose Son is Jesus Christ who died on the cross of Calvary to pay for the sins of mankind . Do NOT accept any counterfeit god !

Just in case you have bought into the lie that Hell is a lifetime party, here’s a glimpse of what you can expect…Imagine going to Hell without a physical body (only your soul which is eternal). Now imagine that while you were alive you were actively involved in homosexuality, overeating and really enjoyed full body massages. On earth you satisfy those cravings through your physical body. In Hell you would not have a physical body. So picture

yourself going crazy with insatiable desire for those three things, but, unable to satisfy those desires because you do not have a body to satisfy them with (no eyes, ears, taste buds, hands, back, sexual organs, etc). Those desires would never stop and they would keep on tormenting you 24/7 forever! AND, that would all be in pitch black total darkness . Have you ever been afraid of the dark? Hell would be your worst nightmare ever! Except for real, for eternity without any chance for a “do-over”.

Homosexuality (LGBT) is condemned in the Bible as sin. The sin of homosexuality is no greater sin than telling a lie, or stealing something from a store . In God’s sight sin is sin. ALL sin is punishable by eternal death (eternity in Hell) . If you are reading this as a straight heterosexual person or homosexual person, don’t skip over this section, especially the scripture passage above (I Corinthians 6: 9-10 in the Living Bible).

FORGIVENESS: One more extremely important Bible scripture passage is found in Matthew 6:14-15: “Your heavenly Father will forgive you if you forgive those who sin against you; but if you refuse to forgive them, he will not forgive you.” Bottom Line: If you do NOT forgive others from your heart, God will NOT forgive you! = You are going to spend eternity in Hell ! WAKE UP AND GET ‘FESSED UP!

“Dear Lord Jesus, I am so sorry for sinning against you by having homosexual sex with _____ (speak out the name of the person you had sex with). I know that it was a sin against you as well as against my own body, your temple. I am so sorry! Please forgive me! I repent of my homosexual sin and turn my back on it. It was my choice to have sex with _____ (name the sexual partner who you had sex with) and I forgive him/her for having homosexual sex with me. I release him/her from all responsibility. I forgive myself for having homosexual sex with _____ (speak out your sex partner’s name). You said in I John 1:9 that if I confess my sin You will forgive me, so based on Your promise, I receive Your forgiveness, and thank You for forgiving me and cleansing me. I understand that repentance requires an about face on my sin, so I declare that I will not have any sex with _____ (speak out your sex partner’s name) again. Thank you Jesus.” Repeat this step for each person you had homosexual sex with.

The best way to do this will probably be over the phone, by letter or email if it is in the past. Normally, it is recommended that you NOT do this in person because you may open yourself up to temptation of having homosexual sex again. If you have been living with someone the enemy will try to get you back into sexual perversion with that person and thereby negate your turnaround with the Lord. Don’t get sucked in! Here is a suggested phone conversation:

“Hi _____ (say their name). Listen, I have spent time with the Lord Jesus and have confessed to Him my sin of homosexuality. He has revealed to me that I also sinned against you . I asked God’s forgiveness and He has forgiven me. I called to ask you to forgive me for sinning against you when we had sex. Will you please forgive me? (wait for an answer,

and don’t make any excuses for the other person – God will undoubtedly be convicting them of their sin as well). If they won’t forgive you, conclude with, “ Again, I am truly sorry for the pain I have caused you by sinning against you. ” (and hang up). If they ask to meet with you, say “ No, that’s not a good idea, because I want to be obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ. ” You have done your part; now allow God to do His intervention in their life.

This may seem harsh, but it will bring about God’s blessing upon your life (lives), rather than His curse. Your eternal destiny is at stake, so don’t allow your feeling sorry for the other person to prevent you from doing the right thing. Take a stand that you will NOT be involved with them any longer. Period! Their decision is their decision and you are not responsible for them! They are answerable to God alone, just as you are.

WARNING : DON’T EVEN STAY THE NIGHT! If you do, you are just asking for trouble and providing Satan with a perfect opportunity to have you crash and burn! And be on guard against the invitation from them, “Just one last time for old time’s sake” RUN ! Go to a friend’s house, a hotel or a relative’s place where they will understand.

If you have aborted one or more babies you definitely need inner healing. The guilt that is usually associated with an abortion is from murdering an unborn child. Note to guys: If you are responsible for getting a gal pregnant and have encouraged her to have an abortion, you are also guilty of murdering that unborn child! Understandably, this is very painful to deal with. By facing it head on, confessing it out loud as “murder” and repenting of the sin, the power it has over you will be broken, and you will finally be free from the self-condemnation for taking the life of that unborn child. To help gain closure over an abortion, ask the Lord to give you a name for the unborn child . Like any other sin, confession requires that you call it exactly what it is. It is murder , so when you pray, call it “murder”.

“Dear Lord Jesus, I am so sorry for murdering the unborn child I was carrying, whom I have named _____ (speak out the name you have given them). The grief I have experienced in my heart at times has seemed unbearable. Jesus, I know it grieved your heart as well. I am truly sorry! Please forgive me! I repent of my sin and turn my back on it. It was my choice to have sex with _____ (name the sexual partner who got you pregnant) and I forgive him for getting me pregnant, and I release him from all responsibility. I forgive myself for killing _____ (speak out the baby’s name) and taking his/her life. You said in I John 1:9 that if I confess my sin You will forgive me, so based on Your promise, I receive Your forgiveness. Thank You for forgiving me and cleansing me from that horrible sin. Thank you Jesus.” Repeat this step for each child that you aborted.

Taking another person’s life is a difficult thing to deal with because, unlike other sins, that person is gone and you cannot bring them back to life (outside of a miracle of course). The grief and torment that usually accompany this sin can either cause a person to “lose their mind” or become very hardened in order to shield him or herself from the torment. If you are a Christian and have killed someone, and are feeling overwhelmed by it all, victory is right around the corner. Perhaps your heart is hardened and you feel detached from your emotions. You can ask the Lord Jesus Christ to soften your heart and He will. When He allows you to genuinely see the pain that your actions caused others, through your sin, that will be the beginning of your journey to emotional freedom. Although you cannot change the past, remorse is an absolute necessity. Forgiving yourself is also necessary. Allow yourself to experience that pain and grief, recognizing that Jesus’ blood paid the price for all your sins, including murder.

The legal rights the enemy has in your life may be preventing you from even sensing remorse. If that is the case, continue reading and zero in on the chapters that address breaking off legal rights, renouncing the lies you have believed, and demonic activity.

As a reminder, don’t lose heart because King David and Paul were both murderers and look what God was able to do through their lives!

“Dear Lord Jesus I am so sorry for murdering _____ (speak out their name). The grief I have experienced in my heart at times has seemed unbearable. Jesus, I know it grieved your heart as well. I am truly sorry! Please forgive me for killing _____ (name them). I repent of my sin and turn my back on it. I also forgive myself for killing _____ (name them) and I ask you to comfort and bless their family. You said in I John 1:9 that if I confess my sin You will forgive me, so based on Your promise, I receive Your forgiveness, and thank You for forgiving me and cleansing me from that horrible sin. Thank you Jesus.”

You Need to Ask the Family Member(s) of the Person You Murdered for Their Forgiveness. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal specifically who you need to contact and how. They may not want to talk to you. There may be tremendous hatred toward you. All you can do is humbly acknowledge your crime and ask their forgiveness. The best option is to speak to those family members on the telephone. If a conversation is not possible, write a letter or email.

“Hi, _____ (say the family member’s name), this is _____ (say your name) . I cannot begin to tell you how truly sorry I am for taking the life of your loved one. I am deeply sorry. I wish I could change the past but I cannot. I have since confessed my murder to Jesus Christ and He has forgiven me. He has revealed to me that I also sinned against you by taking your loved one away. Will you please forgive me for murdering _____?” (state your victim’s name)

Once you ask that family member to forgive you, be silent and wait for his/her response. That person may respond with questions, shout an obscenity at you, cry, yell or hang up. Remember,

you totally shattered his/her home by murdering that family member! Regardless of his/her reaction, be humble and gracious! Answer any questions and don’t blame or make excuses for anything.

If he/she will not forgive you, conclude with “Again, I am truly sorry for the pain I have caused you. I trust that you will eventually find it in your heart to forgive me.” (hang up)

Pornography is Destructive at All Ages and in Both Genders ! Some time ago I was reading a report online about a 15-year-old girl who had watched a porn movie with her friends and afterward complained that she disliked it because it made something so beautiful, private, and special, to be so cheap and disgusting ! Pornography has an overwhelming message that sex is strictly for self-gratification. Pornography invites us to perceive others only as pieces of meat, as objects of exploitation for the sake of our own sensations of pleasure.

Pornography is saturated with rape and sadistic violence geared for sexual pleasure. What happens is that viewers quickly discover that the milder “soft-core” forms eventually no longer provide stimulation, which drives them to pursue movies that get progressively worse and leads to sick, debased views about others.

Pornography is Destructive to Marriages Because it often Involves One or Both Partners Fantasizing About Someone Else Instead of Focusing on Each Other While Having Sex. THAT IS NOT INTIMACY ! It is merely an act of sex without love ! Raw sexual appetite, fueled by pornography, is no more a sign of love than brutality is a sign of strength! That is how to destroy your marriage! Women are frequently complaining that they cannot compete with the pornographic images their husbands look at, which leaves them feeling inadequate and unable to meet their husband’s sexual needs. This can trigger a downward spiral of self-condemnation, inferiority, guilt and resentment; definitely not building blocks for a strong marriage. Christians should be enjoying the best sex of all, without any guilt or shame!

Pornographic images burn into your mind, your memory bank and your spirit, opening the door to legal rights in your life for the enemy! You will undoubtedly struggle with the spirit of lust and perversion , and like any sin, the more you do it, the more you want it. It is addictive and difficult to break. The majority of Christian men, women and young people suffer from this evil spirit, including most pastors and church leaders.

Is Your Heart Beating Faster As You Read This?

Ephesians 4:18 (Amplified) “Their moral understanding is darkened and their reasoning is beclouded. They are alienated (estranged, self-banished) from the life of God with no share in it; this is because of the ignorance (the want of knowledge and perception, the willful blindness) that is deep-seated in them, due to their hardness of heart (to the insensibility of their moral nature). This was not an overnight development.”

The original Greek word for “insensibility” was used to describe the slow healing of a broken bone. At first a weak sticky substance containing calcium gradually builds up on the broken

edges. Then it bridges the gap and, in time hardens to become like stone. In the same way, those described in the verse above experienced a slow, gradual, little-by-little hardening of their hearts, until they became insensitive, without feeling. Would you want this to happen to your heart? If you carry on with pornography that is exactly what will happen!

Air-Brushed: Are you familiar with the term “air-brushed”? It means “touching up” photographs which “removes blemishes”. Covers on glamour magazines use this technique all the time. Have you ever been shocked to see an actor or actress you saw on one of these covers looking so gorgeous, and at a later date you see a “candid” shot of them without the makeup and special effects? In some cases you have to take a second look to actually recognize that it is the same person! Hollywood is always trying to present us with “physical perfection” when in reality perfection does not exist ! Listen, we all stand before God completely exposed for who we really are.

“Dear Lord Jesus, I am so sorry for lusting after women’s/men’s/children’s naked bodies, and visualizing having sex with them (while masturbating). I realize that in so doing, I opened myself up and gave Satan a legal right to that area of my life. I am so sorry Lord Jesus. Please forgive me and remove those images from my mind and my spirit through your precious blood. I renounce them in Jesus Name. I know that it was a sin against you as well as against my own body, your temple. I repent of my sin of lusting after the flesh and I turn my back on it. I hereby commit to destroy any and all CDs, DVDs, videos, books, posters, audios, magazines, pictures and emails in my possession that have anything to do with pornography. I will also delete all files, copies of files, links and websites that are stored in the memory of my computer and any other electronic device that have anything whatsoever to do with pornography. You said in I John 1:9 that if I confess my sin You will forgive me, so based on Your promise I receive Your forgiveness and thank You for forgiving me and cleansing me. Thank you in Jesus Name, Amen!”

Be sure to do what you said you would do. Destroy all of the above pornographic-related items and files right away ! Remember to clear the cache and the history in your computer. Go to your Control Panel and click on “Internet Options”. Now click on “Delete temporary files, history, and cookies” and delete those files.

YOU WILL NEED TO BREAK OFF ANY LEGAL RIGHTS ASSOCIATED WITH PORNOGRAPHY AND MAY ALSO NEED TO ADDRESS DEMONIC ACTIVITY IN YOUR LIFE IF YOU ARE ADDICTED TO PORNOGRAPHY.

Your mind will definitely need renewing if you have struggled with any sins listed above! Pornography is one of the very strongest temptations Satan is using in lives of all ages everywhere, from all professions, including pastors and church clergy. I believe it is

important enough to emphasize the way in which to battle this temptation specifically. The following points apply to all temptations, but are especially for dealing with this overwhelming favorite of the enemy, PORNOGRAPHY .

Spoken Words Always Overpower Thoughts : Something I share with people frequently on how to do battle with temptation which starts in the mind. Try this little experiment and see for yourself (read the instructions first before starting). Begin to count from 1 to 20 silently and then somewhere in the middle, speak the word “Hallelujah” out loud . You will find that it will arrest your number count. It stops your thought process (including the thoughts of the temptation). This also works for stopping nightmares during sleep. The spoken word has power over the thought!

Capturing Thoughts Aggressively - One of my favorite references is found in II Corinthians 10:3-5 (NKJV)

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

Those are powerful words! I visualize “casting down” to mean “grabbing with your hands and aggressively throwing down to the ground to smash”, and “bringing every thought into captivity” meaning “seizing and causing to be helpless” every thought. This is not passive action my friend, but intentional, deliberate and aggressive seizing of all thoughts and subjecting them to the obedience of Christ Jesus!

Many times people quote this verse, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you”. That is the second part of James 4:7. The first part of the verse is left out, which is the most important part . The complete verse states, “Submit yourself therefore to God ; resist the devil and he will flee from you .” When we submit ourselves to God, we are first acknowledging His presence and that He is there to help us resist the temptation. In other words, when you are being tempted, you are preoccupied with the temptation (the battle has begun or is going on in your mind). Submitting to God is a conscientious effort that REFOCUSES your attention away from the temptation and onto God instead , knowing He is there to help you. Now you can boldly resist the devil and he will flee from you because he is no match for the Lord.

Audibly (out loud) pray like this, “ Thank you Jesus that you are here with me right now. I hereby submit myself to you, knowing that you love me. On the basis and authority of your promise I now resist this sinful temptation, because I want to please you with my life. Thank you for giving me the victory! Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus! I choose to think on pure, lovely, wholesome things, right now, in Jesus Name.”

1. Start Speaking Out Truth Audibly: a. About the beauty of nature b. God’s creation c. How beautiful He made man and woman 2. Thank Him for your future wife (husband) that He is preparing for you (if you are not married) 3. If you are married thank Him for your spouse and pray a special blessing over him/her today 4. You can also play Christian music that you enjoy 5. Drop in a Christian CD or tune in to a Christian radio station

If you follow this simple sequence, you will enjoy victory because that temptation will quickly leave. The last thing the enemy wants to do is remind you to thank God and pray His blessing over others! This really does work! Try it for yourself and you will rejoice!

Don’t Be Afraid of Being Tempted : It is important to remember that you are NOT sinning when you are tempted. When temptation does come (as it does to everyone), simply interpret the temptation as a reminder to thank and praise the Lord for all He has done, is doing, and will continue to do in your life and the lives of those you love!

NOTE: This does NOT mean that you should willingly place yourself in a position to be tempted, or pursue temptation! That would be “playing with fire” and positioning you for guaranteed failure.

Previous chapters in this book have focused on the legal rights that the enemy has in our lives because of the lies we have believed. We have also seen how to break their power and cancel their assignments in our life. We have concentrated on defensive maneuvers and learned how to be set free!

This chapter focuses on YOUR Legal Rights in Christ and against the enemy . We will now implement strategic offensive tactics that keep us free and take back what the enemy has stolen from us plus interest!

As a citizen of the country you live in you are entitled to certain legal rights. Some of these include:

• Right to vote • Right to a fair trial • Right to sue • Freedom of speech • Freedom of religion • Right to National Security • Privilege of traveling • Eligible to work in all areas • Protection of federal, state and local laws • Equality and equal rights • Personal and privacy rights

Have You Ever Thought of Suing the Devil for All the Damages He Has Caused You?

You can! File a lawsuit in God’s Supreme Court of Justice! Claim repayment in the amount of seven times more than what was stolen!

• Grand theft – he has stolen from you and your family! • Slander – he has perpetrated lies that led to the assault on your character! • Health – he has inflicted sickness and disease on you and your family! • Joy & Happiness – he has robbed you of your peace, contentment and joy! • Purpose – he has accused you of being a failure and being useless! • Destruction – he has destroyed your home!

Jurisdiction: The Supreme Court of the Universe

Trial Method: Criminal Trial by Judge – All judgments are final with no appeal

Presiding Judge: The Honorable Jehovah; also known as God Almighty, Heavenly Father, Abba Father, Yahweh, Elohim, El Shaddai, Yaweh Nissi, Yaweh Sabbaoth, Adonai, Jehovah Jireh, God, the only wise God, to whom be glory forever and ever.

Plaintiff: YOU

Plaintiff’s Attorney: Jesus Christ known as Lord, Savior, Redeemer, Coming King, Sanctifier, Healer, Son of the Living God, Lord Jesus, Glorious Lord.

Plaintiff’s Support: The Bible, Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, the Blood of the Lamb, sins all forgiven, lies all renounced, witnesses & loved ones.

Defendant: Satan known as Lucifer, devil, serpent, the father of lies, liar, deceiver, the enemy, accuser of the brethren, adversary, angel of light, antichrist, roaring lion, Beelzebub, murderer, thief, wicked one, defeated on the cross by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Defense Council: Satan and his demons

Defense’s Support: Lies that Plaintiff still believes, unconfessed sins of the Plaintiff, unforgiveness, resentment and bitterness by the Plaintiff, current strongholds in the Plaintiff’s life, deliberate disobedience by Plaintiff against God; Plaintiff has made no prior claims against Defendant for Punitive Damages due to lack of Plaintiff’s understanding of his/her legal rights as stipulated in the Bible.

Claim: Plaintiff demands that Defendant return all that Defendant has stolen from Plaintiff with interest of 700% (seven hundred percent - seven fold). Plaintiff humbly requests that the Honorable Jehovah rule in favor of the Plaintiff’s claim and also award punitive damages for the grief and pain caused by Defendant as listed by Plaintiff.

Pre-trial Prerequisites: Prior to a trial date being established for Plaintiff claiming punitive damages and compensation against the Defendant (devil), the following conditions must first be met by Plaintiff (you):

• Plaintiff has renounced ALL LIES, thereby breaking all legal rights of the enemy. • Plaintiff has asked the Lord to search his/her heart to ensure that there is no unconfessed sin in Plaintiff’s life. • Plaintiff has identified and specifically listed what the Defendant (Satan) has stolen from the Plaintiff. • Plaintiff has identified the specific Scriptures that back up Plaintiff’s claim.

Upon the above conditions being met (thereby removing the enemy’s legal rights against the Plaintiff), Plaintiff can file an official prayer petition with God in the name of Jesus Christ, requesting that the Judge rule in favor of the Plaintiff and ORDER THE DEFENDANT TO REPAY WHAT HE HAS STOLEN FROM PLAINTIFF SEVEN FOLD.

“Dear Heavenly Father thank you so much for your Son Jesus Christ who died on the cross and paid for all my sins. I am your child, bought and paid for with the blood of your Son Jesus Christ. The enemy is a thief and has stolen _____ (name the items) from me (and my family). Dear Father, you have stated in Proverbs 6:31 that the thief shall restore sevenfold what he has stolen. I am hereby filing my claim against the enemy in Jesus Name, asking that you order the devil to pay back what he has stolen from me seven fold. Almighty God, You are holy and just and I thank you for your perfect judgment in this case! I thank you for your decision in Jesus Name, Amen.”

IMPORTANT FACT: The Prosecuting Attorney (Jesus Christ) has a 100% Success Rate with ALL Trials !

Encourage yourself by speaking these and other truth statements out loud. Truth refutes lies. Substitute “You are” for “I am” when speaking these over others.

ß I am blessed! ß I am redeemed! ß I am loved! ß I am accepted! ß I am forgiven! ß I am free! ß I am secure! ß I am cherished! ß I am worthy! ß I am special! ß I am beautiful! ß I am alive! ß I am honest! ß I am compassionate! ß I am made in God’s image ß I am healthy! ß I am needed! ß I am caring! ß God loves me just the way I am ß I belong to the Lord ß I am content! ß I am happy! ß I am rejoicing! ß I am thankful! ß I am encouraged! ß I am faithful! ß I am trusting! ß I am trustworthy! ß I am a giver! ß I am a good friend! ß I am loving! ß I am approachable! ß I am sweet! ß I have a sound mind! ß I can think clearly! ß I believe in Jesus! ß I believe in myself! ß God has a wonderful purpose for my life! ß I have God’s favor! ß God CAN use me for His Glory! ß I was formed in my mother’s ß I am loved unconditionally womb by God Himself! by my Heavenly Father!

II Corinthians 5:21 I am the righteousness of God in Christ. Galatians 2:4 I have liberty in Christ Jesus. Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live is Christ's life. Galatians 3:26,28 I am a child of God and one in Christ. Galatians 4:6,7 I am a child of God and an heir through God. Ephesians 1:1 I am a saint (I Corinthians 1:2, Phil 1:1, Colossians 1:2) Ephesians 1:3 I am blessed with every spiritual blessing. Ephesians 1:4 I was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blame before Him. Ephesians 1:7,8 I have been redeemed, forgiven, and am a recipient of His lavish grace. Ephesians 2:5 I have been made alive together with Christ. Ephesians 2:6 I have been raised up and seated with Christ in heaven. Ephesians 2:10 I am God's workmanship, created in Christ to do His work that He planned beforehand that I should do. Ephesians 2:13 I have been brought near to God. Ephesians 2:18 I have direct access to God through the Spirit. Ephesians 2:19 I am a fellow citizen with the saints and a member of God's household. Ephesians 3:6 I am a fellow heir, a fellow member of the body, and a fellow partaker of the promise in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 3:12 I may approach God with boldness and confidence. Ephesians 4:24 I am righteous and holy. Philippians 3:20 I am a citizen of heaven. Philippians 4:7 His peace guards my heart and mind. Philippians 4:19 God will supply all of my needs. Colossians 1:13 I have been delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred to the Kingdom of Christ. Colossians 1:14 I have been redeemed and forgiven of ALL my sins. The debt against me has been canceled. Colossians 1:27 Christ Himself is in me.

Colossians 2:7 I have been firmly rooted in Christ and am now being built up and established in Him. Colossians 2:10 I have been made complete in Christ. Colossians 2:11 I have been spiritually circumcised. My old, unregenerate nature has been removed. Colossians 2:12,13 I have been buried, raised, and made alive with Christ, and totally forgiven. Colossians 3:1 I have been raised with Christ. Colossians 3:3 I have died, and my life is now hidden with Christ in God. John 1:12 I am a child of God (Romans 8:16). John 15, 1,5 I am a part of the true vine, a branch of His life. John 15:15 I am Christ's friend. John 15:16 I was chosen and appointed by Christ to bear His fruit. Acts 1:8 I am a personal witness of Christ for Christ. Romans 3:24 I have been justified and redeemed. Romans 5:1 I have been justified (completely forgiven and made righteous) and am at peace with God. Romans 6:1-6 I died with Christ and died to the power of sin's rule in my life. Romans 6:18 I am a slave of righteousness. Romans 6:22 I am enslaved to God. Romans 8:1 I am forever free from condemnation. Romans 8:14,15 I am a son of God (God is literally my "Papa") (Galatians 3:26; 4:6) Romans 8:17 I am an heir of God and fellow heir with Christ. Romans 11:16 I am holy. Romans 15:7 Christ has accepted me. I Corinthians 1:2 I have been sanctified. I Corinthians 1:30 I have been placed in Christ by God's doing; Christ is now my wisdom from God, my righteousness, my sanctification, and my redemption. I Corinthians 2:12 I have received the Spirit of God into my life that I might know the things freely given to me by God. I Corinthians 2:16 I have been given the mind of Christ.

I Cor 3:16 & 6:19 I am a temple (home) of God; His Spirit (His Life) dwells in me. I Corinthians 6:17 I am joined to the Lord and am one spirit with Him. I Corinthians 6:19,20 I have been bought with a price; I am not my own; I belong to God. I Corinthians 12:27 I am a member of Christ's body. (Ephesians 5:30) II Corinthians 1:21 I have been established in Christ and anointed by God. II Corinthians 2:14 He always leads me in His triumph in Christ. II Corinthians 5:14,15 Since I have died, I no longer live for myself, but for Christ. II Corinthians 5:17 I am a new creation. II Corinthians 5:18,19 I am reconciled to God and am a minister of reconciliation. Colossians 3:4 Christ is now my life. Colossians 3:12 I am chosen of God, holy, and dearly loved. (I Thessalonians 1:4) I Thessalonians 5:5 I am a child of light and not of darkness. II Timothy 1:7 I have been given a spirit of power, love and discipline. II Timothy 1:9 I have been saved and called (set apart) according to God's purpose and grace (Titus 3:5) Hebrews 2:1 Because I am sanctified and am one with Christ, He is not ashamed to call me His. Hebrews 3:1 I am a holy partaker of a heavenly calling. Hebrews 3:14 I am a partaker of Christ. Hebrews 4:16 I may come boldly before the throne of God to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. I Peter 2:5 I am one of God's living stones and am being built up as a spiritual house. I Peter 2:9,10 I am a part of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God's own possession. I Peter 2:11 I am an alien and stranger to this world I temporarily live in. I Peter 5:8 I am an enemy of the devil. The devil is my adversary. II Peter 1:4 I have been given His precious and magnificent promises by which I am a partaker of the divine nature. I John 3:1 God has bestowed a great love on me and calls me His child.

Have you ever noticed how those who encourage others all the time are the ones who are frequently greeted with smiles and friendliness? People like talking with and being around them. They are easy to recognize. You know, the cheerful, encouraging, happy, thankful people. That’s because they are edifying others, building them up, speaking life into them. They have chosen to speak life instead of death into others. The Bible tells us to bless others and not curse them. It is a choice that you make.

You may be asking, “Well, how do I bless others with my mouth? Listed below is a sample of speaking a blessing over others. Personalize it. Modify it. Say it to each other. Say it often! It is very powerful and extremely uplifting!

Speaking a Blessing Over Someone Dear to You: You can substitute the words as necessary (dad, mom, sister, brother, daughter, son, spouse, friend), and you will be amazed at what this does for your relationship with that other person! When you do this, be sure you are standing in front of them with close, direct eye contact. You may want to hold his/her face in your hands (especially your spouse) as you speak these words endearingly to them. I would encourage you to do this regularly, especially if you sense criticism welling up inside you. If you feel you need someone to speak this blessing over you, ask him or her to speak a blessing over you. The best approach is to first speak a blessing over them! What a contrast to criticizing others!

“My precious _____ (dad, mom, husband, wife, son, daughter, brother, sister, friend) , you are a (son/daughter) of the Living God, and I bless you from the top of your head to the tip of your toes in Jesus Name! I bless every cell in your body with the precious life of Jesus Christ. I bless every organ in your body with health and strength. I bless your eyes that you may see as Jesus sees. I bless your ears that you may hear his sweet voice and listen to what He says. I bless your lips that you may speak truth and life over others and over yourself. I bless your heart, that His love might fully envelop every ounce of your being as you rest in His loving arms, fully content and confident in His unfailing love and absolute faithfulness. I bless your hands that they might extend the compassionate, loving touch of Jesus to all. I bless your feet that they might walk in His paths every day of your life. I bless your coming in and your going out. I thank God for you. I love you and bless you in Jesus Name!”

I remember my oldest son Burt asking me for my blessing on who he thought was the woman God had for him to be his wife. I had been troubled in my spirit about her as I prayed. I remember telling him how much I loved him and yet, in my spirit, I did not have peace about giving him my blessing because I knew that this gal was not for him. I remember him sobbing and pleading with me as we stood in our garage that afternoon. It was very hard on me, watching my son in agony. He asked me what they should do. I suggested they put their relationship on hold for a year and really seek God’s direction. I told them that true love can wait, but lust cannot. Heartbroken, he put their marriage plans on hold, and she ended up marrying someone

else in less than six months! Instead of her, God brought him a wonderful woman that honors Burt, loves the Lord, is firm in her faith, is a fun loving gal, and is a busy mother with their children. I gladly gave him and Julie my blessing. He later thanked me for being honest with him and not giving my blessing on the previous one.

I watched my younger son Randy go through the dating process as well. He was radical about sharing his faith and music with others, and he didn’t think he would ever get married. He knew this gal from church. Shannon was a warrior for Jesus, loved playing basketball, volleyball, and other sports. She loved dancing and praising the Lord, just like him. God’s hand was guiding, of course, as romance for the two of them blossomed. She really loved the Lord too and I could see they were right for each other, so I freely gave them my blessing. They have made a focused effort of speaking life into their children and are enjoying close relationships with them.

I gave my daughter Melissa a promise ring for Christmas when she was 15 years old. She has worn it faithfully, committed to saving herself for her wedding night with her husband-to-be; just like her brothers and their wives waited until their wedding night. She is growing up loving the Lord and wanting to please Him with her life. I know she will want my blessing on her man some day and I look forward to giving that blessing, and also giving her hand in marriage to the Christ-like man God has for her.

Why am I sharing this with you? So you fathers understand the importance of blessing your children and the importance of your role in their lives . So each person reading this book recognizes the significance of being blessed by honoring your parents and most importantly, having God’s favor and blessing in your life by following His ways and principles. Scripture tells us that we can choose life or death, so choose life. We can choose blessings or curses, so choose blessings!

Matthew 6:33 states, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Our number one goal in life must be to love the Lord with all our heart, mind and soul and actively be involved in His Kingdom. The end of Matthew 6:33 says,"...and all these things will be given to you as well." What things? Food, shelter and clothing, all the necessities of life that you have. It is a conditional verse . Seek Him first (seek Him personally, intimately, His righteousness, His Kingdom, obeying Him) and all these things (not some), will (not might) be given to you! Bottom line: “Look after My things first , and I will look after yours”. Having us do God’s business first causes us to exercise our faith and trust Him.

This is a touchy subject because it hits us in the pocket book. Newsflash! God does not need your money ! It has to do with the law of sowing and reaping. Just like any law, whether you agree with it or not doesn’t change the facts. If you try, for example, to defy the law of gravity by jumping off the top of a 100-story building without a parachute, that law says that you will be pushing up daisies after you hit the concrete 100 stories below. It is not based on any opinion or whether you agree with it or not, but rather on the law of gravity.

With the law of sowing and reaping, you can only harvest what you have first planted. If you plant a little, you will harvest a little. Plant a lot and you will harvest a lot. This is a proportionate law rather than an absolute one like the law of gravity.

Arguments have prevailed over the centuries about tithing. Is it applicable to Old Testament or to both Old Testament and New Testament? With all due respect to theologians from either side, I cannot be bothered getting into meaningless arguments over this topic. There is a far more important issue that has been overlooked, and it is all about your relationship with the Lord! It’s not about legalism. It’s about love . God set the example in John 3:16 where it states, “For God so loved the world that He GAVE His only begotten Son”. The result of His love was, He gave! If we truly love the Lord, we will be happy to give to the Lord and His work. After all, God loves a cheerful giver!

Do you know what the words “cheerful giver” mean? It actually translates to “a hilarious giver”. Have you ever been caught up in hilarious laughter? It is almost uncontrollable. Well, being a hilarious giver produces a giddy, jovial, joyful heart! Need an example? Think back to the boy who gave his fishes and loaves that Jesus fed the multitude with. What do you think he felt while watching that incredible miracle take place? What made it happen was his eager willingness to place his “offering of the loaves and fishes” into the hands of Jesus! His young eyes were as wide as saucers as he watched the scene unfold. His heart jumped for joy as he watched Jesus multiplying his offering of fishes and loaves. I can imagine that he ran home, all excited to tell those he knew, about what had just happened and how Jesus multiplied his giving by feeding thousands from the little he gave. I am sure he talked about it the rest of his life, continuing to give, eager to watch what the Lord would do with his gifts each time. That day, giving and understanding the power of giving transformed that boy’s life forever! God wants every one of us, His children, to understand and experience this as well!

That certainly beats the alternative of being a grumpy, stingy, complaining, arms-folded, mumbling, miserable person, wouldn’t you say?

I recall talking to one Christian brother on this topic who told me about his experience regarding giving. He said that a few years ago the Lord told him to give all his money away. He wrestled with that, but finally did it. He told me the lesson he learned was that the money was his instead of God’s. If it had been God’s money in the first place, he wouldn’t have had to give any of his money away because he wouldn’t have had any. You understand the principle, right? Of course the Lord more than made it up to him, but he had learned an invaluable lesson… all that we have belongs to God! It is all His!

Did You Catch that Nugget of Truth? If you are struggling with giving to the Lord, what you are really saying is that it is your money, not the Lord’s and you truly do not fully understand what completely trusting Him actually means ! You might be thinking, “Oh, that is so harsh when you put it that way”. Yes, it is truth, and there is one more important fact to add. It also means that you have your trust in your money ! Did that one hit home? Do you remember the rich ruler that approached Jesus and told Him that he had obeyed all the laws, and then asked Jesus what he had to do in order to follow Him? Jesus knew he was rich and told him to go sell all that he

had and give it to the poor, and then come and follow Him. Do you remember the result? The rich man left Jesus, not willing to give up what he had. Was it the money or the greed that held that man back? It was his love of money, his greed, and especially his pride because of his wealthy status. What Jesus was really asking him to do was to humble himself and follow Him.

That is why a person who loves giving can be a hilarious giver, because they recognize that it is not their money anyway, so whatever God wants is excellent. They know He is good for His Word and He will always provide for them! Proverbs 11:25 tells us that a generous man will prosper. He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. A man that loves giving freely will be blessed! What a revelation!

So, if you want God’s blessings in your life and you really do love Him, and everything you have really does belong to Him, then freely give of your money, time, talents and blessings to the Lord and to others the moment He speaks to you. Support your local church with at least 10% of your earnings. I chuckle when I hear people ask, “Should I calculate my giving on my gross income or my net income?” Here’s a simple answer: Do you want Him to bless you on your gross or your net ? You cannot out give God so go ahead, put Him to the test. He challenges us to! Give to the Lord and laugh your head off! Watch Him bless you and multiply your giving!

The Lord’s blessing is our greatest wealth. All our work adds nothing to it (original translation source unknown, but the verse is Proverbs 10:22).

DO YOU WANT TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY ? Then plead the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ over yourself, your family, your home, your business, cars and possessions every day. It will help protect you and your loved ones. The blood of Jesus Christ is incredibly powerful and the enemy hates it! Jesus shed His blood on the cross and completely defeated Satan and all his fallen angels!

One of the keys to living a joyful life every day, regardless of circumstances, is found in the verse Philippians 4:4, where we are instructed to Rejoice in the Lord always , and again I say, rejoice ! If we want joy, we need to rejoice…always .

It dovetails with thanking God for everything that takes place in our lives. The more that we incorporate the Lord into our daily lives, minute-by-minute, the more aware of His presence we become, learning more and more to live in vital union with Him. Have you ever lived that dependently upon Him?

Even though you may be going through incredibly difficult circumstances, you can choose to rejoice. It is a choice. What if you don’t feel like it? You don’t have to feel like it. Just like the rest of our walk with the Lord requires faith, so does rejoicing. You choose to rejoice. It is an act of our will to rejoice, just like it is an act of our will to thank God for each event that takes place in our lives, especially the tough ones. As you do this and make it a regular habit, you will find that your focus will change – until eventually, you will start with your focus on the Lord rather than the circumstances. Why? Because you do understand that He is in full and complete control of your life . You can absolutely trust Him with every area of your life because He loves you and does want the very best for you! That my friend is powerful truth!

Do You Know Anyone Who Has a Happy Heart? Do you have a happy heart? Proverbs 15:13 states that a happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit. A few verses later we read, “all the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.” A continual feast? Is that even possible?

How Do You Get a Happy Heart? By walking in the Spirit, living in vital union with the Lord, communicating with Him throughout the day, asking Him for ongoing guidance, and listening carefully to His voice, thanking Him for all things and rejoicing in all things. He will fill your heart with unspeakable joy that will flow from deep within your innermost being. It is incredible to experience, and once you have tasted it, you want it to continue!

At the foundation of intimacy is truth and absolute trust. It is knowing that you know in your heart that God absolutely does love you unconditionally ! He has completely forgiven you and He wants to have an intimate relationship with you! Once the legal rights and curses have been broken in your life, and that wall of mistrust comes down, your heart will be tender to Him and to others. You will genuinely begin to experience true intimacy at the very core of your being, the real you , without having to apologize, defend or make excuses for yourself. You can rest in the confidence of knowing that He loves you, and pleasing him will eventually become second nature to you. You will learn to hear His voice clearly, and communicate with Him throughout the day with an open two-way channel to His throne.

Based on my own intimate relationship and experience with Him, I can tell you that there is no one or anything on this planet that can compare to the incredible, fulfilling and purposeful life that He provides in this type of friendship! Oh, how He wants each of His kids to enjoy Him at this level! How about you?

ACTIVELY LISTEN - Be quick to listen to others, without interrupting them, and practice active listening. Validate them by confirming that you understand what they are saying. Do this and people will find it easy to confide in you and seek you out for advice.

BE CONFIDENT - Maintain short accounts with the Lord. It is the job of the Holy Spirit to convict you of un-confessed sin in your life. When He convicts you be quick to agree with Him, confess your sin, repent and carry on. You can live confidently knowing that your sins are forgiven and that He has cleansed you from all unrighteousness! Live triumphantly because of that.

BE HUMBLE - When others pay you a compliment thank them and be quick to internally pass those compliments on to the Lord, otherwise you may “puff up with pride” and you don’t want that to happen! Proverbs teaches that a person is tested by how they react to praises that are given to them. Always be gracious, not proud.

CHOOSE LIFE - Remember, you get to choose life or death, blessing or curse, so make it a habit of yours to speak life into others, expect the best of them, extend to all you come in contact with, the love of Jesus. Your life will be blessed as a result, and the more you focus on Him and His Presence, the more you will become like Him. His love and joy are contagious.

COMPASSION - Be compassionate toward others, allowing them to see the love of Christ shining through you. Love can melt the hardest of hearts! Compassion can win over those who are suffering with deep pain.

EXPECT - Expect to have a good day. Look in the mirror and audibly say “Jesus loves you” to yourself, and “I bless you in Jesus Name. You are going to have a wonderful day!”

FOCUS - While you are driving to work bless drivers that are rude to you, and thank the Lord for them. Choose to see people through the eyes of Jesus. Make a practice of looking past negative comments that are made toward you. Don’t receive them into your heart but rather see the other individual as a hurting individual that is in need of help and your prayers. It will help you to not take a defensive position in your conversations, but rather see others as Jesus sees them. Try it and you will be amazed at how effective this approach can be.

GREET - If you are married, greet your spouse with, “Good morning honey, I bless you in Jesus Name!” and give them a big hug. Speak life and blessings to them at the beginning of their day.

PRAISE THE LORD - Praise the Lord frequently. It is health for your body and soul. It will help keep you focused on Him and life! If you are feeling lonely, depressed or defeated, kick into praise and that stuff will disappear! READ & PRAY - Spend time reading your Bible and praying. Commit the day to the Lord and ask Him to guide you by His Spirit.

START - Start by greeting the Lord in the morning as soon as you open your eyes, before you get out of bed. Thank Him for the brand new day He has given you. Tell Him that you love Him.

THANK HIM - Thank the Lord for every thing that takes place in your life, regardless of whether you feel like it or not. By doing this you are acknowledging His Lordship in your life and understand that nothing happens in your life that has not first been filtered through His loving hands.

UPLIFTING MUSIC - Do your morning routine, brushing your teeth, shaving, showering, and getting ready, but try singing a chorus or humming a Christian tune. I particularly like playing Christian music while I am getting ready for work. It sets the tone for the day, focused on the Lord as I go out the door.

WALK CLOSESLY - Expect the Lord to speak to you during the day about what to do, where to go, who to minister to, and how to accomplish things. He cares about the details in your life.

WALK IN FAITH - Practice walking in faith, not doubting. Faith is like a muscle, the more you exercise it, the stronger it grows.

YOUR INHERITANCE - Understand that you are a child of the Living God, and are a joint- heir with Jesus.

Why do people first spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars on books, tapes, seminars, workshops and counselors instead of seeking God first by reading His Word and asking for His wisdom? There is wise counsel in the phrase, “Come to the Throne, not the phone!”

The Greatest Motivational & Inspirational Book Ever Written was the Bible

• If you want to be successful in your business read and obey the Bible • If you want to be successful in your finances read and obey the Bible • If you want to be successful in your relationships with others • If you want to be successful in your marriage • If you want to be successful in raising your children • If you want to have peace, joy, and an abundant life • If you want to know the purpose for your life, read and obey God’s Word daily • Spend time alone with Him • Learn to hear His voice and listen to what He has to say to you • Learn to grow and live in vital union with Him • The rewards are immeasurable!

The enemy will try to steal back what you have taken from him. He will try to trick you into believing more lies and steal your freedom. Be on guard!

As you remove the lies that had previously been your “foundation” or “security”, you may feel like you are “dangling” without anything solid to stand on. This is normal after the lies have been dealt with. Example: If you previously believed the lies, “I’m always broke”, “I never have any money” and “I’ll never get ahead”, understand that the underlying issues that fed those lies were fear, and a lack of trust in God to provide your needs.

Powerful Tip: Allow yourself to settle down onto the firm foundation of truth, namely God’s unchanging word, the Bible. Arm yourself by speaking out loud the scriptures that address those specific issues. With the money example above, personalize verses by inserting your name in them like this one found in Philippians 4:19...My God shall supply all Suzie’s needs, according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Audibly repeat verses with the emphasis on different words and you will discover new hidden meaning for yourself. Here is a brief example of using that same verse: MY God shall supply all Suzie’s needs, according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. My GOD shall supply all Suzie’s needs, according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. My God SHALL supply all Suzie’s needs, according to His riches in glory … My God shall SUPPLY all Suzie’s needs, according to His riches in glory … My God shall supply ALL Suzie’s needs, according to His riches in glory … My God shall supply all SUZIE’S needs, according to His riches in glory … My God shall supply all Suzie’s NEEDS , according to His riches in glory … My God shall supply all Suzie’s needs, ACCORDING to His riches in glory … My God shall supply all Suzie’s needs, according to HIS riches in glory … My God shall supply all Suzie’s needs, according to His RICHES in glory … My God shall supply all Suzie’s needs, according to His riches in GLORY … My God shall supply all Suzie’s needs, according to His riches in glory BY Christ Jesus. My God shall supply all Suzie’s needs, according to His riches in glory by CHRIST JESUS !

You get the picture. When you start regularly speaking this truth over yourself, your mind will begin the process of “being renewed” and come to a deeper understanding of the powerful truth in scripture. The old thought patterns of fear and mistrust will eventually be replaced with new thought patterns of truth as you make a habit of speaking and believing God’s Word in their place. God is not a liar! You can “take His Word to the bank”. Claim His promises for yourself. Begin to genuinely understand His unconditional love for you. You are His precious child, correct? Then stand on what He says and don’t waver. Continue to walk in freedom and don’t allow anything or anyone to steal that away from you.

The older I get the more I become aware of just how critical the foundation of our belief system really is. It directly impacts our decisions, actions, values, relationships and ultimately our eternal destiny.

Truth will set you free! Truth will keep you free! Truth is freedom from lies! Freedom from guilt! Freedom from bondage! Freedom in Jesus Christ is the ultimate freedom that produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control. Freedom of true intimacy! Freedom to love and be loved, just the way you are! Freedom to dance in His presence like a little kid! I can almost hear Him saying to all of us “If you only knew how much I really love you, you’d be jumping and dancing all over the place !”

Jesus wants you to be free! Discover the truth about Him and the amazing blessings that await you. He wants to enjoy a close, intimate relationship with you! He really does love you with His perfect unconditional love!

I encourage you

to enjoy Him!

Get to know Him!

He is Incredible!

How would you react if you were invited to meet and dine with someone of great importance? What if you received a personal invitation that included airfare, lodging and a private dinner with the President of the United States? The majority of us would be overwhelmed and ecstatic, considering the extremely busy schedule of our national leader. Regardless of political beliefs almost everyone would welcome the opportunity! The prestige, VIP treatment, bragging rights and your personal validation would be off the charts!

Now, imagine receiving a personal invitation from the Creator of the Universe stating that He would welcome your presence at His special banquet. A personalized footnote on your invitation stating “He would welcome the opportunity of spending quality time with you alone, getting to know you and helping you any way He could.” Also, that “He would be delighted to have the opportunity of becoming your very best friend!”

What Would Your Reaction Be?

My friend, that IS His invitation to you! He wants you to enjoy an intimate relationship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ!

• No guilt • No condemnation • Perfect unconditional love • Eternity with Him

Will You Accept His Invitation?

R. S. V. P.