The Mystery Behind Confidence

"Cast not away your confidence, for it has great recompense of reward" (Hebrews 10:35). Confidence is a state of being sure or firm about a particular person, belief, or situation. It's important to remember that excessive assurance or presumption towards anything can be detrimental.

In today's lesson, we will explore the concept of Confidence from a biblical perspective. Through this exploration, we will discover that the word confidence, in the biblical sense, goes beyond being sure, firm, or confident about any matter. We will uncover a unique revelation or mystery concerning Confidence. By the end of this article, you will understand that Confidence comes with payment, compensation, or reimbursement for the things you may have lost during your journey as a believer in Jesus Christ.

Many believers in Jesus Christ find it challenging to connect with God's promises during this global economic downturn despite their experience. Moreover, as a Christian, experiencing losses is expected, not only in financial matters but also in other aspects of life.

Many religious individuals may have experienced significant losses such as their car, job, home, finances, or family, especially as they continue to deepen their faith. This can be confusing as it contradicts the promises of God that are often preached in churches. For instance, the Bible says that "we are the head and not the tail" and "we are above only and not beneath." It also states that all the silver, gold, and cattle belong to God, our Father, and we are His children. So, it can be perplexing when believers lose their jobs, homes are foreclosed, and marriages fall apart, even though God owns everything.

"I will be presumptuous and ask a few questions. When will the wealth of the wicked be transferred to the righteous? When will we experience being the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath? Does losing everything make you the head, or is it preparing you to be the head?"

Our opening scripture, "Cast not away, therefore, your confidence, for it has a great recompense of reward," speaks to this mystery and the necessity of why the Christian must suffer loss before he increases. However, the compensation or restoration of his repetitive losses is tied to his Confidence.

Let's carefully examine this scripture and uncover the revelation and mystery of this perplexing issue. Firstly, we are instructed not to throw away our Confidence. The Bible states that the Lord is our Confidence (Proverbs 3:16). If the Lord is our Confidence and the Lord is also his word (St. John 1:1), then it's reasonable to assume that the word "confidence" in this text refers to God's word. In other words, whatever we believe God for and the scriptures we stand on as evidence of that become our Confidence. Therefore, we are told not to throw away this Confidence (the word of God) because it has a great reward or compensation. This is where it gets interesting - "recompense" means to pay or compensate someone for an injury or loss.

The word "recompense" in this scripture implies that there must have been some losses beforehand. Compensation can only be possible when there is a prerequisite loss. Therefore, the scripture assures us that there is not just recompense or compensation for our losses but a great one. This suggests that the reward is higher than what we initially had. We must suffer losses such as homes, cars, money, etc., which should not surprise us. Some may say these losses happen because of hidden sins or we are not living right. However, this is due to their ignorance of the laws governing this situation. In any case, we are still commanded to hold on to our Confidence because this Confidence carries payment for the losses we have experienced.

It is essential to understand that sometimes, we experience loss to grow. This principle holds true in the kingdom of God: to increase, we must give and let go. The law of giving states that those who give, scatter, or share will see an increase, while those who hold on to more than they need will eventually experience poverty (Proverbs 11:24).

The qualification to all of this is YOU MUST NOT GIVE UP, TOSS, OR DISMISS THE WORD OF GOD FROM YOUR LIFE, WHICH IS YOUR CONFIDENCE, WHICH HAS BUILT INTO IT An excellent COMPENSATION, REIMBURSEMENT, OR RECOMPENSE AS A REWARD FOR YOUR FAITHFULNESS. As you can see, you were and are being set up through your losses for a better life, and time is advancing you every day to that appointed time. What I love most about this law is that you can not receive equal or less than you initially lost; it must be greater than you originally had….. Glory to God!

Believers in Jesus Christ, do not despair if you have suffered losses. This may be the beginning of your restoration and compensation. For example, if you were searching for a compatible partner, losing that unsuitable person may actually be a blessing in disguise. Similarly, if you were hoping to increase your income, setbacks like losing your job, a pay cut, or reduced hours may be necessary. However, always hold on to your Confidence in God's word. The Bible says, "If I give, it shall be given unto me in great measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over." These laws apply not only to finances but to all aspects of our lives. So trust that things will work out for your benefit, and keep the faith. Scripture also reassures believers that all things, good and bad, work together for their benefit (Romans 8:28).

"We were unaware of the spiritual protocol before, which caused us to feel frustrated and confused. We wondered if God was playing a game with us. The truth is that we cannot master something we do not understand. So, let us start by thanking God for providing us with this insight to help us overcome the obstacles that have been overwhelming us through the knowledge of his word."

From the Christian perspective, losing is good because it is a divine attempt to give more to the one who suffered the loss. In other words, when Christians suffer losses, they should be excited because God is about to do something great in their lives. Let's see what scripture says about this.

The righteous shall be recompensed in the earth, much more the wicked and the sinner Proverbs 11:31

Heavenly Father, I am now beginning to understand your word when you said to us that we must give thanks in all things, for this is the will of God concerning us in Christ Jesus. Thank you for this spiritual insight of Confidence, which suggests we must release to increase. I bless you, Father, because you've given the readers of this article and me an incentive to continue pressing forward despite our losses. We understand now that you were not taking from us but enabling us via your law so we can have more. We bless and praise you in the matchless name of your precious son, Jesus Christ. Amen!

Kevin L A Ewing

kevinlaewing.blogspot.com

ewinglakevin@icloud.com

www.kevinlaewing.com

Managing our thoughts

Managing our thoughts as of late seems to be one of the most challenging events ever. Specifics would reveal that our thoughts are managing us as oppose to us managing our thoughts. Unfortunately, this can be quite challeging, particularly if we give no resistance to this very common activity.

In our teaching today, we’ll discover that, in not managing our thoughts, we become slaves to our thoughts in a negative way that will automatically result in negative actions and most importantly we are in direct violation of God’s word concerning this very important issue. “Guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life” Proverbs 4:23. The word heart here speaks of our mind, and the scripture here is suggesting that we monitor and scrutinize what we allow to traffic in and out of our minds (through thoughts via sight, sound, and environment), because it is in our minds where all our issues originate.

Most of us have little control over the thoughts that are basically ruling us. For example you have a Doctor’s appointment tomorrow and presently your mind is flooded with the worst that could happen. Even if you share these thoughts with someone and they say to you it will be ok, this means nothing to you because your ruling negative thoughts has already determine that only bad can come out of this. It is almost as if you can not stop the thoughts from coming. You’ve literally become a slave to these negative non-productive thoughts. What’s even worst, you’ve become so frustrated because you want these evil negative thoughts to stop, but it seems hopeless because as quickly as one leaves another is waiting to invade your mind to further frustrate you.

What we don’t realize is that we are giving these negative thoughts the legal right to not only dominate us, but leave us with the oppressive spirits such as depression, hopelessness, anxiety and panic attacks and worst case scenario suicidal thoughts.

Now I know you’re probably screaming in your mind right now saying how in the world do I over come this mental torture Kevin? Well I am happy that you asked, because I am about to instruct you biblically how to switch from being managed by our thoughts to managing our thoughts.

Firstly let’s look at the law that governs this situation and the authority we have concerning this that we have not been applying. The Apostle Paul told the church of Corinth in his letter to them that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (physical) but mighty through God to the PULLING down of STRONGHOLDS 2Corinthians 10:4-5. Now the Apostle Paul here is speaking about thoughts trafficking in and out of our minds unchecked to the point that they have set up strongholds. A stronghold in this sense speaks of a thought process that has become contrary to God’s word and has set up its own belief system that has superseded the laws and knowledge of God which ultimately ends in frustration to its victim. As a result of this the victim will exhaust every form of relief except the spiritual weapons provided in the word of God for them.

The Apostle further goes on to say that we must cast down imagination (imagination: meaning negative mental images that we’ve conjured up through uncontrolled thoughts) and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every THOUGHT to the obedience of Christ. So the law here which is God’s word commands us to bring our thoughts and anything that exalts itself against his knowledge into captivity to the obedience of Christ, this is not a suggestion but a command. To be commanded in bringing something into captivity by God clearly suggest that it is roaming about illegally, and we have been given the charge to subdue and dominate it.

So what is the revelation here? The revelation here is we’ve allowed negative thoughts to run rampant in our minds without policing them or bringing them into captivity. Captivity, meaning to restrain these thoughts and exchanging them with what God’s word says about them, which is bringing them under the obedience of Christ. As an example of this you’re sitting up every night worrying about your financial crisis or that broken marriage and every thought is negative. To the point it has consume every form of hope or solution that you’ve had previously. You need to begin reversing this process and begin speaking to these thoughts just like they are speaking and dictating to you. These thoughts are spirit entities constantly speaking to your subconscience  conjuring up anything negative and hopless and ultimitly suppressing God's word that is in you, which is the only thing that has any influence on them .

Begin saying to these thoughts, I bind these evil thoughts in the name of Jesus Christ. This is the beginning process of controlling your thoughts by exchanging the evil thoughts with the word of God. Say to fear, “God did not give me a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind”. Say to the negative thoughts of worry, “I must be anxious for nothing but through prayer, supplication with thanksgiving I will make my request known to God”. Say to confusion, “God has given me a Peace that passes all understanding, and great peace have they that love thy law and nothing shall offend them. Again, we’re replacing evil thoughts with the word of God. This is the only way you can bring these thoughts into captivity and redeem your piece of mind.

In doing this you will eventually regain control through consistent practice by knocking down unwanted thoughts by the power of God’s word (God said to remind him of his word). You have failed previously in this area because you tried doing it your way and by your words, and God word is clear when it says we can do nothing without him (God)……..

I want to make mention of a very important scripture that directly relates to what we’re discussing and it reads, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also Matthew 6:21. Now, the word treasure here is symbolic of things that are of importance or of great value. So our thoughts will always be consumed by things that are important to us. However it is the quality of those thoughts (positive or negative) that will determine the state or condition of our heart/mind. Meaning negatives thoughts produce depression and anger and positive thoughts bring encouragement and an overall good feeling.

Jesus said in his teaching, that the thing that proceeds out of a man’s mouth comes from the heart and it is these things that defiles him. For out of the heart proceed evil THOUGHTS such as murder, adulteries, fornication, theft, false witness etc. Matthew 15:18-19. So again all of this began with thoughts that were never monitored and brought into captivity and as a result has placed this person in bondage, and has shackle him mentally to a state that he would prefer not to be in.

  

Unfortunately for this person, the condition of their mind is exactly how they view life in general, and that is they see life as frustrating and confusing with no evidence of hope at all. These people are very unhappy with themselves and overtly and covertly spew this evil venom in their present environment. Their minds are saturated with bitterness, rage and anger, and they will make every attempt to convince others that this is the way life is. The truth is this is the way they perceive life to be because of their obsession to think negatively. I have also observed that folks that are overwhelmed by negative thoughts posess two very distinct characteristics and they are selfishness and insecurity. These are the two dominating spirits that feed their minds with negativity.

The bible has provided us with the ability to diagnose this evil when it said, " For as a man thinks in his heart/mind so is he, Proverbs 23:7. The reality of this scripture is displayed in all of us everyday, because we are the products of our most dominant thoughts. The change in any human being begins with the altering or changing of the way he thinks. A change in our thought process automatically changes our perception of anything. Our adversary wants us to believe we can not change our uncontrolled negative thoughts, but contrary to what he says God says that all things are possible to us that believe.

My dear readers, my words of wisdom for you this morning is, be transformed or changed by the renewing (repairing, fixing or restoring) of your mind and that can only be done by replacing your unwanted thoughts by the life changing word of God. However this requires you reading God’s word and meditating on it day and night and to do all that is in it. For then shall your way be made prosperous and then you shall have good success Joshua 1:8.

Heavenly Father you've done it again with your revelatory insight. I thank you for affording myself and the many readers of this article the understanding of the power of our thoughts and the necessity of renewing our minds to master our thoughts. It is no accident the readers of this article has stumble upon this read for it was all apart of your divine will, so I thank you and bless you for everything you’re doing in our lives, in the matchless name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

Written by: Kevin L A Ewing

kevinewing@coralwave.com

Letting go of the inevitable

   

As painful as it is sometimes, it is never easy when it comes to letting go of someone that has become such an integral part of your life, regardless of the time spent together. Truth be told, for the most part, the letting go was never premeditated from either end, but through unexplained circumstances, these were the cards that life dealt you.

Funny thing is you knew that this day would come, and the emotions, disappointments and the feelings of lost, were just that the inevitable. Be it knowingly or unknowingly this person has become so woven into the fabric of your life that this letting go process begins to highlight their real value and some of the beautiful experiences they’ve afforded you.

It isn’t that you didn’t notice their value before, but the extent of their value during this letting go process begins to unveil roots that you could not have possibly imagine were there. Those origins became challenging to observe, because as we all do,  through no coercion of others decides to enter this unrealistic world believing that what we have with them will always be forever……..

It is almost similar to death, in that the memory of that person becomes amplified to you, due to the finality of them not existing in your life anymore. Such as their smile, their voice, their touch their laughter and the very thought of the precious times shared with them. Unfortunately, it is these events and moments that have been transformed from an actual experience to archives now tucked away in the memory banks of our minds that repetitiously without warning invade our thoughts, making the letting go process that much difficult.

Sometimes I sit and wonder clandestinely, why it is that life will finally allow you to have something that you’ve waited on for so long. Something so precious, promising and conjuring up so much joy, knowing sufficiently well that there was an expiration date attached to it from its beginning. One must ask, what is the purpose of this? What was the purpose of the wait, and fantasies when the time of having it is so brief?

Letting go of the inevitable speaks to such situations and events, it speaks in a loud voice saying, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IS FOREVER NO MATTER HOW WONDERFUL, BEAUTIFUL, MAGNIFICENT OR COMFORTING YOU MAY FIND IT TO BE, THE FACTS ARE IT IS LITERALLY BEING LEASED TO YOU!

In spite of this seemingly grim view, I have simultaneously discovered that the love that was once shared between two people by far outweigh the letting go process. How you may ask? Well, the love factor was the primary ingredient that altered the course of both parties. It was this love that took these individuals from two entirely different paths of life, which may have not been what they wanted it to be. However, this same desire amazingly brought them together and provided something so special, unique and unimaginable that even the thought of letting go of the inevitable was at best a distant fantasy.

Just try to imagine for a moment you’re on a beach or a quiet golf course walking with that significant other, expressing your dreams, aspirations, what you think of each other. A magnificent sunset, a gentle breeze with a complementing cloudless sky. To sum it all up, an unveiling of a utopia type experience. You smile, you hug, you kiss and just begin to envelop into each other's love while gradually coming to a complete stop in your walk. Looking at each other face to face and just absorbing the beauty of this person that you care so much about, knowing the reality that no matter how beautiful this moment is. Eventually, the letting go process will always be the inevitable via by death or by other means.

I am sure we all wish we had a magic wand to somehow zap the unwelcome things out of our lives. Nevertheless, reality stands as a guard peeking at his watch making sure no one and I mean absolutely no one goes into overtime as it relates to their assigned times in their being together.

Letting go of the inevitable, also means that you can not have the pleasure of the one that changed the course of your world anymore, it requires you to pretend as if what you created together was fictitious and at best an extended dream. For those that will experience the letting go process by means other than death. Have to painfully watch from a distance while others fulfill and enjoy what they thought would have been forever for them.

In my view, I see this as torture, and as an undeserved punishment that has zero justification! Letting go of the inevitable clearly says to us, this is a reality that is in living color, and we are apart of a cycle in which we have little say. Why? Because life is just that a cycle that everyone who enters this world automatically becomes apart of this cycle and have no other positive options other than the instructions provided to us by God concerning these delicate matters. King Solomon said that all things happen to all alike. Suggesting no one is exempted, but for some odd reason everyone when falling in love believes that they can challenge this process and that they would successfully achieve the forever syndrome.

King Solomon in his proverbs said, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun” Ecclesiastes 1:9 suggesting everything including relationships has its assigned time to exist, from being tangible to becoming intangible. Solomon compounds his point by saying, “To everything, there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven” Ecclesiastes 3:1. Again he’s placing emphasis on time and purpose rather than the fantasy of forever. Job who was stripped of everything that he valued, cherished and adored also knew that one day the reality of losing it all would manifest itself when he said “For the thing, I greatly feared has come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me” Job 3:25. Clearly, Solomon and Job had an insight or should we say accepted the reality of life and that is nothing is forever, and all things are changing even as we are presently intertwined with it.

I believe the agony and torment of letting go intensify the thought that you now have to return to your former life without that person who became responsible for pulling you away from it all, facing the uncertainty of being alone, when you were well adjusted before their entrance into your life. Everyone’s question in this scenario is “What do I do now? Not to mention the thought of, “Should I risk doing this all over again?” Solomon again speaks to this reality when he said, “A wise man sees the evil (The reality of things) beyond where he’s at presently and prepares himself, however the foolish walk into it (his unrealistic world of forever) and is punished Proverbs 22:3,  or issued with the notice that reads, “The inevitable of letting go”

Guess what? After intense pondering, I believe I finally got it, yes! That’s right I got it. No one ever promised us that love was forever or the one we share or shared our love with was forever. This was our making, and understanding we were the ones that told each other “I will love you forever, I will be with you forever, and nothing will ever separate us. Everyday building on a fantasy that both parties knew would crumble eventually.

Truth is letting go of the inevitable was always a reality from the beginning, we just did what we still do, and that is creating our own realities to sugar coat the inevitable of letting go.

Heavenly father thank you once again for your word and wisdom, also for the clarity that your word has brought to these perplexing areas of our lives. It is my prayer for all readers of this article that they would realize and understand that the only thing that has forever attached to it in this world is the things that we do for you. I also pray that you give us the wisdom to focus more on the time and purpose than the thing or person so that your divine plan can run its course in our lives. I ask these things in Jesus name. Amen!

Written by: Kevin L A Ewing

kevinewing@coralwave.com

God’s Favor, How Does It Work?

God’s favor always precedes his blessings. This is by far one of God's most mysterious acts that unfortunately go unnoticed by the average believer or person, for that matter.

Our teaching today is, by far, not only an interesting one but an informative one, and that will cause you to look at the favor of God from an entirely different perspective. I can certainly promise you that you’ll discover that the favor of God is indeed a requirement for any blessing that you’ll ever receive from him in this teaching.

What exactly is favor? Well, favor is defined as excessive kindness or unfair partiality; preferential treatment: to treat some people with favor and others with neglect. Simply put, to do something for someone, with or without any cause on their end, that you would not do for others in the same position.

Bishop T. D Jakes has coined the phrase, “Favor ain't fair.” Other believers speak of themselves as being highly favored by God. Some even pray for the favor of God during certain troubles and trials in their lives.

The reality is, God’s favor is automatic when we do exactly what he requires of us. Secondly, it is the favor of God that sustains and maintains us during our times of afflictions before our blessings. It is a must that I inculcate this into your understanding, And that is, favor always precedes the blessings! Now, as most of us would know, to be blessed is to literally be empowered, authorized, or sanctioned. The Bible tells us that when God blessed them (Adam and Eve), they became authorized or empowered to do five things they could not do before the blessings. They were: To be fruitful, multiply, replenish, subdue, and finally dominate Genesis 1:28. As an added fact, the Bible further states that the Lord's blessings make one rich or increase him/her, and he adds no sorrow to it Proverbs 10:22.

Isaac, the promised son of Abraham, I found to be the perfect example of God’s favor preceding the blessing. His life gives a clear-cut view of how God’s favor works, not just for him but for all of us who decide to obey God’s unadulterated proven word that cannot return unto him without accomplishing what it was sent out to do.

Scripture revealed a famine in the land during Isaac's days, besides that of the famine of the days of Abraham. Isaac’s immediate thought was to go into Egypt like his father did during his time of famine. However, God appeared to him and insist that he stay in Gerar of Philistine, a place where the famine was intense. God promised Isaac that he will be with him and bless him, and also bless his seed, and make him great beyond his wildest imagination.

Let’s just pause here for a second. Isn't it just like God to make these extraordinary promises when there is absolutely no single thread of evidence to support what he is saying? Picture for a second, you’re at a church service, broke busted, and definitely disgusted.

Then a man or woman of God decides to pull you out of the crown and begin saying to you thus sad the lord, “I see finances being repaired, I see you being wealthy beyond your greatest expectation, and I see you assisting others in their finances” It is only normal that you ask yourself the question, “is he talking about me”?. So, you can only imagine what Isaac must have contemplated when God said to him to remain in this desolate, barren place, for it is there I will bless you.

Nevertheless, Isaac obeyed God and stayed despite what was seemingly obvious. Interestingly enough, Isaac sowed in the land just like every other occupant of that country. According to the Bible, Isaac was the only one that received a hundredfold in that same year Genesis 26:12.

Now, let’s break this scripture down to get clarity on how the favor of God is at work here. Firstly, the scripture did not say Isaac reaped a hundredfold. Instead, it said he received a hundredfold; there is a difference. To receive is to take into one's possession (something offered or delivered): as in receiving a gift, it also means having something delivered or brought to you. On the other hand, the word to reap is defined as getting a return, recompense, or result of something at an appointed time because of what was sown. If I planted a mango seed, then according to nature's laws, it must produce mangos during that season only. Nevertheless, because Isaac obeyed God, his obedience caused him to receive and not reap, suggesting God gave or delivered the hundredfold to him before the time appointed for it to come forth,  which is the favor of God in action. Wow! What a stunning revelation.

Now, I made it abundantly clear that God’s favor always proceeds the blessings at the beginning of this article. At present most of you reading this article right now believe I have it all wrong, In that when God gave Isaac the hundredfold that, that was the blessing, right?

Well, the truth according to scripture is, the receiving of the hundredfold was, in fact, the favor of God, because in that same passage of scripture, it reads God blessed Isaac after the receiving of the hundredfold….. Wow, what a revelation!

My dear readers, if this hasn’t enlightened your understanding, then I don’t know what will. Just for a moment, consider the promises/blessings God has made to you or what has been prophesied over your life. Chances are, most of those blessings or prophecies have yet to come to pass. Now take another look at your life while you were waiting on the blessings. Can’t you see the favor of God extended throughout all areas of your life?

For the most part, we become so caught up with the blessings set for an appointed time that we take for granted the many favors bestowed upon us, advancing us to those appointed blessings. I clearly understand how one can overlook these favors because these favors come in two categories, and they are: 1) just enough and 2) not enough. As an example, your car gas gauge in on empty, and you’re fully aware that you can not make it to your next destination. Then out of the clear blue, someone gives you five dollars. It’s not much but just enough to get you to your destination; this is favor. Your light bill is due, and it’s $120.00; the Lord laid it on someone’s heart to give you $40.00; it’s not enough, but you owe $40.00 less than you originally owed; this is also favor. We don't see it as favor in both cases because it doesn't cover our bills' entirety. In all honesty, how many of you did not make the following statement, “Why God just don’t send the full amount”?

The truth is favor’s purpose in your life is not so much to provide some resources but to assist you mainly with the trust issues that you have with God. As a reference point, have you ever noticed that just enough and not enough shows up in the nick of time? Secondly, favor’s job is to also eliminate worry; after proving God by his favor in your many circumstances, you should by now have developed trust and reduce anxiety with a certainty that he will provide. 

So, my dear readers, it is these seemingly insignificant acts that all of us take for granted when the favor of God is running its full course. Please let us pause here and begin to ask God to forgive us for our ungratefulness and selfish attitudes towards his divine favor. Now, let’s start to thank him for all his marvelous favors seen and unseen that have brought us thus far despite our murmuring and constant complaining.

As a final point, my beloved readers, all favors from God are the prerequisites to the blessings of God. So, now that you've scrutinized your life based on this teaching and have discovered the numerous favors God has bestowed upon you, then make no mistake, your blessings are guaranteed, signed, sealed, and shall be delivered to you in God's appointed time.

Heavenly Father, I thank you that you are God and God alone. It is because of your sovereignty that no one is qualified to question the favor you've bestowed upon us. I thank you for your favor; that is the evidence of the pending blessings that you've promised us. My prayer Lord is that the spirit of ungratefulness and the lack of unthankfulness be destroyed and instantly be replaced with a spirit of thanksgiving and appreciation towards your many blessings. I ask these things in the matchless and marvelous name of your son and our savior Jesus Christ. Amen!

Written by: Kevin L A Ewing

ewinglakevin@icloud.com
kevinlaewing.blogspot.com

Spiritual Captivity

Captivity is the state of being captured, imprisoned, detained, or held against one's will. In all cases, the one held captive is being held or arrested by some physical means such as prison cells, handcuffs, shackles, chains, fetters, or even another person.

I needed to expand on the definition of captivity because of our teaching today on spiritual captivity. I promise you that this teaching would cause you to re-evaluate the cause of your present state and make the necessary adjustments to appreciate where you are and why you are not where you would want to be.

Even though captivity is defined as the state of being captured, there exist two types of captivity: the captivity that we see and the one that we don't see. The unseen captivity can be quite challenging and frustrating due to our inability to see what keeps us from progressing and succeeding. There is nothing visible or presented as evidence of this imprisonment or detention, which we know we're in because of our lack of progress.

I am sure by now you must have figured out that spiritual captivity is the state of being captured without any tangible, physical, or material evidence of that captivity. However, your life displays all and more of the signs and evidence of one that has been detained or imprisoned due to your inability to succeed or make progress.

Firstly, being imprisoned, detained, or captured restricts or limits one of their freedoms. Better yet, they can see success, freedom, joy, peace, and all things good they desire but do not possess the ability to achieve because of the obvious; they are being restrained or held against their will.

In the book of Job 42:10, my attention was without delay arrested when I read the following statement, "And the Lord turned the captivity of Job." This raised eyebrows because nowhere in the book of Job have I read or seen any evidence or anything remotely close to even suggesting that Job was being physically held against his will. After all, in essence, the meaning of captivity is to physically restrain one against their will.

So if Job was not being held against his will by any physical means, what prevented him from achieving or succeeding like any normal human being? To understand this incredible revelation clearly, let's look at one of the Apostle Paul's statements to the church of Corinth. "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal" 2 Corinthians 4:18.

The Apostle made it crystal clear that being physically attacked, restrained, or challenged is far better than being spiritually attacked, restrained, or challenged. At least physically, you can see what is attacking you, and now you have an opportunity to set up some sort of defensive mechanism. On the other hand, spiritual attacks and challenges completely blindside you, leaving you confused and frustrated because you are at a loss as to the origin of this attack.

So, let's go back to the beginning of Job's dilemma to ascertain the clarity of his captivity that was by non-physical means. The bible states that one day the sons of God presented themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord began to inquire of Satan if he had noticed his servant Job and how perfect he was on the earth? Satan revealed something so interesting in his response to God, which speaks to spiritual things or things that we can't see but very much do exist.

Satan said, "Have not thou not made a hedge about him, and about his house, and all that he has on every side? Job 1:10. Hedge? What hedge is Satan talking about? Now, as a reminder, God and Satan are both spiritual beings able to see in the spiritual and physical world. So Satan revealed what he saw around Job and all that concerned him. He saw in the spirit realm an invisible barrier that served mainly two purposes 1) to prevent all weapons that or will ever be formed against Job from prospering and 2) to protect, sustain and maintain all that is on the inside of the hedge such as Job's blessings, talents, gifts, children, properties, etc. As an insert here, every human has been outfitted with this hedge, and this hedge can only be removed under two conditions. 1) In Job's case, God removed his hedge, and 2) Man's disobedience to God's word breaks the hedge, allowing the enemy to get in Ecclesiastes 10:8.

I hope you are taking note, Christians, because this is where most of us are. Job's life is now about to take a dramatic turn in events when God had decided to remove this invisible hedge and gave Satan power over everything that Job had. Satan being given power over Job suggests he had authority and dominion over him, meaning Job is no longer the head, nor is he no longer above but beneath.

Question! Could it be that where you are in your life right now, no money, bills are overdue, kids are sick, pains and diseases have invaded your body, marriage is a disaster, your job is the pits, being unemployed, and the list goes on. You have prayed consistently, fasted over and over again, sent in monetary seeds to different ministries for that miracle or breakthrough, and ABSOLUTELY nothing has happened. As a matter of fact, things are getting worse, and you feel God is ignoring you. Could it possibly be God has removed your hedge and allowed Satan to have power over all that you have so that you can be introduced to the real you? Or could it be your opposition to God's rules has placed you in your current position?

Whatever the case, maybe you have indeed met the qualifications for these events in your life. The word of God clearly states that God will not put more on you than you can bear. When he removed your hedge and allowed you to be spiritually caged by Satan, he knew you were and can handle what you are experiencing and, in the case of others, about to experience. At this point, there is no prayer or fasting that can help you. No human being can assist you. Just like Job's friends, they could not help him because God has designed it In such a way that no one or nothing can assist you. YOU HAVE TO WALK THIS ONE OUT ALONE! It is a part of your destiny with a tremendous reward for your patience and faithfulness, as you will read later.

Yes! Just like you, I am tired of the God will bless you; God has something better for you; God only chastises those whom he loves, and the all too famous one, your breakthrough is right around the corner. The truth is these folks telling us these things are very much correct! However, we have no choice but to comprehend that this God we said is always good. All the time he is good is the same one who has given permission to our adversary to spiritually cage us, which has resulted in us not being able to increase and succeed physically due to us being imprisoned spiritually.

Again, like Job's friends, some are convinced that there is sin in your life, or your wicked ways are catching up with you, or there must be something you have done wrong! I am here to say to you today you have done nothing wrong or at least deserve the pain and suffering that you are going through

Again, Job, just like so many of us, has been placed in spiritual captivity. This captivity is the worst of its kind because our hedges have been removed, allowing those weapons that were and are being formed against us to now prosper. Also, what the hedge once protected, sustained, and maintained, has now become disabled. As a result, you lose the home, car, family, Job, opportunities, basically everything, but hold on, this is not the end. As a matter of fact, this is the beginning of something new. Something if patiently endured will supersede your greatest expectation. Scripture tells us that Eyes have not seen, ears have not heard, neither has it entered into the hearts of men, what God has PREPARE FOR THOSE THAT LOVE HIM. This scripture is speaking to a select group, and that group is those that love God. Question! Do you still love God despite your losses, disappointments, broken marriage, frustration, and the reoccurring bad things that have been happening in your life that seemingly have no end?

Scripture reveals that after Job was informed of his losses, including that of his ten children, he arose, tore his clothes, shaved his head, dropped to the ground, and worshiped. How does one do that in the face of such difficulty? Only those God has chosen to walk a particular road, and simultaneously these same people value and appreciate their God above anything else in this world. As proof of this, Job said, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and it is he that has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord" wow!

Every time I read Job's statement after his losses, especially concerning the death of his children, I am almost moved to tears to see this man's commitment and resilience amid so much grief and agony. After discovering this truth of spiritual captivity, I realized that there is absolutely nothing one can do about this state other than praying for patience and endurance. My mind began to gravitate to the scripture that admonishes us to do precisely what Job did, and that is, "In everything give thanks, for this is the WILL of GOD in Christ Jesus concerning us 1Thessalonians 5:18. It is a must that I make unequivocally clear that the word "everything" means the good and evil and not just the good as most Christian has been led to believe.

Finally, as we've read earlier, the same God that caused him to be in spiritual captivity was the God that turned or released Job from his spiritual captivity and gave him double what he originally had. The bottom line is that you do not have the privilege of suggesting what road God should assign you. All lanes have been determined before the foundation of the world. You just have to patiently wait until God decides to turn your captivity. However, he's promised you that if you delight yourself in him, he'll give you the desires of your heart Psalms 37: 4.

Heavenly Father, your works, ways, and thoughts are far beyond our understanding. You've said in your word that as far as the heavens are from the earth, so are your ways and thoughts different from ours. This is the case, Father, because I know there is no compromise regarding your word. I pray that you furnish the readers of this article with a supernatural ability to be patient in enduring the assigned time of their spiritual captivity in the matchless and marvelous name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

Written by: Kevin L. A Ewing

kevinewing@coralwave.com