OUR DIRECT ENEMY - SATAN? OR DEMONS?

So many in the church today believe that it's Satan who tempts God's children and lures them into sin. They believe that Satan is behind their spiritual problems and that they are directly struggling with the devil himself. The truth is, they are not wrestling against Satan, but rather his network of demons. Even when a child is tempted to sin, that temptation doesn't come from Satan directly, but through Satan's army of fallen angels (demons). It's as if we believe there's an imaginary evil being out there that comes to our door each day to tempt us, when in reality, we are being approached by evil spirits! It seems that everybody wants to think it's Satan tempting or oppressing them, but nobody wants to think it's an evil spirit or demon.Angels are NOT omnipresent, and cannot be everywhere at once. There is ample proof of this fact in scripture, but one clear example is found in Daniel chapter 10, where an angel was dispatched to answer the prayer of Daniel, but was withheld by a demonic spirit (the prince of Persia):Daniel 10:13, "But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia."This angel was held back and could not immediately attend to those prayers because an evil spirit held him up from reaching Daniel! Angels, including demons, cannot be more than one place at once. Satan, being a demon himself and the leader in his kingdom, is unable to be more than one place at the same time.The odds of a person actually getting attacked or oppressed by Satan is extremely remote. There are very strong and evil demons which can make it seem like Satan himself is involved, but it is rarely the case. Satan is merely the leader of his kingdom, and uses the evil spirits under him to carry out his plans in this fallen world.

Putting things into perspective

Let's stop for a moment and picture yourself in a war against another country. You realize that your country is fighting Country X, but should your attention be focused on the king of Country X? Or the troop that's standing 50 yards from you with a gun in his hand ready to kill you? Far too often, we as Christians point our fingers at Satan, but completely ignore the troops the enemy has sent out against us. It's about time we guard ourselves against the messengers that Satan has set against us, lest we become vulnerable of the plans Satan has against us.It's time that we recognize the messengers that were sent to directly oppose us. Satan indirectly oppresses God's children, but it's the various ranks of troops under Satan that carry out the actual battle plan and directly oppose the children of God. Ephesians 6 isn't saying that we struggle against Satan himself, but against the various ranks of demons that are under the lordship of Satan:Ephesians 6:12, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but againstprincipalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."Let's not wash Satan clean here by putting everything on the demons, but let's also not forget who's standing 50 yards from us who would love to put a bullet through our skulls!Your enemy would love for you to approach the war with your eyes on the evil leader and ignore the troops / messengers coming towards you. If you did such a thing in a physical war, wouldn't that put you at a very vulnerable position? You wouldn't last 10 minutes on the battle field before getting struck down! The same is true in the spiritual realm. It's only wise to keep your eyes on the direct enemies in any war.Don't get me wrong, we aren't to see demons so much that it's all that we're looking at. I am a strong advocator of keeping our minds and hearts on the Lord Jesus Christ, and on positive things that uplift us and keep our eyes on the Lord. But on the same token, it's never wise to ignore a messenger that Satan has sent to destroy us. Paul himself made it clear that it's never wise to be ignorant of Satan's devices:2 Corinthians 2:11, "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices."

Demonic Hierarchy

Satan dictates or rules a host of evil spirits in a well organized demonic hierarchy. There is proof of this demonic structure in scripture. A good example is found in Daniel where an angel had to fight the prince of Persia, which is clearly not a human being, but an evil spirit that was placed in charge of the kingdom of Persia to carry out Satan's plans there:Daniel 10:13, "But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia."Further insight into this hierarchy and how Satan oppresses people, is found in the book of Acts:Acts 10:38, "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him."If you look up the word for oppressed in this verse, you will find the Greek word katadunasteuo, which means, "to exercise dominion against, that is, oppress." The word dominion here does not refer to ownership of a person (it's God who owns every soul, see Ezekiel 18:4), but rather an army that is under your rule. Satan exercises his army of fallen angels (his dominion) against us.Now if you look up the word dominion in the the 2006 Merriam-Webster dictionary, under definition #3 it speaks of an order of angels, referencing to Celestial Hierarchy, which speaks of a host of angelic beings, including principalities, powers, etc. In Ephesians 6, we find that the powers of darkness come in different ranks and powers:Ephesians 6:12, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but againstprincipalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."Satan's kingdom is made up of an army of fallen angels. When Satan was cast out of heaven, he drew with him a third of the angels, which are now fallen and known as demons or devils:Revelations 12:4, "And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born."Revelations 16:14, "For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty."Satan is known as the lord of the flies (Beelzebub), because there are so many evil spirits that are under his rule in the kingdom of darkness:Matthew 12:24, "But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils."Satan is the leader, and a host of fallen angels are under his rule carrying out his evil plans.

How Satan oppresses

When a person is said to be turned over into the hands of the tormenters (Matthew 18:23-35), they are not directly tormented by Satan, but by the army of evil spirits in his kingdom. Satan may issue a command in his army to oppress a person or to carry out a certain task, but he himself rarely gets involved because he's only one spirit and cannot be everywhere at once. When we hear of Satan oppressing a person, it is actually a demonic spirit within his kingdom that is doing the dirty work according to Satan's rule and leadership.

For example, if you look at Luke 13:11, we find the woman with the spirit of infirmity. It clearly tells us that she was bound by Satan, but who was carrying out the actual dirty work? A spirit of infirmity! Luke 13:11,16, "And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmityeighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.
And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?"Our enemy is obviously Satan, but it's not him that we directly struggle against, it's against the demonic army of evil spirits that is under his rule. It is important that we learn who our enemy is and how he carries out his plans, so we can effectively wage spiritual war against them.

THE DESTINY OF THE WORLD

We are living in the most solemn period of this world’s history. The destiny of earth’s teeming multitudes is about to be decided. Our own future well-being and also the salvation of other souls depend upon the course which we now pursue. We need to be guided by the Spirit of truth. Every follower of Christ should earnestly inquire: “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” We need to humble ourselves before the Lord, with fasting and prayer, and to meditate much upon His word, especially upon the scenes of the judgment. We should now seek a deep and living experience in the things of God. We have not a moment to lose. Events of vital importance are taking place around us; we are on Satan’s enchanted ground. Sleep not, sentinels of God; the foe is lurking near, ready at any moment, should you become lax and drowsy, to spring upon you and make you his prey.

Many are deceived as to their true condition before God. They congratulate themselves upon the wrong acts which they do not commit, and forget to enumerate the good and noble deeds which God requires of them, but which they have neglected to perform. It is not enough that they are trees in the garden of God. They are to answer His expectation by bearing fruit. He holds them accountable for their failure to accomplish all the good which they could have done, through His grace strengthening them. In the books of heaven they are registered as cumberers of the ground. Yet the case of even this class is not utterly hopeless. With those who have slighted God’s mercy and abused His grace, the heart of long-suffering love yet pleads. “Wherefore He saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, ... redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:14-16.
When the testing time shall come, those who have made God’s word their rule of life will be revealed. In summer there is no noticeable difference between evergreens and other trees; but when the blasts of winter come, the evergreens remain unchanged, while other trees are stripped of their foliage. So the falsehearted professor may not now be distinguished from the real Christian, but the time is just upon us when the difference will be apparent. Let opposition arise, let bigotry and intolerance again bear sway, let persecution be kindled, and the halfhearted and hypocritical will waver and yield the faith; but the true Christian will stand firm as a rock, his faith stronger, his hope brighter, than in days of prosperity.

DISCOVER HOW YOU CAN HAVE A HAPPY LOVE LIFE

Peradventure, you are dating a woman or a man in hope of getting married, or you are already married, you should be able to define in clear terms the essence of the relationship as well as what you are supposed to do so as to make the relationship work well.

Firstly, you need to ask the following questions?
What does my spouse stand to profit from me?
How much am I giving to make this relationship healthy?
In courtship or marriage, each partner should give his or her true commitment to the other party; and should seek to discover his or her values, goals, fears, feelings, thoughts, beliefs, etc. Love is commitment, and commitment is responsibility.

It should be critically noted that marriage relationship will never be automatically successful because you have come together. To ensure success, responsibilities must be taken to build the relationship.

True commitment takes responsibilities by seeking to develop one’s spouse spiritually, mentally, intellectually, emotionally, and socially. True commitment seeks to meet personal and mutual needs for the growth of the love relationship, for love grows in intensity when it is nurtured through individual as well as mutual commitment of the spouses involved.

There should be sharing and caring for each other, that is, giving oneself (what you are) and what you have to meet the needs of the other. Mutual contributions to the marital life, whose starting point is the courtship or dating period, consolidate or strengthen the bond of love between the man and the woman.

Either of the two should not be mindful of what he or she can gain, for love is unselfish; but rather what he or she can give to promote love, peace and harmony. True love is sacrificial. It is more blessed to give than to receive. Giving true love by word and deed to your spouse makes you more blessed with love, peace and security – there will be soundness in your bosom (heart and mind). That love will be reciprocated. Give it first, and then it will flow back to your heart.

A person once noted, saying, “What either the Man (husband) or the Woman (wife) wants more than any other thing is to be loved. Success begins in our marriage by becoming the seed of the love and care that we desire from our partner…A man who loves and cares for his wife would definitely always get the best of his wife.” How?Basically, a principle in love relationship is that it is of the man to love while it is of the woman to respond to love. This is a natural marital phenomenon that should be in every marriage relationships.

If any of the partners fails to deliver his or her part, the marriage will fail.Therefore, in any relationship where this principle is broken, there will be a break-up in companionship and friendship by virtue of the resultant conflicts which may eventually lead to termination of courtship, or divorce if the two are married. That is what every couple should avoid.

As stated earlier on, it takes the two partners to make a successful marriage. It should be noted that for this principle to work in any marital relationship, it is imperative that each partner knows the real, core meanings and values of that thing called ‘love’ in all senses! Our rewards in marriage are determined by our love and cares for each other. The health of a relationship is an index of characters put into it.

At this juncture, it is worth stating that during courtship, the two of you should seek to strike a balance between your differences, deal with your personal weaknesses that may destroy the relationship, and devise effective marriage plan that will help to build the home of your dream. Nothing works without adequate planning and preparation.

WHAT WOMEN WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP: 7 HOT NEEDS OF YOUR SPOUSE

Women are creatures of desire. This is because they are emotional beings, and what women want in arelationship goes down to their personality of which men should thoroughly understand.Having a good relationship requires knowing the innate needs of women. What women what in a relationship varies but the following are general needs.
1. Affection
2. Admiration
3. Attraction
4. Attention
5. Addiction
6. Adaptation
7. Addition

1. Affection: what women want in a relationship above all else is affection. They want to know that they are loved and valued in their relationships with men. Hold them by hand as you walk together. Help her in household chores once in a while just for the fun of it. Be kind and affectionate in your words; women are moved by what they hear. Men should be lovely in word and in deed.

2. Admiration: Women want men to admire them. They know this admiration when men are fond of them. Do not compare her with her friends; rate her well as being loveable. Respect her and her feelings.

3. Addiction: as a man, if you are truly in love with a woman, you will be addicted to her. It will be difficult to separate from her because she is interesting, caring, loving and well-behaved. Addiction is cleaving to a woman in spite of differences and weaknesses; they want men to forbear and stick to them.

4. Attraction: Men are able to conquer women’s hearts because of emotional attraction; women want their men to be attractive always. They want their emotions to be lively. Many men who don’t know what women want in a relationship just act on irrationally. There is something in every man that attracts a woman. It could be in terms of character, appearance, or temperaments. Men should make themselves attractive in those things. Be a person that your woman would love to be with and be proud of.

5. Attention: The desire for intimacy is in every woman. Give yourself to them. Spend time with your woman. Listen attentively to her. It is wrong to throw off women’s opinions as trivial matters. Let them express themselves. Women want men to be available wherever they want them to be with them anywhere, for instance while cooking, shopping, or camping.

6. Adaptation: Women want men who will adapt to their temperaments. They want men who will accept them for who they are. One area is the need to validate their feelings. Men are logical in reasoning while women are emotional, yet they like men who validate their feelings without discarding their sphere of reasoning. Feel everything with them.

7. Addition: Reasonable women want men that will contribute positively to her life. Women do not like men whose intent is to take advantage of them for selfish reasons. They want a love relationship that helps them to improve in all areas of their being as well as endeavours.

Women what more value to be added to their feminine nature and personality.In all, what women want in a relationship is happiness and this is possible in respect of the above needs when men meet them satisfactorily.

11 WAYS TO DECREASE RELATIONSHIP STRESS

Stress has an insidious way of undermining every aspect of our health and happiness. Nowhere is this more obvious then in our closest and most valued relationships. Have the anxieties and pressures of daily life or a constricting economy begun to seep into your home life?When we are stressed out, we need to feel that our home is a safe haven where we can find relief and comfort. A happy relationship can make all the difference during challenging times. Sadly, more and more couples are experiencing the divisive influence of outside stress in their relationship with their mate.

Growing closer while facing challenges

Are there steps we can take to protect the happiness of our relationship during trying times? When the pressure rises, is there some way for couples to actually draw closer rather than allowing their relationship to be torn apart?Handled correctly, challenging experiences can actually bring couples closer together. This is not to say that they will be immune to the stress. What it means is that working together and facing their challenges as a unified partnership can deepen their bond and add new depth to their relationship.

11 ways to decrease relationship stress

1. Avoid making negative assumptions. If something happens that you have no control over, don’t make things worse by assuming the worst. If someone loses their job it doesn’t help to conclude that you will also lose your home and everything you have worked for. Instead of focusing on the negative possibilities, sit down with your mate and discuss possible solutions. If you work together in a creative way you may be able to turn this challenge into an opportunity. This is the time to let your partnership shine.

2. Don’t be critical or assign blame. 

The blame game is very destructive to a relationship and it never contributes to unity. The goal here is to draw closer as a couple, not to alienate your best friend and life partner. The same goes for being critical of one another, all that will do is divide the relationship. Let’s face it, sometimes bad things happen, that’s just the way life is. Looking at each challenge as an opportunity to strengthen your relationship bond will help you avoid the temptation to blame your mate.

3. Acknowledge your partner’s concerns. 

If something goes wrong and we feel responsible, it is easy to turn defensive when our partner expresses their concerns. Rather that turning it into a confrontation by defending ourselves, we need to put our egos aside and acknowledge their concerns with an understanding heart. If we are truly partners then we are in it together. That means we probably have similar concerns that we need to work on in a spirit of cooperation.

4. Respond rather than react.

 The difference between a response and a reaction has to do with the amount and type of emotion that’s involved. When we just react to bad news it is very likely that our reaction will also include a negative emotional component. If we choose to respond rather than react, our knee jerk reaction will be softened by our desire to maintain peace and unity in our relationship. A response allows room for more positive emotions like compassion and understanding.

5. Honor each other’s feelings. 

The way men and women respond to stress is often very different. To the man, it might seem like she is attaching too much emotional significance to the situation. To the woman, it might seem like he is just blowing it off or ignoring the problem. Recognizing that we all express our concerns in different ways makes it easier to honor the feelings and expressions of our mate. The fact that we express our feelings differently does not mean that one person’s way is more valid than their mate’s, it’s just different.

6. Identify the real source of the stress. 

If we are feeling stress in our relationship, we need to figure out where it is coming from. If the source of the stress is external (outside the relationship), don’t treat it like a relationship problem. See it for what it is! Statistically, money issues account for more relationship problems than any other source. But in reality, money is a financial problem. It only becomes a relationshipproblem if you let it. Working together as partners is a much more effective way to solve money problems than fighting about it.

7. Treat your mate with respect. 

There is an old saying that familiarity breeds contempt. How sad is that? Unfortunately, we tend to be less resourceful when we are under stress. The last thing we want to do under those conditions is be disrespectful to the person we share our life with. In reality, it’s not familiarity that breeds contempt; it’s a lack of respect and consideration. You can promote unity and decrease relationship stress by always maintaining a high level of respect for your partner, regardless of the challenges you face.

8. Seek opportunities to encourage each other. 

How do you feel when your partner expresses confidence in you? It’s encouraging, isn’t it? And this is especially true during those challenging times when you may be experiencing feelings of self-doubt. Nothing lifts us up and restores our confidence like the encouragement of our special someone. Mutual encouragement is one of the most powerful anti-stress toolsyour relationship has, be sure to make good use of it. Instead of waiting for stressful situations to present themselves, why not seek every opportunity to be encouraging.

9. Differentiate between the relationship and the problem. 

It is vital to always recognize the difference between the actual relationship and the problems and challenges you face. The love you feel for one another needs to be protected from the problems you encounter. Confusing the two is relationship suicide. To do this we need to work at confining our response to stress so it doesn’t poison our feeling about our mate.

10. Reaffirm your partnership often. 

It is important to remind yourself that you are allies in every struggle and challenge. Remind each other that you are there for your mate no matter what. If you make a mistake, being quick to apologize demonstrates your commitment to the partnership. Being forgiving has a similar effect. Regularly letting your partner sense how much you value the relationship will help clear away any doubts caused by trying situations.

11. Get help if you need it. 

When things get confusing, don’t be too proud or stubborn to seek qualified help. Sometimes we are so close to a situation that we lose our objectivity. An impartial third party like a relationship coach can often see things much more clearly and provide valuable insight at just the right time. If we truly value our closest relationship then we should be willing to do whatever it takes to strengthen those special bonds of love and unity.

WHAT TO DO WITH OUR FEELINGS FEAR, GUILT, SHAME, LOW SELF-ESTEEM, ETC.

Before I begin, I want to make it clear that I am only speaking of the stronghold/behavioral aspect of fear, guilt, etc. There ARE spirits of guilt, fear, worthlessness, etc. that can also be a factor and must be addressed (and driven out). However, if all we do is address the spirits but leave the strongholds in place, they are liable to return. This teaching deals strictly with the behavioral piece of the puzzle.

Feelings do not necessarily speak truth. If you feel guilty, it does not mean that you are guilty. Many times, feelings merely tell us what is going on in our thought life (or what we are really believing). If we think we are guilty, there will be feelings of guilt as the fruit of those thoughts or beliefs.

It's sort of like feeling a hot stove;feelings are meant to help alert us of something that is wrong. Feelings should not be ignored, but properly interpreted.

For example, if you feel guilty, don't start thinking "Oh, it must be true. I need to go confess my sins again and go try to dot every i and cross every t." That is letting feelings tell us what to do, and feelings can be (and often are) wrong.When we begin to feel guilty, we need to instead get to the root of the problem and address it with God's Word.

What does God's Word say about our guilt? It tells us that if we confess our sin and forsake it, we are forgiven and cleansed of whatever kind of unrighteousness that we've committed. When we choose to believe that over how we feel, then our feelings will begin to change because they are merely the fruit of our thoughts and beliefs. In this case, our feelings were wrong because our belief was wrong. Remember, feelings are just the fruit of our thoughts and beliefs. If we feel wrong, then it wouldn't hurt to stop and ask ourselves what we believe. Do we believe that when a man confesses his sin and believes upon Christ, that he is forgiven? Or do we, in the back of our minds, wonder if we've sinned too badly, or if we need to do something before we can be forgiven? Our feelings can be a great revealer of what we are really believing under the surface.

It is important to be balanced when dealing with our feelings. I don't think it's healthy to completely ignore our feelings, but I can assure you that it is not healthy to go by our feelings either.

The key is to learn how to discern what our feelings are really telling us, and then get to the root of the problem. Feelings of guilt, for example, do not necessarily mean that we are indeed guilty, but rather that our beliefs are not rooted and grounded on God's Word like they ought to be.

A dirty conscience should not be ignored, but rather investigated. False guilt is an indication of a faulty belief. Is a clean conscience important according to God's Word? Yes!

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews 9:14

So with that said, I believe it is important to have a clean conscience. But we can only have that clean conscience when we stand firm on God's Word and believe what it really says about the forgiveness of our sins. When we truly believe that the Blood of Christ has paid the full price for our failures, only then can we have a truly clean conscience. As long as we think that we've messed up too badly, or need to do something before we can be forgiven, we will live with a dirty conscience. That is because we don't truly believe we are forgiven, and when we don't believe that we're forgiven, how on earth can we expect to feel like it? We can't!

Fear is another feeling which is completely unnecessary in the life of a believer. How do we know this? God's Word tells us that perfect love casts out all fear. For those who think that fear is a natural and unavoidable feeling, God's Word tells us that "He who fears has not been made perfect in love."There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.1 John 4:18

Got fears? Don't believe them, but rather seek to be established and made perfect in God's great love for you. That will dispel those fears. What most people do is go by their feelings and believe them, rather than seeing them as a warning that something isn't right in their beliefs or thought lives. That is where many well intending Christians go in the ditch. Another ditch is to completely ignore those feelings (or warning signs), and do nothing about them. The question I ask you is, what are you doing about those feelings? Are you going by what you feel as if it were truth? Or are you asking yourself, "What am I thinking or believing that may not be aligned with God's Word?"Fear, like false guilt, is a result of believing something other than God's Word.

False guilt is when we choose to believe an imagination that has risen itself against the knowledge of God (see 2 Corinthians 10:4-5), even though God's Word assures us that when we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us of any sort of unrighteousness that we've committed.

Now of course, not all feelings should be interpreted as a fault in our thoughts or beliefs. There are times when then Holy Spirit will give a person an uneasy feeling about a situation (discernment), or maybe a burden to pray over somebody that we normally wouldn't pray over.

These types of feelings are used by God as a means to communicate with our spirits, and should not be ignored.However, what I am talking about in this teaching is feelings of low self-esteem, fear, false guilt, shame, etc. Feelings along these lines are spelled out clearly in God's Word as being completely unnecessary for the children of God. What these types of feelings (false guilt, fear, etc.) have in common is that they are rooted in a belief or imagination that has risen itself against the knowledge of God (what is spoken clearly in His Word).

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; 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;
2 Corinthians 10:4-5.

JUST DO IT

As important as faith is, however, that alone won't get the whole job done. You can't just sit around believing on the inside and doing nothing on the outside.

For faith to come alive you have to take action. As James 2:26 says, "faith without works is dead."You can see the connection between "doing" and receiving in the very first miracle Jesus ever performed.

I especially like to think about this miracle because it was clearly not a miracle Jesus planned to do. It was one that was drawn out of Him by the person who most wanted that miracle—

His own mother Mary.

John 2 tells us that she and Jesus were attending a wedding in Cana of Galilee and the host ran out of wine. Mary looked to Jesus to do something about it. He told her His time to do such things had not yet come but her faith was unshaken. She continued to expect a miracle and she turned to the servants and said: 

Whatever He says to you, do it.

Now there were six waterpots of stone standing there, as the Jewish custom of purification (ceremonial washing) demanded, holding twenty to thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, Fill the waterpots with water. So they filled them up to the brim. Then He said to them, Draw some out now and take it to the manager of the feast [to the one presiding, the superintendent of the banquet] (verses 5-8, The  Bible).

What happened when the servants did what Jesus said?

They saw a miracle. The water was turned into wine!It would serve us well to always remember what Mary told the servants that day. She said, "Whatever He tells you to do, do it." That's one of the major keys to receiving a miracle.

Whatever the Lord says to you—do it.

If the Lord tells you to get up and run, get up and run. If He tells you to dance and shout, then dance and shout. One time a man attended Healing School and during the meeting the Lord told him to run. He didn't want to run in the meeting so he ran out the door, ran outside and ran around the block. If you think that's silly, think again because he came back in healed!

Whatever the Lord tells you to do, do it!

If he tells you to repent of something, you repent. If he tells you to forgive someone, forgive them. He knows what you can do that will bring you into position to receive. So listen for His instructions, then obey!