I love praying for people, it’s one of my favorite things to do. After my deliverance (read about that here) and experiencing the power of prayer, I love praying for people and seeing them get set free. When we find our voice and realize the power and authority we have over the the spiritual powers of this world (Colossians 2:6-10, 13-15) it’s hard NOT to speak out!
However, I have a confession. Even though I love praying for people, I have a really hard time praying for myself sometimes. The thing about demons is that (luckily) they can’t read our thoughts like the Lord can. I can talk to the Lord in my mind all day long, which I often do, because He knows my every thought (Psalm 139), but when it comes to the spiritual powers of this world, I have to actually use my voice to speak out against them.
Back in February I lost my voice, which turned into a week of gunk in my lungs and lots and lots of coughing. After a week of sleepless nights, no voice from coughing and my husband sleeping in the other room, I was trying to go to sleep one night, but I couldn’t. As I was laying in bed I started to get angry. WHY was I still coughing? Why wouldn’t it just go away!? I felt the nudge of the Lord to pray and rebuke the cough and the phlegm in my lungs, but I couldn’t. Well, I could have but I didn’t. I felt stuck, unable to speak out loud to release myself.
This is where I get hung up. I don’t know about you but walking around my house, praying out loud, when I’m all by myself, makes me feel a little crazy. Even writing this I know it’s so silly because I have full on conversations with the Lord, in my mind, which probably seems even crazier to some. The other thing that’s silly is that I’m BY MYSELF so who’s going to see/hear me? No one, except the Lord and the demons, so what’s the hang up?
I don’t know. I think what’s going on is that even though I have been set free from so much, somewhere in me I’m still believing a lie. Is it the lie that my voice is only powerful for others? Is it the lie that God only wants to use me to help others be set free? I honestly don’t know but it has to change!
What I do know is the truth, found in God’s word, which says,
The words of the reckless pierce like swords,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Proverbs 12:18
“The tongue has the power of life and death…” Proverbs 18:21
“The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue,
to know the word that sustains the weary.” Isaiah 50:5
Our tongue is one of the most powerful tools God has given us so we need to use it, we need to
no longer be silent!
The demons are afraid of us when we walk in the fullness of the Word, and our Christ-given power and authority. There is a battle raging all around us so we need to use every tool we’ve been given – especially our voice.
I’m sharing this with you while I’m in the middle of this process. I don’t have all the answers but I do know the truth, and what God’s word says. I know what I need to do, and I know I can’t do it alone, I need the Lord to help me. I guess the reason I’m writing this, as I’m still processing it, is because I feel that I’m probably not alone in this.
My feeling is that there are many of you who struggle with the same thing, which is totally okay, but it’s not okay to stay in this place. We must strive for more, we must fight for freedom, we have to break free and allow our voice to carry power for ourselves, not just for others.
We are being silenced because the enemy is afraid of what we are capable of in our full capacity of freedom and authority. Let’s not give him the pleasure anymore! Let’s break through the barrier, however hard it might feel, however silly it might feel, because the battle isn’t going away, if anything it’s ramping up, and we need to be prepared!
