HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Don't let the spooks get you spooked :-)

HEALING ISN'T ALWAYS AN INSTANT MIRACLE

My knee started hurting, then my thigh, then my back and I forgot to just ask for wisdom from the Lord on what it was and what to do to make it go away. I took ibuprophen and was handling it myself. The pain subsided somewhat, but it wasn’t going away. I persevered on my own for about two weeks and it was wearing me down. I finally woke up spiritually, took it to the Lord and asked my roommate to pray for me. I went off to work like every other day. Only this day I got the revelation of what was causing my pain and the revelation of how to get rid of it.

As I sat down on the floor to patch and touch up the baseboard and then crawled along to the next spot, I got the news flash – I was sitting in a scrunched down position with both legs tucked under me to the side and I was bent over. I put my legs on the other side and the same exact pinch happened on the other side and I realized I’d been sitting and crawling in this position for about two weeks, 7 hours a day. No wonder I was having pinches and pain. I made a conscious effort to change how I was positioning myself and the pain dissipated and is nearly gone.

Just because you don’t have an instant miracle of healing, doesn’t mean God’s not healing you. He’s given us many ways to get pain free and to get healed up.

God designed our bodies to heal themselves. If we take care of our bodies, natural healing comes faster.

Also a key I’ve learned is that certain sicknesses and diseases and demons too need specific environments to thrive in, so changing our bodily environment on the inside will cause the disease to die or the destructive evil spirit to leave.

There’s much to learn about healing but whenever we get sick there is always one thing we should do first and that’s take it to the Lord in prayer. Ask Him, “Should I go to the doctor? Ask someone to pray for me? Drink more water and take a couple aspirin? What should I do, Lord?”

We ask for His wisdom on what to do to get healed. God wants us to be healthy, so He’s glad to give us His wisdom.

James 3:17 says, “The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” And James 4:2 says, “Ye have not, because ye ask not.” So we need to ask.

If we’re unsure about really hearing from the Lord, or unsure of what we think He answered, then we can ask a trusted Christian friend to corroborate or at least pray.

God says of himself, “I am the Lord that healeth thee” (Ex 15:27). Whether it be through a doctor, a prescription, a miracle, a dietary plan or just change your position on the floor, a healthy body and a sound mind (2Tim 1:7) are important in God’s good plan for our lives.

Love, Carolyn

Check out Amazon to see what other true life stories I have available. They all deal with applying Biblical principles to our everyday lives. Here’s the link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Wings+Carolyn+Molica

BE LOUDER THAN THE VOICES IN YOUR HEAD

I was starting to get symptoms of a cold. The symptoms just kept getting worse and the voice in my head said, “I’ve got a cold.” I hadn’t spoken anything out loud yet and instantly I knew I needed to shout: “The Bible says, by Jesus stripes I was healed, so I’m healed!” My cold symptoms were gone overnight.

Sometimes we need to shout louder than the thoughts in our head—drown them out with a shout of God’s word (the truth). For those of you who aren’t shouters, you can speak His truth in your most assertive “outside voice.” Authoritative self-talk or self-speak with God’s truths can have a powerful and positive effect on an apathetic, wandering, or bored mind. It can rescue and release us from being lazy, the victims of “maybe” or “I hope so.”  And it can put a stop to confusion.

There’s a great example of this principle in John 11 where Jesus shouted to Lazarus to come forth from the grave. He had all kinds of negative words and thoughts coming at Him. First of all the religious leaders were trying to shame Him in front of the people. Even Lazarus’ sisters were bothered by the fact that Jesus hadn’t come earlier, and they said so. It had been four days since he died and friends had gathered to grieve. What did they think and speak when Jesus showed up late and told them the dead Lazarus was going to live?

Since the Bible tells us Jesus was tempted in every way that we’re tempted, His mind would have been bombarded by all kinds of negative thoughts (Heb 4:15). The discord of inaudible voices in the air was thick, raucous and confusing. I’ve been in situations where I could almost hear people’s negative thoughts and accusations and I bet you’ve been in situations like that too.

But Jesus put his faith in what God told Him and in the midst of the confusion He stood in front of the tomb and He shouted, “Lazarus, come out!”  “And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, ‘Loose him, and let him go’” (John 11:43-44).

We need to be assertive with the truth we speak to ourselves. We are not victims of our environments. Our faith isn’t insipid or limp, but “strong in the Lord and the power of His might” (Eph 6:10).

Jesus shouted louder and with more authority than the voices of cultural norm; life returned to Lazarus. Against the thoughts in my head, I shouted God’s healing words to my cold symptoms; my good health returned to me. We are so blessed to have great spiritual power available to us. (1 Pet 2:24)

Love, Carolyn

FREE download WINGS Sample book: MIRACLES. Here’s the link: http://www.amazon.com/WINGS-Journey-Faith-Sample-Miracles-ebook/dp/B00BMW8Y7Q/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1414285937&sr=8-10&keywords=Wings+Carolyn+Molica  

TAKING TIME TO CELEBRATE

(Photo is “Warrior Carolyn” on the rooftop with Branch and Sword J)

TAKING TIME TO CELEBRATE

I took my saw and clippers up the ladder and onto the roof. My pyracantha bush, which produces lots of red berries for the birds, was starting to send branches out over my roof. For about two months I’ve been looking at the branches grow and knew I had to get up there and cut them before the stems got too thick. I was thinking it would be kind of a hard job and really a hot one too.

Like so many things in life, once I got started I had a great time and when I was done it looked awesome and I was feeling pretty great about my accomplishment.

Ecclesiastes 3:13 says, “Every man should enjoy the good of all his labor, it is the gift of God.”

Even if we have a job where we get a paycheck, we all have other things we work at where our payment is something other than money. We can get paid with so many different things and we need to take a look at those things and appreciate ourselves. God appreciates us.

We aren’t supposed to just work and work and work until we exhaust ourselves. Most of us need to celebrate more. God says we’re supposed to ENJOY THE GOOD OF ALL OUR LABOR, not just the good from the paycheck we get from our day jobs, but the good we get from anything we work at. Do we get a good feeling of accomplishment? The satisfaction of a small victory? Do we get a thank you from someone? A pride in a new skill learned? Do we feel good about doing something we’ve been putting off for a while? There are many good results from our labors and lots of reasons to celebrate because we work at a variety of tasks.

Just think of some things you work at: Do you work at exercising? Eating well? Going to bed on time? Do you work at not gossiping? At paying your bills on time? Do you work at saying something kind every day? Do you work at spending more time with your kids? Do you work at learning new things?

Whatever we labor at, God says we need to take the time to CELEBRATE. It’s His gift to us.

“Hey, (fill in your name), great job! You did it!”

Love, Carolyn

I’m offering free printable PDF files of any of my WINGS Sample books. There’s some great ones including MIRACLES, COMFORT, WORKS OF FAITH, BIBLE STUDIES, and SUPERNATURAL POWERS. Each book has 6 or 7 chapters.  Find the one you want on this link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Wings+Carolyn+Molica

Then e-mail me your preference at carolynmolica@yahoo.com

GOD'S RAVENS: UNPREDICTABLE AND UNIQUE

Now that the raven had all the cracker pieces neatly organized in his beak he hopped down to the bottom of his large enclosure and placed the neat stack to one side. He dug a shallow hole with his whiskered beak, put two pieces in the hole and raked some dirt over it so there was no sign of cracker at all—only dirt. He took the remaining pieces in his beak. Clippity clop hopping in raven fashion to the other side of his enclosure, he dug another hole and buried the rest of the crackers. I was in awe. Finally I understood the record in 1 Kings 17 about Elijah being fed by the ravens: The ravens had already buried the food; it was just waiting for the time when God wanted it brought out to Elijah.

“And the word of the Lord came unto him [Elijah], saying, Get thee hence, and hide thyself by the brook. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord and the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening” (1 Kgs 17: 3-6).

Now this may not have been an ideal situation and the bread and meat may have been a little crusty, but Elijah was thankful. God’s provision for him had been totally unpredictable and definitely unique.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” We need to trust that the Lord loves us and will provide for us even though our paths may be rocky at times. If we’ll look to the Lord Jesus to guide us through, it will work out better than we could possibly imagine.

When circumstances or decisions are hard, we can remember Isaiah 43:19 “I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”

We learn to expect the unpredictable and unique when it comes to God watching over us. When we keep our eyes on Jesus like it says in Hebrews 12:2 “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,” He will always have things set up for us to get us to the other side and to the good results He has for us.

When I got ready to write my first book, I had no idea of how to get started. The Lord was way ahead of me. Wendy, one of my closest friends, was publishing on-line for her job so she was able to help me. My other friend Maarit was an excellent editor and that was no coincidence either. God already had my girl ravens set up to bless me and I blessed them too. (Some people are afraid of ravens but I think they’re awesome!) When I decided to start an art career I “happened” to go into a place in Kansas City to buy a drawing pencil. I came out with a job: making molds in the sculpture foundry and gallery.

I moved across country and interviewed for a secretarial job. I ended up telling the woman I really would rather work in the arts. She gave me a client’s number and the first thing my new boss asked is if I knew how to make a mold for a sculptural piece. That started my 25 years of an ongoing career in the arts. Again no coincidence, but God preparing ahead of time just for me and I never saw it coming.

If we continue in our hearts to want to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, He will never, never let us down.

The ravens are already burying your crackers and steak.

Love, Carolyn

PS: The raven picture is from the neighbors across the street J

FREE this weekend, WINGS Sample Book C: WORKS OF FAITH.  Here’s the link: http://www.amazon.com/WINGS-Journey-Faith-Sample-C-ebook/dp/B00DFPWNZM/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1413656497&sr=8-7&keywords=Wings+Carolyn+Molica

I’m also offering a free printable PDF file of any of my WINGS Sample books. Each book has 6 or 7 chapters.  Find the one you want on this link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Wings+Carolyn+Molica . E-mail me your preference at carolynmolica@yahoo.com

OUR PETS TEACH US ABOUT TRUST

Peanut our little rescue dog, and Snickers our big fluffy 15 year old cat never worry about getting fed. When one of us goes into the kitchen toward the big white box, they both come running in and stand at attention looking up to see what goodies might come out of it for them.

When Peanut gets a special snack like a small piece of cheese or maybe even a small bite of a shortbread cookie (his favorite), he gently opens his mouth and lets us put the snack up to his mouth. He never grabs for it. He knows he doesn’t have to; there’s plenty more where that came from.

Snickers and Peanut like to eat together in front of the fireplace. They each have separate plates or napkins, and know whose is whose, but a lot of times they share. They’ve taught me how our relationship is to be with the Lord.

If we would only trust God like our pets trust us. Trust Him to open His big white box and give us what we need and what makes us happy. “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:19).

Trust Him that He’ll give us extra special snacks like shortbread cookies, “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Eph 3:20).

Trust there will always be more coming from God’s big white box then we’ll always have something to share. “Freely ye have received, freely give” (Mat 10:8).

Peanut and Snickers demonstrated a very valuable lesson on trust. And it’s almost time for another visit to the big white box.

Love, Carolyn

I’m offering free printable PDF files of any of my WINGS Sample books. There’s some great ones including MIRACLES, COMFORT, WORKS OF FAITH, BIBLE STUDIES, and SUPERNATURAL POWERS. Each book has 6 or 7 chapters.  Find the one you want on this link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Wings+Carolyn+Molica  Then e-mail me your preference at carolynmolica@yahoo.com

A BRIEF PEEK AT GRIEF

We changed our TV service and are getting fewer channels now. My roommate said, “Carolyn, I gotta tell you, I’m really having a problem with getting less channels. I miss not having baseball.” At that moment I realized that the loss of anything is like the death of it and as long as we live on this earth, there’s going to be grief that comes with any loss.

To try to ignore the grief is just as wrong as letting ourselves get trapped in it. It’s better to face the loss head on and admit to it. Different emotional reactions will surface and we have to let them happen. Then when we can, we move on.

Grieving is a universal phenomenon. There’s plenty of studies on sorrow and grief, but there’s still much to be learned about how it works, how long it takes, and the effects it has. The one thing we do know is that it’s a process and it varies with situations and people.

We can see from the Bible different examples of the grieving process. Signs included tearing one’s robe, weeping, having disheveled hair, putting dust and ashes into the hair or shaving the hair or beard. Other indications of sorrow included wearing black or sad-colored clothing, removal of ornaments or neglect of person, fasting or abstinence in meat or drink, and wearing sackcloth. Sackcloth was made of goat or camel hair and was course and uncomfortable. One Bible dictionary said that men were generally more silent in grief and women more vocal and demonstrative.

These were things that exhibited in ancient times, but the grieving process hasn’t really changed much over the years. Just one example I can think of is female friends who’ve done something to change the style or color of their hair after a divorce. I don’t know if it’s even a conscious decision or just part of the inward, inherent grief reaction.

In the Bible, the days of mourning also varied. In the case of Jacob it was 70 days (Gen 50:3). In Saul’s case, only 7 days (1 Sam 31:13). In Moses’ time the official period of grief was 30 days.

When Moses died and the allowable 30 days was over, God told Joshua it was time for him to get up and get going. I think that a lot of times we need someone with insight to help us get going too, to wake us up out of our grief and get us to move on before the sorrow destroys us or makes us morose.

I know I needed a push when my dog Spike passed away. I was so sad I couldn’t see getting a new dog and had convinced myself that I couldn’t get one because of the cat. My friend Miki kept pestering me with pictures of rescue dogs that needed homes and I kept pushing the idea away. Then my roommate Jane rescued a dog from the alley. We made two failed attempts at giving him away and finally got the message: “Keep the dog!” My time of grief was supposed to be over and God was working through insightful people, forcing me to move on.

When God pushed Joshua, it was a new thing for him. Moses was gone and now he had the responsibility to lead God’s people. I’m sure it was a little intimidating. Any time we have to embrace something new, after losing something we loved, it’s hard. But we don’t have to do it alone. God told Joshua, “Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9).

When we lose our loved ones, or if we lose our homes, our jobs, our 150 channels, it’s right to grieve those things. It’s good to recognize and face loss head on, then realize the loss has opened up an opportunity to seek and trust the Lord for what will be next.

In Isaiah 48:6 God promises He will show us new things, hidden things that we’ve never known before. “I have shown thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.”

We put our hope in God and the Lord Jesus Christ, that when the grieving process has run its course, there will be something wonderful and new to enjoy. And one of the greatest things we have to look forward to is the day when all grief will be gone.

When Heaven comes, “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain” (Rev 21:4). What an amazing and awesome promise to all who have chosen to believe and accept Jesus Christ as Lord.

Love, Carolyn

FREE  WINGS: HOLIDAY SECTION. Just click on the link:  http://www.amazon.com/WINGS-Journey-Faith-Earthly-Heavenly-ebook/dp/B007CNJ8I8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412333292&sr=8-1&keywords=Wings+part+4+Carolyn+molica

Also if you’d like a FREE PDF printable copy of any of my sample books, go to Amazon and just let me know at carolynmolica@yahoo.com  which one you’d like.

HESITATION ISN'T ALWAYS A BAD THING

I admire the artists who can paint holiday decorations on storefront windows. I’ve never done it, but recently I was asked to do something similar for a friend on her sliding glass doors. I jumped at the opportunity. But when she said she wanted a New York skyline, just simple and fast, I should have hesitated and politely said no.

I know how I operate and the first attempt doing a new project with new media and new techniques is never “simple and fast.” I’ve painted murals and portraits and columns and many other things, but never decorations on windows. It’s not really my style of painting so everything would be new.

As I started to do research on the project and thought through how to go about it, I was getting more and more stressed. It wasn’t that I was afraid. I can work through "afraid" pretty well. But this feeling was more of a foreboding. I think we’ve all felt it at times. I was willing to do the project and wanted to do it, but no matter how excited I wanted to be about it, I just had no peace.

I went to the local art stores, checked on materials, found out about techniques and did a lot of thinking about the images I wanted to use. In time alone, I used up more than the job warranted and I basically used up any money I expected to make on the project.

Finally I realized I’d gotten myself into a big mess. I could feel my shoulders hunching and I was overly agitated and way too stressed out about it. I had to tell my friend I just couldn’t do it. She totally understood and I was relieved. I’d still like to do a project like this but not for someone else until I’ve practiced on my own windows first!

Lessons learned:

1. Don’t be too quick to jump into something I’m not qualified for, no matter how fun it looks.

2. If I want to do something well, get some practice first.

3. If I really feel uneasy about something, it’s okay to politely say no.

4. If I don’t have peace about a project, maybe I shouldn’t be doing it.

I think these principles apply to many things in life. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Be careful [overly anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

So if you’re getting overly anxious about a project, it’s time to rethink it and take it to the Lord like it says here in Philippians.

Love, Carolyn                                                                                                                                                          

I’m offering free printable PDF files of any of my WINGS Sample books. There’s some great ones including MIRACLES, COMFORT, WORKS OF FAITH, BIBLE STUDIES, and SUPERNATURAL POWERS. Each book has 6 or 7 chapters.  Find the one you want on this link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Wings+Carolyn+Molica

Then e-mail me your preference at carolynmolica@yahoo.com

GOD SHOUTS AT THE PERFECT STORM

I congratulated Shelley, “Wow, you’ve lost 90 pounds and you look awesome!” She didn’t even smile, “I don’t feel like it. I just can’t see any difference.” Ninety pounds and she couldn’t see any difference? Everyone could see it, but she couldn’t. She told me that she was having problems in her family and wasn’t allowed to see her grandson. And there were issues with work that were exasperating. She was spiraling downhill, being hit on every side. This chain of events is what I call the perfect storm.

“The perfect storm” is a term meteorologists use to describe a storm of astronomical power and devastation. It’s caused by a number of separate events mobilizing to drastically aggravate the circumstances and produce a storm of extreme magnitude.

Sometimes we feel like our lives have been thrown into that kind of storm—no way out, nowhere to turn for safety, no rest, no escape. Swirling in the perfect storm makes us feel like we’re drowning and we can hardly breathe.

In Psalm 18:5 David says, “The sorrows of hell compassed me about.” The original Hebrew for “sorrows” translates “a noose tied together twisting around so that there is no escape.” And the Hebrew for “compasses” means “whirl around on every side, surround, besiege, and enclose.” When we’ve felt horribly attacked, hurt from every side and spiraling uncontrollably down, this is what David is describing here in Psalm 18.

David didn’t mind telling God that the enemy was too strong for him. Like in the movie titled “The Perfect Storm,” even the strongest and smartest guy found that there was no escape. Like that guy, sometimes we have to admit that we truly can’t handle it, and that’s okay with God.

What happens when this overwhelming storm of attacks surrounds a person? They can get swallowed up like Jonah, or nearly drowned in a hurricane like Paul (Acts 27) or pulled down in agony and terror like David. I’ve seen people end up in the hospital, or in my own case one time thrown into a long and miserable suicidal depression.

This kind of intense spiraling spiritual attack is no small matter. The oppressiveness mounts up like floods and the pot get stirred around and around by Satan himself. We have to remember that it’s not the people who are attacking us, but the demons that are behind the very thoughts and actions of the evil that comes against us.

But our God is much more powerful than anything Satan can manipulate. I’ve seen from studying different records in the Bible that God has a specific remedy for the perfect storm.

When David called on God to help him, God got up off His throne and He roared:

The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.

Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them. (Ps 18:13-14)

God said He “discomfited” them, which in Hebrew means He made an uproar; He agitated them and destroyed them.  In verse 15 we’re told that God discomfited them with a loud “rebuke at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.” We’re also told in that verse that the roots of the attacks on David were “discovered.” The Hebrew for that word tells us the demons were “exposed, shamelessly revealed, stripped and exiled.” I just love that.

At the blast of God’s breath David was sprung out from Saul’s attempts to destroy him. A blast from God and Jonah was thrown safely onto the beach. By the loud strong words of Paul, the broken up ship was hurled to shore but all lives were saved, including his.

When I saw the perfect storm of spiritual attack on my friend Shelley, God gave me strong loud words of deliverance to shout out, in the name of Jesus Christ. I didn’t have to be there in her presence for Satan and his devils to hear God’s rebuke. The demons were exposed and defeated!

In just a couple hours I got confirmation of her deliverance: She posted a new picture of herself in her skinny jeans and a great big smile, and another photo showing a current snapshot of her with her grandson. I found out later that the work issues also turned out to her benefit.

When confronted with this kind of perfect storm situation, we need to shout or speak with a strong word, not a polite asking. Think about yelling at a sports event. Even the quietest and meekest can get up a good yell.

Clear your lungs and your life with a good shout! It has to be from a standpoint of believing in what you’re doing and believing in the power of our God to rescue. The Lord will give the words. We just have to start. No devil, not Satan himself can stand up against the powerful roar of our God! Believe and receive.

Our God is greater than any storm.

Love, Carolyn

Get a FREE download of Part 4 of WINGS: A Journey in Faith. 15 stand-alone true life stories applying Bible principles to real life situations. http://www.amazon.com/WINGS-Journey-Faith-Earthly-Heavenly-ebook/dp/B007CNJ8I8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412333292&sr=8-1&keywords=Wings+part+4+Carolyn+molica

Also if you’d like a FREE PDF printable copy of any of my sample books, go to Amazon and just let me know at carolynmolica@yahoo.com  which one you’d like.

ISIS Today and Nineveh 2800 Years Ago

When I studied and wrote about Jonah the other day, the Lord jolted me with two instructions. The first was to look up the location of Jonah’s Nineveh and see if it is the same as where ISIS is murdering people today. It is. And the demons are just as viscous now as they were over 2800 years ago in Jonah’s time.

I read this in Holman’s Bible Dictionary about Nineveh in Jonah’s time: “They fought with the Israelites continually, their brutality renowned. They impaled their enemies on stakes in front of their towns, hung their heads from trees and covered city walls with the skins of their victims. And when they took prisoners they tortured them—men, women and children—by hacking off body parts, gouging out their eyes or tearing off their lips or hands.” Horrendous inhumane deeds, then and now: same evil brought about by the same demons.

Now I see why Jonah ran the other way when God told him to go to Nineveh. And that brings me to the second instruction God gave me: pray for the soldiers of ISIS. Some of them will turn. I sure wasn’t expecting that!

Right after I got both instructions I looked at the news on the computer and saw a video of an ISIS defector. It was God’s assurance to me and I know there will be more.

Jonah didn’t want God to do anything good for any of those murderers. And I wasn’t all that thrilled about praying for any of them either. But we have to remember who our God is. He “has no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God.” He says, “wherefore turn yourselves, and live” (Eze 18:32). We can pray that some will turn. The defectors are doing just that.

Another scripture we can pray is Isaiah 55:7 “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” I pray some will see and witness firsthand the greatness of our God and change allegiance.

But some will need a heftier impetus and motivation to change. Some will need to be brought to their knees and stripped of their power before they would even think of changing. God has put scriptures in the Bible for that too.

We know that anyone committing such horrendous crimes against humanity are serving Satan, even if they don’t call it that. And Satan protects them, often pays them well, and feeds them a false sense of security.

But when we pray verses like “their bows shall be broken” (Ps 37:15), “his violent dealing shall come down upon his own head” (Ps 7:16), “let the creditor seize all that he has and let strangers plunder his labor. Let there be none to extend mercy to him” (Ps 109:6-13), “let their eyes be darkened so that they do not see; and make their loins shake continually” (Ps 69:23), “let the angel of the Lord chase them. Let their way be dark and slippery” (Ps 35:4-6); and from the New Testament, let envy and strife be among them, “for where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work” (James 3:16). I pray to God that the above things run rampant among the ISIS ranks.

Praying these scriptures is powerful prayer. God’s mighty angels, who “excel in strength, do his commandments and hearken to voice of his word” (Ps 103:20) will attack the demons who are protecting ISIS and working in them. God’s wonderful mighty angels will wreak havoc and destruction upon the plans and devices of the enemy, stripping them of their demon protectors and bringing them to their knees—putting them in the best place possible for switching allegiance.

God’s will has always been to save even the vilest of men. Have we forgotten how rotten the Apostle Paul was before his conversion?

He was a murderer of Christians just like ISIS followers and soldiers. Acts 9:1 says he was “breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord.” He was in charge, the leader who called for many to be murdered. Paul was one of those who Jesus called “children of hell” (Matt 23:15) and one of the generation of vipers. “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” (Matt 23:33).

The Christians in the first century church were powerful in prayer. I believe Jesus taught his disciples to pray for their enemies the way David did, the way I’ve shown you in this article. Paul’s miraculous change of allegiance, I believe, is an indication of this.

His conversion was astonishing. It didn’t come about by the Christians praying nice things for him or being extra kind to him. It came about by him being struck suddenly blind, thrown down from his horse and having a volatile encounter with Jesus himself.

Once Paul turned, the Christians in the area had peace. And that’s certainly what we want for the current day areas where ISIS is working.

Jesus said, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matt 5:44). I don’t think we’ve fully understood this verse. In situations where someone is committed to doing the devil’s work, the only good we can do for is pray for confrontation just like the Apostle Paul got; or that they be stripped of their power and see that the power of our God is greater.

I believe that if some of us will take these scriptures and pray them over the ISIS soldiers, we will see more turn from their evil actions.

I will pray for defection and astounding conversion, but I don’t stop there. I also pray strongly that if they don’t turn or are not going to turn, then I pray Ps 139:19 “Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God.”  I pray, “Destroy their plans and send strife among their members and let them even kill each other and be killed, in Jesus name. Amen.”

Jonah went to Nineveh and they changed their ways. Jesus confronted Paul and he changed. Some of you will confront the evil in these ISIS soldiers with the scriptures I’ve shared.  God bless you for that, and God help us all.

Love, Carolyn

If you’d like to read more about this kind of prayer, let me know. I have an awesome resource book by Dr. Dale Sides that will thrill you and educate you in this area of intercession for God’s people.