The other week in Folsom, California, two ladies came together, both mothers of little children suffering from autism and other physical and mental issues. When they came for ministry, we witnessed a gentle touch of the Holy Spirit’s healing power for these children.

The first mama held onto her little girl, and this one responded in typical manner as one would expect, crying and refusal to look my way. I placed my hand upon her back as she hung on tightly with her arms wrapped around her mother’s neck. I renounced this autistic spirit that was torturing her. I no sooner spoke these words aloud than she stopped the intense crying, looked me in the eye, reached out to me and climbed into my arms, hung on tightly with her head on my shoulders. It was clearly not a normal behavior for her.

For those not accustomed to working with a person suffering from autism, one classic symptom of autism is they cannot look someone in the eye; they turn from visual contact. So this was a giant step for this little girl to instantly look me in the eye, not once, but continual looking me in the eye. And the second major step in the right direction was her reaching out to me, climbing into my arms, laying her head down and holding on tightly to me. Those who are familiar with autism know that these are two amazing steps towards this little girl’s complete freedom from this demonic attack against her life.

To help you understand, let me explain to you what takes place in this type of deliverance. I am accustomed to anyone plagued with a demon spirit (and yes, autism is both spiritual and physical), how the demon within them can’t handle the presence of the Holy Spirit and will cause the person suffering to scream, convulse and fight being in this place. The tactics of the spirit of fear are to frighten and cause the parents or others in authority over the child, regardless of age, to back off from the process and to enter into doubt and unbelief. But if you, their caregiver and protector will not falter in your spiritual authority during this process, their deliverance and healing will manifest.

And how the Spirit of God taught me years ago with our own son’s deliverance and healing was to first take my authority over a severe autistic spirit that plagued him. I did as He said, and right then and there, the demonic fit stopped and never returned.

After a few minutes of holding this little girl and releasing the love of the Holy Spirit over her by holding onto her tightly and praying in the Spirit over her, I handed her to someone else to continue on. The second mom stood in front of me with her little son who suffered from autism and many other issues, one being unable to walk without help. He basically did not leave his stroller due to all the autistic symptoms of suffering.

As this mother held her son who could not look people in the eye, I renounced the autistic spirit and released the healing power of the Holy Spirit into him. He too started to look each of us in the eye, and began to walk. He walked all around holding onto his mom’s hand, and the next afternoon, the mother returned with him and said he was walking with her all day.

What’s happening here? According to the words of Jesus, it is our faith that heals and makes us whole. “Then He said to him, “Rise, go your way. Your faith has made you well” (Luke 17:19). And I know that the Spirit of God meets us wherever our faith is. Faith calls out to the Spirit of God. It pleases Him. And as these mothers continue to release their faith, and learn to release it completely, the full manifestation of these healings, which are many, will manifest completely.

I pray this helps you in your journey with Jesus in your deliverance and healing process. {eoa}

Becky Dvorak is a prophetic healing evangelist and the author of DARE to Believe, Greater Than Magic and, soon to be released, The Healing Creed. Visit her at authorbeckydvorak.com.

This article originally appeared at authorbeckydvorak.com.

Those on Fixer Upper make Demo Day look like so much fun. Who wouldn’t want to smash stuff and tear things apart? However, when you realize your life needs a Demo Day and a total redesign, it suddenly doesn’t sound like fun anymore. When it’s a redesign by God, though, things can’t help but get better.

Free Makeover?

In my life there came a day when it felt like God looked at me and said, “It’s time for a total redesign, a total makeover.” At first that felt pretty good. Free makeover? Bring it on!

Then, the truth came out. For me to step into the redesign God had for me, I had to first go through my own personal demolition. It was going to take more than a day for the things that shouldn’t be in my life to be removed.

I had developed a really bad habit of using comfort foods to handle any emotions in my life. If I had a particularly trying day at work or a deadline I was trying to meet, I felt stressed and overwhelmed.

On the way home, I would go through fast food and get more than a full meal and then, take a drive in the country to eat, reward and comfort myself. Then, I’d be able to go home and fix a big supper for my family.

Seeking Fulfillment

This behavior helped me gain until my weight reached 430 pounds. These were pounds and pounds of stress, overwork and emotional discord. The stress and overwork were drives I had placed on myself, desires to prove that I was worth something in God’s kingdom. The emotional discord was how I felt when that somehow did not fulfill me.

While it is admirable to do things for God, it is not worthwhile unless we do things with God, unless God specifically calls us and anoints us to the work. Even then, we must do it with love and care for the body He gave us.

So many well-meaning Christians talk to me about how they feel comfort foods, fast foods and sugary foods have them captured in stronghold. They are on an endless performance treadmill of deadlines, speaking, singing, preaching, writing, coaching, counseling, building, growing churches and taking care of everyone else.

No Time for Me

The big problem is they have not taken time to care for their own bodies, souls and spirits. Now they are running on overload which leads to emptiness, extreme exhaustion and if they don’t do something soon, total breakdown.

It is vital for us to learn how to manage ourselves well if we are to walk in our anointing. Our bodies are the temples the Holy Spirit resides in here on this earth. One of the most important callings we have is to steward our bodies, thoughts, emotions and spiritual connection to God well.

“Haven’t you yet learned that your body is the home of the Holy Spirit God gave you, and that he lives within you? Your own body does not belong to you. For God has bought you with a great price. So use every part of your body to give glory back to God because he owns it” (1 Cor. 6:19-20, TLB).

How Do I Do That?

God reminds me often that His grace is enough. It’s all I need. His power is made complete in my weakness (see 2 Cor. 12:9). It’s OK for me to admit to God that I am weak around sugar and comfort foods and that I need His strength to resist those foods which are very addictive to me.

My demo season came when I recognized and surrendered to the fact that I am a sugar addict. It was as if I saw my body as a house with support beams made of mounds and mounds of sugary doughnuts, cakes, brownies and desserts. The floor was paved with caramels and the roof was made of chocolate bars. The walls were oatmeal cookies and the windows were toffee. The house was falling apart where windows, walls, floors and support beams had been eaten away.

This was not a fit home for me or the Holy Spirit. Everything had to go. We couldn’t live there anymore. In an instant, my desires changed. I no longer wanted to live in a house of decadent foods. I wanted to be free of the craving for more and more and more.

With God’s help, I had my demolition, removing the supports that no longer worked and putting an ever-increasing taste for God in their place.

God’s Design

He became my desire more than the foods that filled my pleasure senses. By eliminating the offending foods from my diet and my home, by concentrating on healthy foods and good exercise, the supports for my home began to become more of the design God always had in mind for me.

It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t instantaneous, but in the process, I lost over 250 pounds and discovered that the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (see Rom. 14:17).

Today, with my redesign becoming more and more clear every day, God called me to coach others how to climb out of food addiction and step into the design God has for them.

This is not about a diet as much as it is about being all God has for us to be. I share what worked for me and how others can find what works for them. I open up the Word of God and explain how God wants us to view this as a journey where we walk closer to Him so we can fit into the design plans He has for us. I encourage, support, uplift, answer questions, teach and provide resources.

Visible Display of Grace

Overcomers Community  is open now for those who are ready to do this journey God’s way. Remember, I don’t promise easy. That’s why I request those who come into the group voluntarily commit for at least six months at the low cost of $27/month.

It takes that long to learn how to step into habit changes that will last for the long haul. No lose then regain, then lose and regain even more. We want this to be the last time our members make an eating plan because it will be their forever plan.

God wants us to be a visible display of the infinite riches of His grace (see Eph. 2:7). It’s His grace that has kept us here this long. It’s His overflowing grace that forgives all our failures (see Eph. 1:7-8). It’s His good plans that will lead us into the destiny He has for us. {eoa}

Teresa Shields Parker is the author of seven books, all available on Amazon. Her latest book, Sweet Hunger: Developing an Appetite for God, is available now, and Sweet Grace: How I Lost 250 Pounds is the No. 1 Christian weight-loss memoir. She is also a writing and weight-loss coach, blogger, speaker, wife and mother. Visit her online at TeresaShieldsParker.com to find her books, coaching programs and free gifts.

This article originally appeared at teresashieldsparker.com. 

One of the things I’ve learned in marriage and motherhood is that if I don’t make myself a priority, I’m being selfish.

Yes, I know that sounds like a dichotomy.

How can focusing on myself be unselfish?

Making myself a priority doesn’t mean making myself the No. 1 priority, it just means that I’m not last on the list.

Or not on the list at all.

It also ensures that I am paying attention to myself, making sure I’m not running low on energy; making sure my spirit is fed; making sure that my emotional needs are being met.

These are all essential for us as women, wives and mothers because we bear so much responsibility.

• Making sure that we care for ourselves physically
• Making sure that we give extra attention to ourselves and rest more during hormonal changes
• Making sure that we tend to our spiritual needs
• Caring for our dietary needs so that our energy levels are optimum.

All of these are important. Self-care isn’t a humanistic idea or some Millennial, snowflake concept. It is wisdom, and it frees us to be able to serve our families the way they need.

4 Ways I’m Reviving My Personal Growth

1. Pray for yourself.

Yes, I have started each of these lists during this series with prayer. And that was intentional and very purposeful because nothing of value is every accomplished without prayer being at the very heart of it.

Here’s the thing, though.

We’ve sort of bought into this idea that praying for ourselves is selfish. We make sure we pray for everyone’s needs first, and then pray for ourselves with whatever time is left over—if there is any.

Most times there isn’t.

But what would happen if we made praying for our personal needs a priority? If we were able to pinpoint our weak areas and not just prayed over them, but interceded for change?

What would happen if we were to fast for a change in our life? For revival of our heart?

Praying for our personal needs isn’t selfish. It is the furthest thing from selfish. It is imperative!

If we want to grow spiritually, if we want to change, if we want to see God work in and through us, we have to start making prayer for our personal growth a priority.

2. Look ahead to Dec. 31, 2018.

I like to envision where I would like to be on Dec. 31, 2018.

Take a moment and close your eyes and pretend you can see yourself on the last day of this year. What do you see? What do you want to see? Physically, emotionally, spiritually, maturity-wise?

Now make those things your goal.

I have already written down what I saw, and I’ve posted it on the wall above my computer. I want to see that every day, because I want to make it a priority. I don’t want to get to Dec. 31 with the same health battle, with the same weak spots, with the same emotional defaults, and stuck in the same spiritual mire.

I want to look back at today and dance for joy at what God has done in my life!

3. Make a chart.

OK, this is just another word for list, because I’m all about the lists.

In other words, now you need to look at where you are, then look at Dec. 31, 2018, and set goals: What will you have hoped to accomplish by March, June, August and November?

How will these smaller goals help you move toward your Dec. 31 goal?

4. Create actionable steps

Here’s where the rubber meets the road.

On this chart, look at those smaller goals, and then from them create actionable steps to meet those goals.

If your goal is have a better prayer life by Dec. 31, what do you need to do in order to reach that goal?

Read some books? Which books?

Maybe you’d like to find a prayer partner. Who do you plan to ask? How will you meet or message each other? How often? What questions will you ask?

Would you like to have a prayer journal? What kind of journal How detailed? How often will you use it?

These are the kinds of questions these actionable steps will answer. And answering these questions will help to keep you motivated so that when you get to December 31, you’ll see that personal growth in your life. {eoa}

Rosilind Jukic, a Pacific Northwest native, is a missionary living in Croatia and married to her Bosnian hero. Together they live with their two active boys, and she enjoys fruity candles, good coffee and a hot cup of herbal tea on a blustery fall evening. Her passion for writing led her to author her best-selling book The Missional Handbook. At A Little R & R she encourages women to find contentment in what God created them to be. You can also find her at Missional Call where she shares her passion for local and global missions. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google +.

This article originally appeared at rosilindjukic.com.

I darted toward the kitchen for a garbage bag after placing a cold rag on my husband’s forehead, and that’s when I heard it. A nasty stomach bug had made its way into our home and landed on him. My strong, broad-shouldered former football player was reduced to a kneeling position in front of the toilet.

I rushed back and forth to the sink to wet his washcloth, trying my best not to join him. On my last trip, from the corner of my eye, I noticed my son in the hallway on his knees.

Oh no, not him too. Not now.

I quickly got my husband settled in bed and ran back to my son.

“Are you OK, honey?”

“I was praying so hard, Mom, but Dad still got sick. Does God even hear me?”

“Oh baby,” I said as I pulled him close.

I thought my husband’s need for care that night trumped everyone else’s, but my son seemed to be in his own crisis. A spiritual one.

When my kids were young, they loved going to the quarter machines that lived in the foyers of grocery stores and restaurants. Inside a cheap plastic egg was an even cheaper plastic toy. It was simple, really. In went the coin and out came the egg. Immediately.

My son expected his prayer that night to work like those machines. And, if I’m being honest with myself, I want it to work that way too.

God, please don’t let Dad get sick.

But Dad got sick anyway.

I reassured my son of God’s promise to hear us as we pray according to His will, but reminded him that the answers may not necessarily come immediately or in the way we expect. “This may seem like a hard concept to understand, son, but sometimes, things have to get worse before they get better.”

It took many years and a great deal of pain before I learned that lesson.

Teaching children theological truths can be challenging. The older they get, the harder their questions become, but moments to instruct them are all around us. Even when we least expect them.

1 John 5:14-15 says, “This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. So if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have whatever we asked of Him.” {eoa)

Callie Daruk i s a smitten wife and a joyful mother to three boys in Nashville, Tennessee. As a writer, blogger and speaker, she encourages others to seek Christ with their whole heart. She also serves as the Nashville chapter president for Word Weavers International. Connect with her at calliedaruk.com and on Twitter and Facebook.

This article originally appeared at just18summers.com.

We’ve all heard stories about the Shroud of Turin. But is the artifact genuine? In this video teaching, Ken Stephenson debunks the myths surrounding the shroud and, more importantly, shows what Christ suffered on our behalf. Watch, and share your response.

Beloved evangelist Billy Graham looks back over his life and shares the life-changing impact of the cross. The powerful video also features worship artists Lecrae and Lacey Sturm.

Francis Chan provides the rich detail of the Passover, the Jewish feast that lies behind our celebration of Communion. Join us and learn from this master teacher! 

“There truly is no real estate more controversial than Jerusalem’s Old City and the Temple Mount.” Ron Cantor explains the prophetic implications behind why Jerusalem has had such a major impact on the world in this stirring video. Watch, and let us know what you think! 

Have you ever taken the time to ponder about the wealth you possess? Most people when doing so would immediately think about their financial portfolio, how much wealth they have accumulated in worldly terms. But is this really how we are to measure our wealth? Or is there something more valuable than money? Yes, there is, and it’s called faith.

How often have I told you that money cannot always buy you health for your body? Even the best insurance policy available cannot provide a miracle for you. And the most experienced doctor in all the world cannot give you the impossible. But I will tell you what can always accumulate health for you and your loved ones, that’s your faith in the atoning blood of Jesus for your healing.

You notice when Jesus spoke to the woman who had the issue of blood for 12 years, He didn’t say that her financial wealth or a financial offering made her well. In fact, the Scriptures tell us that she had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any. But what did He say that brought forth her healing? He said that her faith made her well. It healed her, and made her whole. Let’s read this account from the Book of Luke below.

Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.

And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?”

When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?'”

But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.

And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace” (Luke 8:43-48.)

So often God’s people spend a lifetime building up their financial portfolio for their retirement years, to make sure they have as much as possible in case of needed medical attention or unexpected disease. And I am not against people saving up money for their later years. But I ask you, “What is more valuable, a healthy bank account or a healthy faith account?”

The Bible is clear that if we will seek first the kingdom of God, all these things we have need of will be added onto us. See Matthew 6:33. It would be very wise for us, God’s people, to spend the time now and seek God and His ways, and build up our faith in the healing power of the blood. Learn how to prevent sickness from coming upon our families with the supernatural weapons of faith, rather then planning to get sick, which is activating faith for sickness, and because this is where our faith is, sickness will come upon us. You’ve paved the way for it. Perhaps you’ve never thought about finances versus faith in this manner before. If not, it is time to start now. No matter how old you are, it’s time to build up your faith account right away.

And one final thought for you to consider today is that finances are limited to earthly resources, but faith has no limits. Every miracle necessary for your well-being is accessible in the redemptive blood of Jesus. And you can bank on the power of the blood of Jesus and  learn to make it work for you. Such a great inheritance you have been given; learn to activate its benefits. {eoa}

Becky Dvorak is a prophetic healing evangelist and the author of DARE to Believe, Greater Than Magic and, soon to be released, The Healing Creed. Visit her at authorbeckydvorak.com.

This article originally appeared at beckydvorak.com.

Have you ever thought about what you look like to God? Do you know what He sees, thinks and feels when He looks at you?

Before jumping to conclusions that something must be negative, stop for a moment and consider.

The Bible says that God made us (Gen. 1:27), loves us (John 15:9), sent His Son to die for us (John 3:16) and has good purposes for our lives (Eph. 2:10). He did these things willingly, because He wants us to be with Him forever (John 17:24).

Yes, “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23), but we are not defined by our failings.

In Christ, we have become new creations (2 Cor. 5:17). We are no longer subject to wrath, but to salvation (1 Thess. 5:9).

This changes not only our standing with God, but our ability to know Him, think like Him and experience His emotions—which can quite literally change our lives.

Grounded in the Word
The Bible is an emotional book. It’s not a textbook or list of rules, but a passionate love story of a God who is pursuing His children.

The Lord didn’t just save us because He had to; He did it because He wanted to—and He still wants us today! Let this sink into your heart for a moment. God wants you and loves you just as much as on the day you said yes to Him through Jesus. He doesn’t change. His love is constant.

Breaking the Cycle of Performance
Many believers wrestle with the lie that God will love us more if we perform better: “If I do more good, God will love me more, but if I sin, God will love me less.”

This isn’t the testimony of Scripture, however.

Case in point: King David.

David’s Example
King David did a lot of good, yet he allowed the lust in his heart to result in adultery, accessory to murder, and disobedience to God. Still he was called a man “after (God’s) own heart” (Acts 13:22).

On paper, David’s sins were less than Saul’s, the king he replaced, but there was a key difference—their reaction to sin.

“Saul was sad that he got caught for his sin; David was sad that he offended God,” explains Mike Bickle, director of International House of Prayer.

God Looks at the Heart
It all came down to the heart. David hated his sin and repented—confessed and turned back to God—as soon as he was confronted. No matter how many times he fell, he got up and ran back to the Lord with all his strength.

This pleased God more than Saul, who made excuses and tried to hide his sin, even when he was confronted.

David knew God’s love was steadfast—steady and unchanging—which caused him to run back to Him time and time again. David was never content in his sin because he knew that God’s love was “better than life” (Ps. 63:3).

The Power of Attraction
This love spurred David’s love and affection. Although he stumbled, he knew his fulfillment was found in the Lord, and that he would find peace and acceptance by returning to Him.

David acknowledged his faults, and even wrote songs about them (see Ps. 51), so that others could encounter God’s goodness—which is better and stronger than the pleasures of sin.

Application
It can be the same for us. Instead of living in denial or keeping God at a distance, we can come to the one who made us, loves us and already knows all about our weakness and stumbling.

God is so good and kind that He doesn’t leave us there, but picks us out of the pit of our helplessness, saves us, and gives us a new life and power to overcome sin.

And, like a good Father, He’s committed to helping us walk out the journey in victory (Song 8:5), as long as we keep coming back to Him, like David did.

If you’re feeling alone in the struggle with sin, or are unsure how God thinks and feels about you, consider a study of David’s life. What the Lord did for him, He’s willing to do for all believers who walk in repentance.

For further study on David’s life, we recommend, After God’s Own Heart by Mike Bickle. Learn about King David’s relationship with God as the model for how to live a radical lifestyle of confidence before God, while acknowledging our profound weakness. (Also available in Korean, Spanish and Russian). {eoa}

A Detroit native who was raised in Vermont and Connecticut, Adam Wittenberg  worked as a newspaper journalist until 2012, when he moved to Kansas City to complete the Intro to IHOPKC internship. Afterwards, he earned a four-year certificate in House of Prayer Leadership from IHOPU and is now on full-time staff in the Marketing department at IHOPKC. Adam is also active in evangelism and has a vision to reach people everywhere with the good news of Jesus Christ.

This article originally appeared at ihopkc.org.