Looking at your spiritual weapons from a physical standpoint

8. (Mama:) We can't take everything the Lord asks of us and try to see it from a physical or practical standpoint. Some things the Lord asks us to do just work because He wants them to and has ordained it that way, and He has supernatural power. They aren't all tied in to some physical, earthly principle. That's where faith comes in, and the "God factor" that we base our lives on. We're living for Jesus because He has called us to be His disciples, so He makes it possible and supplies for us supernaturally.

9. But in this case‚ we asked the Lord to speak about the practical results of using the spiritual weapons, because besides there being a lot of spiritual benefits, there are also practical benefits. Seeing it from a new angle will be encouraging and help give you even more motivation to use them daily‚ knowing that they're going to benefit not just your spiritual life, but also your practical life.

10. (Jesus: ) A lot of the spiritual weapons include techniques that improve concentration, effectiveness, and productivity—techniques that smart people have used for ages. However, one big difference between your spiritual weapons and using "good sense" is that your spiritual weapons bring Me and the spirit world into the picture‚ and aside from doing these things simply for organization or accomplishment in the physical, you are moving mountains in the spiritual as well. But since it's usually the spiritual aspects that are explored, I thought it would be good to tell you about some of the ways the spiritual weapons actually benefit you physically as well.

11. Take prophecy, for example. Spiritually, the benefits are very clear, because you're hearing My words and getting My answers. But physically or practically, it's also very good sense as far as personal time management, because you're taking a portion of your time—usually before you start your work—to think about what's happening in the day ahead, and you're receiving answers about these things. That's a fairly standard "good practice" thing to do that even worldly experts will recommend—that of not just jumping right into your day, but taking time to think about it, plot it out, prioritize it, organize it, and so on.

12. When you hear from Me before you start your day, not only are you getting well organized and planning out the work and efforts to come, but then instead of leaning to your own understanding like so many in the world do, you're letting Me have My say about your day and life and priorities‚ and that can lead to wonderful benefits in having smooth-running, efficient, and supremely effective workdays.

13. It also benefits your personal life as well when you let Me comment on those areas, as I can give you answers and peace that will relieve you of unnecessary stress or worries, which decrease productivity.

14. You have the potential to be some of the most efficient, best-organized, and best-managed people in the whole world. Just using the weapon of prophecy forces you to organize your thoughts into questions, to take time contemplating the work ahead of you—and then to top it off, I tell you exactly what to do!

15. The more detailed you are with your questions, and the more you stretch your channel to receive specifics‚ the more organized and focused you will be. This is an advantage you have that no CEO, president, king, prime minister, general, parliament member, manager, operations officer‚ teacher, or salesman in the world has. There may be some very organized people in the world, very efficient and disciplined, but you can be all those things too, plus have the benefit of divine guidance, through the weapon of prophecy!

16. And what about taking time in My Word? Doesn't it make good sense from a physical standpoint to be able to have time away from your work and the pressures of the day to do something relaxing and personally nourishing? Well, the New Wine orders you to take this time every single day. Don't you think this has physical benefits for you as well as spiritual ones?

17. I know that Word time doesn't always seem relaxing, as it's a fight to concentrate, to suck, and to resist the temptations to do other things. But as you make that effort to "step out of the wings," as I call it‚ and enter the dome‚ this is physically very beneficial to you. You've heard over and over again how you can get spiritually drained and lacking in spiritual energy if you don't take time in the Word. But think about the effect it would have on your physical energy reserves too if that daily time you take for My Word was instead taken up by work.

18. At first it might seem like‚ "Wow, cool, that's a lot of extra hours in my week!" But as time went on, you'd find that the drain of continually working with little-to-no breaks for any other input in your life would take a bigger toll than you thought. Your whole day would be work, work, work. If you rose early, there would be no time to rest in Me‚ love Me, sing to Me, or read My words—you would be going right to work, dawn till dusk (and beyond), every single day. That would be a lot more tiring than you realize, and it would lead to burnout and a high level of dissatisfaction with your ministry for Me.

19. It's just good sense to have time when you're not working, and when you can do something that isn't giving out, but is taking in. In the world they talk about how it's good to put aside "me time" for yourself, to do things that you enjoy and that better you as a person: taking classes, starting a hobby, putting aside time for reading, etc. Again, the weapon of the Word does this and more, because not only is taking time to read it a break for your body, a time when you're not having to work‚ but it's also a time of being spiritually fed in a way that no other hobby or activity ever could satisfy you.

20. When you're having a hard time putting aside your work to enter into the relaxation and feeding of Word time, it might make you more thankful and eager for it if you considered how things would be if it was never there. Start looking at it not so much as another to-do, but as a special bonus—simply because you're not having to work or pour out during that time. Look at it as a break for your body and mind, as well as for your spirit, because this is what it can be for you.

21. And what about the weapon of our personal, intimate relationship? This has benefits for you too. Have you ever heard the saying, "Duty makes us do things well; but love makes us do them beautifully"? This is the case with you and how your spiritual love relationship with Me is a much stronger motivator than anyone else in the world has.

22. When you think about how the love of Christ compels you, and then you think about how your love for Me is deepened through the weapon of loving Me intimately, it makes a lot of sense how this is beneficial for not just your spiritual self, but also for your physical self. The love we share is an actual morale booster and can help your physical work seem not so heavy or tiresome because of the motivation of our passionate relationship.

23. I'm sure you all remember the story of Jacob working for Laban so that he could marry Rachel. He worked for seven years straight, and let Me tell you, as someone who actually lived in those Bible times, life was tough back then. The lack of modern conveniences made every task much more difficult than a similar job is today. To care for cattle and sheep and all that goes into raising prosperous herds and flocks is a whole lot of work. And he wasn't getting paid either; he got room and board and the promise that afterwards he'd be able to marry the woman he loved.

24. But what does the Bible say about how he felt? It says, "And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her" (Gen.29:1-28). That's quite something. Because he had a passionate love for this woman, he was willing to gladly pay the price of hard labor and count it as nothing. And then when Laban cheated him, what did he do? He did it all over again because of love.

25. Don't you think that if he wouldn't have had that girl there to inspire him and motivate him, he would have gotten pretty tired of working for no wages under someone like Laban? Don't you think he would have struck out on his own to go somewhere else where he either wouldn't have had to work so hard, or where he would have gotten a little more personal gain out of it? He might have done that‚ but because his love for Rachel held him there, it made all his work seem light and every step he took seemed worth it because of her. The emotion in his heart made the actual physical tasks of the day seem lighter.

26. This is the feeling that you can have in your heart too as you practice the weapon of loving Me intimately. As you strive to build and deepen our relationship, the love we share will fill your heart and motivate you to go any distance and pay any price in order to make Me happy.

27. My love will indeed compel you—and what love it is! Our sexual relationship allows us a level of intimacy that very few other Christians in history have shared with Me. My love was there for every great man or woman of God, but you're some of the only ones who have ever had so much of My love in so many different ways. This love is powerful and it can motivate you to go above and beyond the call of duty.

28. Just like Jacob's love for Rachel had the consequence of making his physical work seem easier and the years of labor go faster, so our love together will make your load seem lighter and more bearable.

29. Also not to be minimized is the boost of energy you receive when you know that you've satisfied your spiritual requirements. When you've had your Word time‚ when you've loved Me intimately, when you've prayed for your work and for others, when you've heard from Me about your day, you actually receive a boost of energy and get-up-and-go because you know in your heart that you've put yourself in a position to receive My blessings.

30. You know that you haven't cheated Me and that you've given Me My due, and the best part of your life and day. Thus you have more faith to know that I'm with you in whatever you do, and this actually serves to make you happy and more on the ball in the physical as you go about your work.

31. Of course, spiritually, the benefits are endless as well, but I'm talking about the physical benefits, and it really does serve to make you more energized and on the ball when you put Me first and wield your weapons. It's like you feel after having exercise. You know you've done your body good and you feel the effects. Sometimes you feel tired afterward, but it's a good tired feeling, a good feeling of knowing that you did something that was very good for you, and your body is happy to have been worked out and exercised in that way.

32. Just so, when you exercise the spiritual weapons, your mind feels the same way your body does after physical exercise. You're clearer, happier, more organized‚ more excited‚ and overall more ready to do what you need to do. Isn't that true? On the days when you've given Me your best and put most of the new weapons into practice, don't you feel better overall? The work is the same, the pressure of the job is the same, but your attitude toward it is so different. You're more ready, more full of faith, and more energized in every way.

33. All this and more is what using the new weapons can do for you. You should learn to look at them not just for their spiritual benefits‚ but also for their physical benefits and advantages, and take time to think about all the many ways they can benefit you when you put them into practice.

34. There are many other aspects that I didn't even get into, such as the good‚ rejuvenating effects that being a new bottle and doing the humble thing can bring to your body; the clarity of mind that meditation can provide; the lift to your mind and spirit and the peace and clarity and de-stressing you can experience through praise; the miracles that you see happen in your physical world—tangible results that you didn't even have to work for physically—through the power of prayer; and many other practical, useful things that fighting in the spirit can do for your physical life.

35. You can expect these things and count on them. Realize that you're entitled to feeling better and doing better in all areas of your life when you're obedient in using these weapons of the spirit. They're not just for the spiritual warfare, but are intended to improve every aspect of your life and Home. They're not just weapons‚ they're gifts, and the more you look at them in that way, the easier you'll find them to use. (End of message.)

Prove it!

36. (Jesus: ) How the physical and spiritual realms affect each other is an intriguing study. Science has studied this to some degree, and they have found that even just through positive thinking your body is actually physically strengthened and made healthier as a result.

37. The act of thinking positively signals a chain reaction in your body, which starts in your brain and then spreads throughout your entire physical form. This is why meditation‚ which is often focused on positive thoughts, is considered a form of healing in some ways, because the one meditating feels release from physical pressure or strain and experiences rejuvenation or feelings of relief.

38. Positive thinking is a spiritual act, a spiritual power. Your spirit has to be in the right position for it to respond positively. Your mind will not make the decision to be positive if the spirit hasn't first yielded to that spirit of positiveness. Positive thinking is a spiritual power that anyone on Earth can tap into, whether they know Me or not, and whether they believe in Me or not. It's available to anyone, and so are the effects and power of thinking positively.

39. Positive thinking not only affects your physical body, but it affects your physical surroundings and physical circumstances as well. When you're positive, it affects the way people react toward you‚ which in most cases would mean they react more amicably or friendly to you.

40. When you're reacting positively‚ it changes the spiritual atmosphere around you, which automatically makes people feel more comfortable in your presence. They feel at ease when around you; you become easy to approach and interact with. This makes others happier, which in turn lightens their personal loads or spiritual heaviness, which then makes their physical lives easier and more enjoyable. Positive thinking, which results in positive actions‚ causes a chain reaction of positive results, both spiritually and physically. The spirit cannot be affected without a physical representation.

41. The power of positive thinking was meant to give you a glimpse into the effects of even greater spiritual powers and principles. If the mere act of thinking positively can transform your day from a stressful one into a calm and easy-paced one, can you imagine what using the powerful weapons of My Spirit can do for you?

42. The weapons and powers of My Spirit cannot only be limited to spiritual results and effects. It's impossible. Spiritual actions will always have manifestations in the physical, just as physical decisions and actions can also change the dynamics of the spirit. Using a spiritual weapon is like using a workout machine; you will see results. Just like a workout machine yields results in your body, so will these spiritual machines yield results in your physical life.

43. You don't need to "do" anything to make that spiritual power show in your spiritual life—you just have to use it. When working out with weights in order to get toned or to build up‚ you don't have to do anything besides actually lifting those weights and doing those repetitions in order to see results. That principle is the same for spiritual weapons bringing about physical results. You just have to use those spiritual weapons‚ do the repetitions throughout your day, and you are assured of seeing results in your life, in your physical body, in your work—in everything.

44. You may be faced with a very full month of to–dos. Projects and goals and areas where long-term progress is needed loom large before you.—All that in addition to the daily needs of life and Home and family. Perhaps you're also feeling tired and on the verge of getting sick. You're not sure that you'll be able to make it through the month physically.

45. But in spite of that‚ you commit to being faithful with your Word times each morning. You commit to spending time with Me in the bed of love each day, loving Me and praising Me with your whole heart. You commit to claiming the keys of anointing, work, prioritizing, multitasking, faith, humility, wisdom, discernment‚ and closeness to Me at the start of each daily project. In short‚ you commit to being faithful to your spiritual requirements regardless of all the physical work in front of you.

46. So you start your day with good, quality Word—and where does all that spiritual input and energy go? It doesn't just filter around your spirit, making your spirit happier and stronger before Me. Yes, it does affect your spirit. It does strengthen your spirit and it does make your spirit glad. But that's just the first step.

47. That Word—My seeds—seeps into your mind and floods into your thoughts. Your thoughts affect the way your brain reacts. Because your thoughts are focused on Me and the principles of My Word, this positive energy is streaming throughout your entire bodily system. Pressured nerves are slowly starting to calm down because of the soothing thoughts from My Word.

48. You feel renewed in spirit, which affects your faith and confidence in Me to work for you. This stirs up your passion to praise Me for doing for you all that you know you can't do. Your praises unlock spiritual power and answers and energy—which not only flood through your physical and spiritual body, but also through the situations you will face that day. Those praises release My blessings in the form of answered prayers, solutions, supply, miracles, victories, prayerful decisions, miraculous progress, and more.

49. As you praise Me, you invite My Spirit into yours. With My Spirit working in you, I am able to give you the grace and power to tackle the projects on your to-do list that I know are important and that are My will for you to do that day. I am able to give you My spiritual strength, which translates into physical strength for your mind and body. This enables you to fulfill My priorities for that day as I keep feelings of pressure or worry far from you.

50. However‚ I know that sometimes even though you have been faithful to all My spiritual requirements, and you have put Me first in your day and loved Me and committed all to Me, still it seems that you reach the end of the day feeling tired‚ haggard‚ and stressed out. You don't feel physically strengthened, much less like everything worked out so well in your work. You wonder, "If the spiritual weapons really do have an effect on my physical life, then where are the results? How can I tell? Or is there something I need to do to help trigger that ripple effect?"

51. My loves, so long as you are employing the spiritual weapons and using them regularly and efficiently, then they are effecting change in your physical realm. As with a workout program, you may not see immediate results and you might not feel physically strengthened right away; you might have some days that are better than others. But overall you are healthier, stronger, and fitter than if you didn't do your exercise. If you got discouraged after one day and said, "Oh, I don't feel stronger, I might as well use that time for other things that yield more immediate results," you wouldn't be giving the strengthening program time to take effect within your body, and you would remain weaker, less fit, and lacking in energy and strength. It's the same with using your spiritual weapons. They will yield tangible results in your physical life, not to speak of the spiritual benefits, but it might take time for you to feel and experience all the benefits. As you are consistent with your program of spiritual strengthening, you'll begin to notice the changes in your physical life, in your well–being, work, personal and social life.

52. If you want a demonstration of this, then I encourage you to choose a difficult situation, whether personal or work-related‚ that you would like to see changed or that you would like My power to help you to face. It can be a work project that has been taking a long while to complete, or an area initiative that you will be involved in but that you know will entail a lot of work on your part, or it can be a difficult personal situation that you would like to see changed or turned around—anything. You choose the battle, and I'll choose the weapon.

53. Once you've chosen the situation, write it down somewhere, because I don't want you to forget about this experiment. Then I want you to ask Me for a specific weapon to use regarding that situation. This is a demonstration, so I'm most likely only going to give you one or two weapons to focus on with this particular battle. I don't want to overwhelm you; I want to prove Myself to you. I might choose the weapon of praise, or maybe I'll give you specific keys to claim, or maybe I'll require fervent prayer. But regardless of what weapon I show you, I want you to write that down too.

54. Now your part is to consistently use this particular weapon in your battle or situation. And the point of this demonstration is to see physical results and manifestations of this weapon—not only in working out the situation, but also in working through you, enabling you to handle the difficulty, or to feel strengthened or renewed through it.

55. Picture Me as your exercise trainer. You've come to Me to see if using My weights and workout equipment and exercise programs can really yield results in your body. I'm ready to be tested, so I've asked you to choose a part of your body that you would like to see changed. Now, with My weights and My workout program, I'm going to show you just what I can do for you, and I'm going to prove to you that the results will be obvious.

56. If I've given you the weights of praise, then these are what you must use when working out this particular part of your body—this particular situation. You don't need to use them in any special ways—just use them. Be consistent, be faithful, and most of all, be expectant. Expect to see results. I may even give you a time frame and tell you to look for results in ten days, two weeks‚ or three months. Or maybe I won't give you a time frame but instead want you to be surprised by the astonishing results, no matter how long it takes to happen.

57. If you really want a test, and if you really want to see My spiritual powers work in the physical realm for you, then here is your testing ground. I'm telling you that you can take any situation and that you will see Me work real-life changes for you.

58. I want to show you that My powers and spiritual weapons are mighty and powerful‚ both in the spirit and in the Earth. I want to show you that they do effect physical change both through you and for you. I want to show you that they are intended to make your physical lives easier.

59. If you needed proof of this before, then here is your chance to see Me perform. I want to change that particular situation for you, or your ability to handle that difficulty, through the weapons of My Spirit. I want to show you how they work through the spirit and through the flesh. I want to show you that all things are possible for the powers of My Spirit.

60. Prove Me now, My loves, and see Me work for you. I'm excited about this challenge! I love to be put on the spot. In that situation where you feel put on the spot, turn around and put Me on the spot. I will show you that there are no limits to the weapons of the spirit, as they break through all spiritual and physical barriers for you.

61. My weapons command action, because they perform My will. Just as I prayed, "Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven," I was also showing you to pray for My spiritual power to be made manifest on Earth just as it is in Heaven. You can pray that phrase and count it done. I will cause your spiritual weapons to do My will on Earth just as they do in Heaven.

62. Try Me, My loves, and see that there is nothing I will not do for you. I'm at your beck and call. Prove Me now‚ herewith, and see if I will not move mountains for you! (End of message.)

More specific examples with specific weapons

63. (Jesus:) The spiritual weapons I have given you are powerful, not only in the realm of the spirit, but also in the "real world" that you physically live in. There are many and varied ways in which they can realistically‚ practically, and in actuality make your lives easier and better, your work easier‚ your relationships smoother, and your burdens lighter.

64. It's an angle that not everyone has given much thought to, and that I haven't spoken about all that much, though some of the ways are more obvious than others, and this is something that different ones of you have seen manifested to some degree.

65. To help you gain a fuller understanding of the practicality of the weapons of the spirit, and in how they can help you in very realistic and practical ways‚ I'll expound a little on each of the main ones and help you to put enough "skin" on them to see how they can be more of a help to you than they are already in your day–to-day lives, in your work, in your responsibilities, and in keeping your stress levels down.

66. The Word: My Word is above all your source of spiritual life and sustenance. It is what keeps your spirit connected to Mine and keeps you attached to the spiritual realm. It is the root and source and heart of every aspect of your spiritual life. It is also a source of guidance in the practical realm, because it gives you answers, solutions‚ and direction—for your personal life, as well as for your shepherding of others.

67. There is so much in the Word, and so many topics to read on, and so many different purposes and ways that the Word can and should work in your life, that it's not necessarily possible or even the best balance to be getting practical counsel from what you read during your Word time every single day. Sometimes you just need to relax and enjoy the Word and rest in Me in your Word time. Often My way of giving you solutions and specific guidance is through your prophecy channel, and we'll get into that in a bit.

68. However, your Word time itself can also be a source of great ideas, tips, insight, and specific answers and solutions to things you are facing at the time. If you are aware of this and seeking for these things, you will find them.

69. A key to making it happen is praying and checking in with Me about what you read so that you are reading the things that I know contain the answers that you need. Sometimes you think you're reading something for one reason, but I also have another reason in mind, in that I want to lead you to something special and unexpected for you in that Letter or topic.

70. So it's important to be asking Me about what to read, for several reasons. Maybe you do check in monthly or weekly and I give you a plan of what to read that week. Maybe you need to do it each day. Or maybe you need a monthly plan, but then need to be open to My checks to read something different that day if I put it on your heart.

71. It is important in any case to have an open heart and mind as you soak in My Word, not only toward being personally or generally fed and strengthened spiritually, but even to find and mine the jewels within My Word that will bring you specific and very practical and workable solutions to problems in your personal life‚ your work, or your shepherding. You've heard it said before that the answer to everything is in My Word, and how true that is.

72. Prayer: It almost goes without saying that prayer is one of the most practical and effective ways of putting spiritual power to work in your lives. It's something that, for all you've heard about it, can use a lot more tapping into and using; as you do, you will surely see how much better it makes your life and work, in very real ways.

73. If your first reaction to any problem or challenge is, "Let's pray and send the Lord's power to work‚" as opposed to, "What can we do about this to help?"—this brings great practical benefits. For one‚ it takes the pressure off of you and your "doings" and puts the burden of responsibility on to My shoulders. This brings some mental and physical relief in itself; and aside from that‚ the real benefits lie in the fact that it actually works!

74. Your prayers prayed in full faith actually go places and do things. They change people and situations and issues that you could not resolve even if you tried; or in some cases, maybe you could find solutions by other means, but why kill yourself trying to do it in the flesh when My Spirit could do it for you?

75. There is a balance, of course, and you can't just take the overall approach of "let's not do anything then, and just pray for the Lord to work." Sometimes—often, in fact—there is also something I want you to do. But your first reaction, your first line of attack‚ your first move, should be to pray and to call in My Spirit and help and power before you even get as far as praying about what you should do.

76. Sometimes some of you get the idea that if it's a "small" or "easy" thing, then that's the time to just get into it and take care of it. You're not consciously saying you can do it on your own without Me, but that is in essence what you're expressing, because you've developed the idea that you only need to call in the big power for the big things. When there's a big major thing that you know you can't take care of‚ then you pray. Whereas taking the approach of making prayer your first move or first reaction, whether it's an "easy" or "difficult" issue you're facing, is going to make things better and easier for you.

77. Maybe you could do this or that thing without prayer—but why do it on your own when I could assist you or even outright do it for you? You'll see, as you build the habit of making prayer your first move, that a lot of the things you think you have to do, you don't have to do yourself; or at least not as urgently or with as much pressure or labor in the flesh as you would tend to think. That is the power and advantage of prayer. Use it!

78. Praise: There's magic in praise! One of the ways you're most familiar with using praise in a practical sense is as a form of relief or escape, a way to rise above, a way to stay calm and peaceful and trusting when all about you is confusion and a great big mess. Praise does wonders on that score‚ and it can keep you steady on your feet through the freakiest storms. That is one very practical use of its power.

79. It goes beyond that, though, and it has the power to not only help you "keep it together" when things are tough or you're in the midst of battle, but praise also has the power to help you to actually take advantage of every negative or difficult event, or any attack of the Enemy, and use it for your own gain and success. Praise helps you to not only rise above or defeat the problems, but to actually use them to your advantage to make more progress, gain more strength, and advance further into the Enemy's territory than if you had not had the problem!

80. That's really the ultimate in problem-solving, isn't it?—Not only solving the problem, but being better off afterwards than if you had not had the problem at all! This is one of praise's most powerful and beautiful manifestations on a practical level, and it really works.

81. Prophecy: This is one that you're quite practiced in using for many practical things—from counsel and confirmations on your work plans and decisions, to matters having to do with your personal life and family. Yet few have learned to use it to its full potential, and there are many ways that you can avail yourselves even more of prophecy's practical power: