As we prepare for this flu season lets watch out for symptoms of spiritual illnesses too #Godisourhealer - Pt 1

12 signs you’re spiritually unhealthy: 

1. You are prone to envy - This spirit is how I identify many people who aren’t truly engaging with God and you can go to church every Sunday and still not have a genuine relationship with God because this spirit frequent church members as well. Envy is a deadly, disgusting, ugly spirit that plagues so many people and it unfortunately isn't an exception to family or friends, in fact those people are usually the ones it targets the most. God knows how cruel envy is, his word says envy “rots your bones”. Envy is a disease of the heart, and when your heart can’t pump blood sufficiently, your entire body is starved of oxygen. Envy starves you of the very thing that makes life flow. It starves you of love! Real love. I hate this spirit because I’ve seen it turn the sweetest people into monsters, so subtly and patiently. Envy tells you that you are not enough, it tells you that the target person thinks they are better than you, it tells you all sorts of things to foster dislike, which grows into hate. Envy will push you to slander, oppress, plot evil against and eventually unalive someone if you don’t address the issue. When someone truly loves God, they know that all his plans for their lives are perfectly tailored `for them. They are not concerned with what God does for others except to give him the glory for his wonderful works. If you are envious, you must seek immediate deliverance because this spirit does not work alone and is utterly stubborn. If someone has ever called you a "hater" or a jealous person, pay close attention. Though some people may lie, envy is an easy spirit to identify for everyone outside of who it's attached to. Some people also know deep down they have this spirit. You must pray oh!, it will not leave on its own. Envy comes to stagnate you, it justifies your laziness and makes you downplay the good fruits of others to compensate areas you fall short. It keeps you puffed up, prideful and unable to elevate spiritually. Denounce envy and ask God to change your heart. Ref scripture for prayer point,Psalm 51- 10:19.

2. You have inappropriate sexual addictions - This one goes very deep. I won’t touch every aspect of it, but many people suffer from sexual immorality which includes but isn’t limited to fornication, adultery, homosexuality, bestiality, etc. Sex was made, as most people may know, for a man and a woman under the protected covenant of God. Engaging in sexual activity opens access to the spiritual realm, this is how we are able to conceive - a spiritual being ,begins to form into a human body. When you step into the spiritual realm without legal access, in this case without that covenant or marriage contract you open yourself to demonic attacks. Granted, the body has natural urges for sex, but God tells us that there is no temptation that is new to man, meaning that since the beginning of time people have had these desires ,but with God it is possible to resist those urges until marriage. When we act within the lust of our flesh, we are satisfying its appetite and thereby increasing it. The Bible says resist the devil and he will flee. The less self restraint you have the more your body will push you to explore, and before you know it, every boundary you were taught or you set for yourself will be broken. Constantly damaging your spirit, mind and body through sex is a sign that you need to pray serious deliverance prayers. Thought it won’t be easy, with our God all things are possible. Ref. scriptures for prayer points - Corinthians 6-18:20 and Proverbs 28:13-14.

3. You find it very hard to forgive -our entire salvation is based on love and forgiveness. No one is perfect, we are all born in sin and shaped in iniquity. Forgiveness is the medicine for offense. Offense comes to sicken your spirit, it makes you angry and miserable, and it spreads to those around you. It’s like the common cold. Forgiveness stops the spread of the virus. Think about unforgiveness like that person who comes to work or school sick. Selfish right ? Learn to heal, because if the person that got sick before you would have done the same, you wouldn’t have to go through the things you did. I personally have been through so much betrayal in my life, but before I treat people the way I’ve been treated I’d rather stay in quarantine until I am healed. I don’t wish the things that happened to me on anyone else so I can’t imagine being the person causing that pain to another. Ref scriptures for prayer points Matthew 6:14-15 and Colossians 3: 12-13

4. You are very prideful - Oh pride, you wicked, evil spirit I bind you from any person reading this message right now in the name of Jesus, as they agree in their heart that you no longer have control or power over their life, by the power of the All Mighty God through the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ you must leave their life, Amen . Pride is a very sneaky and ruinous spirit. It often masks itself as a form of self-love, but that is a lie! Pride is essentially what caused the war in heaven and the fall of one third of the angels. Pride tells you that you are better, stronger, wiser etc. It’s the reason a lot of people put themselves in secret competitions with each other, and it works alongside envy. Pride left untreated will continue to grow just like envy. Pride tells you, you must always have the biggest and the best and be above everyone else because you are the best. This is what caused a beautiful angel to lose a highly admirable position in heaven, to be cast down, and turned to nought. Stuck in despair, hopelessness and misery. Incapable of ever knowing how to love again, how to be happy , how to be at peace etc. Pride will almost always trick you out of your spot! This is why the Bible tells us so many times that it is important to be humble. Once the enemy can trick you out of your position you will be at the hands of darkness. The Bible says God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. To be resisted by God is the most dangerous, scariest place to be in. The Bible says there are 7 things God hates, and the first one is pride! Humility seems hard when others constantly belittle you, but look what they did to Christ. Jesus Christ knew there was a greater mission, and he would not have pride allow him to fail. Humility is not for others, it is for you, that is where your strength truly lies, because when you step down God will step forward. However, God will not fight for you if you insist on fighting for yourself. If you stay prayerful God will vindicate you and when God exalts you it hits different! Pride could never. Ref scriptures Proverbs 11:2, Proverbs 29:23, Proverbs 16:18, James 4:6.

5. You find it difficult to pray everyday and read the word of God - Life is a spiritual  battle and prayer is your weapon. If the enemy can disarm you by attacking you prayer life, which is your tool of offense, your defensive armor will only protect you but for so long. The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing, and any instruction given to us by God is for an important cause. The Bible also says if you are afflicted you should pray. Affliction is defined as “something that causes pain or suffering” so God knows this life isn’t always easy, he’s not expecting you to have it all figured out, but he is expecting you to pray. I’ve noticed that the less intentional I am about seeking God and dedicating my time to him, the less motivated I am to pray. Try designating at least 30 minutes per day on the things of God closing out the world, your worries, peoples opinions, your fears and just focus on God. Praise him, sing to him, thank him, focus and listen and he will direct your path. Ref. scripture Ephesians 6 and 1Thessalonians 5 16:18.

6. You feel sad or depressed all the time - We will all feel sad at some point in this life, but depression is defined as “a common and serious mental disorder that negatively affects how you feel, think, act, and perceive the world.” Depression,simply put, is a distortion of mind. Most actions begin with a thought. And even in the evaluation of legal matters the state of mind is a determinant factor in the evaluation of cases. You will hear terms like “a manner in which a reasonable person should have known…” This proves that there is a level of expectancy that derives from thinking reasonably. This concept works the same way spiritually. Thinking the way God wants us to think, makes us reasonable persons spiritually. If the enemy manages to highjack our thoughts, however, he will highjack our expectancy, spiritually speaking our destiny. Our God says “ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end “ so God tells us that in him there is and expected end, in thinking the way he calls us to think there is peace, no evil, and an expected end. If we allow devils to manipulate our minds to think like them and not like God, knowing that devils are the opposers of God we know that there won’t be peace, good nor an expected end in thinking that way. This is a very dangerous place to be because the laws of darkness are unfair, and without discernment, unpredictable. Your mind must be healthy to push forth purpose and expectancy in this life. Thankfully mental health awareness has become mainstream, and people are increasingly seeking professional help, but the best help comes from God. Disclaimer:I encourage people to continue seeking professional help while seeking help from God. The word of God tells us "…be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” so in order to get to this good acceptable and perfect plan that God has for us, there must be a transformation that goes against the norms of this world. This transformation happens by thinking differently, and you can only think about what you know. Therefore to think on the things of God you must know them; to know them you must study them, and this is why bible study is important.