Month: February 2026

📖 “Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10 (KJV)
📖 “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice… And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee.” — 2 Corinthians 12:8–9 (KJV)
Prayer is not merely asking.
It is abiding.
It is the slow turning of the heart toward God until noise settles and presence becomes perceptible.
We often approach prayer as petitioners with urgency.
But Scripture reveals something gentler —
sons and daughters lingering before their Father.
The Stillness Before the Voice
Elijah did not find God in the wind.
Nor in the earthquake.
Nor in the fire.
📖 “After the fire a still small voice.” — 1 Kings 19:12 (KJV)
God is not absent in noise —
but He is often discerned in stillness.
Prayer requires deceleration.
The soul that is constantly reacting
cannot easily receive.
To pray contemplatively is to slow the interior life until the heart becomes attentive.
🕊 Speaking Softly Before Him
📖 “Pour out your heart before him.” — Psalm 62:8 (KJV).
There is a tenderness in honest prayer.
Not theatrical intensity.
Not spiritual performance.
But quiet truth.
Lord, this is my weakness.
Lord, this is my fear.
Lord, this is my longing.
Paul prayed thrice.
And when the answer came — it came as grace.
“My grace is sufficient for thee.”
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Sufficient.
🌅 Listening Without Forcing
Listening is not straining to hear something mystical.
It is resting in surrendered expectation.
📖 “My soul, wait thou only upon God.” — Psalm 62:5 (KJV)
Waiting is not inactivity.
It is trust without agitation.
Sometimes the answer comes as Scripture illuminated.
Sometimes as inward peace.
Sometimes as correction.
Sometimes as quiet endurance.
Contemplative prayer accepts that God may not remove the thorn —
but He will supply Himself.
🌾 The Gentle Exchange
In true prayer:
Anxiety is exchanged for assurance.
Control is exchanged for surrender.
Weakness becomes the place where strength rests.
📖 “That the power of Christ may rest upon me.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9 (KJV)
“Rest” implies settling.
When grace rests upon a soul,
panic departs.
The thorn may remain.
But so does God.
🌊 A Quiet Invitation
Today, do not rush your words.
Do not measure the prayer by its length.
Do not force spiritual intensity.
Sit before Him.
Speak honestly.
Wait quietly.
Receive gently.
And when He whispers,
“My grace is sufficient,”
let that be enough.

The Apostolic Faith
Our flagship publication

Hearing from God is not processing audible sounds, but opening our hearts to His words.

By Dwight Baltzell

Listening to God and then responding by obeying Him is of utmost importance, regardless of what day and age we live in. Hebrews 3:14-15 emphasizes the necessity of immediate response to God’s voice and the danger of hardening our hearts against Him. Those verses read, “For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.”

This passage refers to the failure of the Children of Israel to listen to God during their wilderness journey. In fact, they not only failed to listen and obey God, but they resisted and disobeyed Him! They had the Ten Commandments of God given to them on tablets of stone. They had the Law and many other messages from God that were delivered to them through Moses. However, they had hardened their hearts against God’s instructions and rebelled against Him. The difficulty was not with God; it never is. God speaks to man, but man must willingly listen and obey.

The enemy of our souls may attempt to make us think that the concept of God speaking to man is strange, or merely a figment of the imagination. That is false; the voice of God has been speaking to people since the Creation. God spoke to the first man, Adam, and to the first woman, Eve, long before the written Word of God existed. And He has spoken to individual hearts ever since, even if not audibly. Today, we are blessed to have the written Word of God as the primary way God communicates with man. When God’s Spirit speaks to our hearts individually as we read it, Scripture comes alive for us, and the message we hear will always align precisely with His written Word. The question is not whether God speaks; it is whether we will listen and obey.

Listen for God

Throughout God’s Word we find examples of individuals who heard from God and responded to Him. For example, consider the child Samuel. In 1 Samuel 3:1 we read, “And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.” The Word of God was “precious” because it was scarce. That was not God’s fault; His instructions were there all the time, but they went unheeded in those days. Israel had gone so far astray that few were listening to God. Even Eli the priest—the person charged with maintaining the pure worship of God—was guilty of disobeying God’s instructions.

In the first chapter of 1 Samuel, we read that Hannah, the mother of Samuel, had been unable to bear children, so she promised God, “O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life” (1 Samuel 1:11). And that is exactly what she did; when God gave her a son and the child was weaned, she brought him to the Temple to minister to the Lord. God needed someone who would listen and obey because Eli had failed to do so, and that person was Samuel.

It was there in the Temple complex that God spoke to Samuel, calling his name as he was sleeping. The lad was accustomed to listening to instructions and obeying. When he heard his name, he arose and went to Eli the priest, saying, “Here am I.” However, Eli had not called him, so he told Samuel to go back and lie down. God called Samuel’s name again, and then the third time, Eli finally realized that it was God who had spoken to the young boy. He told Samuel, “Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place” (1 Samuel 3:9). When God called Samuel the next time, he listened, and then God gave him an important message of coming judgment.

Though the Children of Israel and their leaders had ig

nored God’s message, in Samuel He found someone willing to listen. Today, God is looking for that quality in us as well.

Fully obey

Our responsibility when God speaks is to listen and obey. Samuel did so, and his nation was blessed for it. We do not want to be guilty of what is sometimes referred to as “selective hearing”—when a person focuses on certain words but filters out others. That may or may not matter much in our daily environments, but it matters a great deal when it comes to God. We want to hear and heed all of what God says to us!

We find an example of what might have been selective hearing in the account of Saul when he was given instructions from God to go and utterly destroy the Amalekites and all they had, not even sparing their livestock. When Samuel came to the place of sacrifice, Saul told him, “I have performed the commandment of the Lord” (1 Samuel 15:13). However, that was not the case, and Samuel asked, “What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the cattle which I hear?” Saul had ignored the part of God’s command that instructed him to “utterly destroy.” Because of his failure, Samuel told him, “Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king” (1 Samuel 15:23).

Everything God tells us is for our good. When we receive instructions from Him and do not obey, negative consequences will follow. When we obey, we can count on His blessing. How important it is to take seriously everything He says to us.

Keep listening to God

Another man who heard from God was the prophet Elijah—he learned and then relearned the importance of listening to God’s voice. We read about the events of his life in the Book of 1 Kings. After announcing to King Ahab that the rain in Israel would cease, the word of the Lord came to Elijah, directing him to go hide himself by the brook Cherith. He obeyed and was miraculously fed by ravens there. When the brook dried up, Elijah listened when God instructed him to go to Zarephath, where a widow would sustain him. Sometime later, God told him to go show himself to Ahab again, and that He would send rain. Then we read of the showdown between 450 prophets of Baal against that one man of God, Elijah. What an incredible event that was! Though the false prophets called repeatedly upon their god to send fire, there was no response. But when Elijah prayed, God sent fire that consumed not only the sacrifice, but also the stones of the altar, the wood, the dust, and even the water in the trench around it!

In response, the wicked queen Jezebel threatened to kill Elijah. So, the prophet fled for his life and went into the wilderness, eventually arriving at Horeb, the mount of God. As he lodged there in a cave, God spoke to the prophet, asking, “What doest thou here, Elijah?” Elijah listened when God told him, “Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord” (1 Kings 19:9,11). A mighty wind came, and then an earthquake, and then a fire. However, the wind didn’t give direction. The earthquake rumbling didn’t help him. There was no message in the fire. But then came a “still, small voice”—the voice of God. That voice connected with Elijah’s soul.

The weary prophet said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” But God responded, “Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:14,18). God didn’t call those seven thousand to rally around the prophet, but Elijah knew the voice of God. Once again, he listened to God’s instructions and obeyed, going from Mount Horeb and anointing the three people identified by God for specific tasks.

No matter how long we have been walking with the Lord or how much He has brought us through, we are never finished listening for God’s voice. If we do so, He will guide us through all th

e ups and downs of life, just as He did for Elijah.

God speaks to all hearts

A number of years ago when our family was living in Chehalis, Washington, a little boy named Robbie King got up to sing during Sunday school. He was wearing a straw hat and carrying a fishing pole, and he sang, “God talks to little boys while they’re fishing.” I thought, That’s exactly right. He speaks to all of us! He called the disciples from fishing and from tax collecting. He spoke to Moses on the mountain, to young Samuel in the Temple, and to Elijah in front of a cave. God talks to little boys and girls, to young people, to parents, to those who are getting up in years. The voice of God can come to us whatever our occupation or location, and regardless of what is going on in the world. Circumstances do not change the fact that God speaks. That’s never changed!

When Jesus walked this earth, in the middle of his preaching He often said, “If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.” He made it clear that His message was for anyone willing to listen, and He meant more than just processing audible sounds—He wanted them to open their hearts to His words. In Revelation 3:20-22 we read these words from Christ: “Behold I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”

Thank God that He still speaks to hearts. We do not want to miss out on hearing from Him. Just as God repeatedly called Samuel, faithfully instructed Saul through Samuel, and patiently guided Elijah, He will speak to our hearts and lead us if we will simply listen and obey. We want to benefit from His instructions in every area of our lives, and we certainly want to hear the Trumpet sound that announces the Rapture, when He comes to take away those who are ready to meet Him in the air.

God will speak! The question is: Will we listen and obey His voice?

Dwight Baltzell was the Superintendent General of the Apostolic Faith Church from 1993 to 2000. He currently serves as a minister at the headquarters church in Portland, Oregon.

Copyright © 2026 Apostolic Faith Church, All rights reserved.
Apostolic Faith Church
5414 SE Duke St
Portland, OR 97206-6843

Where God Speaks — and the Flesh Dies
📖 “And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims…” — Exodus 25:22 (KJV)
📖 “Thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.” — Psalm 80:1 (KJV)
📖 “The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.” — Psalm 99:1 (KJV)
1️⃣ The Dangerous Place of Encounter
God chose a terrifying address.
Not on the outer court.
Not at the altar of activity.
Not in the noise of sacrifice.
He chose to dwell between the cherubims.
Cherubims are not decorative angels.
They represent guarded holiness.
They stand at the edge of glory.
They guard Eden with flaming swords (Genesis 3:24).
Between the cherubims is not a casual place.
It is where presumption dies.
2️⃣ The Mercy Seat — Not the Performance Stage
Notice carefully:
God did not say, “I will meet you at the sacrifice.”
He said:
📖 “There I will meet with thee… from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims.”
The meeting place was above mercy.
Not above achievement.
Not above charisma.
Not above ministry output.
Between the cherubims is where flesh cannot boast.
It is where:
Titles are irrelevant.
Experience is insufficient.
Confidence in self evaporates.
If you attempt to approach that place in the flesh, you die.
Ask Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10).
3️⃣ The Voice Comes From Between
God speaks from tension:
Holiness and mercy.
Justice and grace.
Fire and blood.
Between the cherubims is the balance point.
It is where:
You feel undone.
You feel small.
You realize you are not in control.
The flesh hates that place.
The flesh wants structure without trembling.
Function without fear.
Anointing without altar.
But:
📖 “The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble.” — Psalm 99:1 (KJV)
4️⃣ You Cannot Finish in the Flesh There
Between the cherubims:
There is no applause.
No self-promotion.
No manipulation.
Only reverence.
You may start ministry in brokenness.
But if you stop returning to between the cherubims, you will drift into machinery.
The Ark without the Presence becomes religious furniture.
Israel later carried the Ark into battle assuming automatic victory (1 Samuel 4).
They carried the symbol —
but had lost the fear.
And they were defeated.
Why?
Because between the cherubims is not a trophy.
It is a throne.
5️⃣ The Real Question
When was the last time you trembled?
When was the last time you approached God aware that He dwells between the cherubims?
Have you reduced Him to a concept?
A motivational force?
A strategic partner?
Or do you still approach Him as the One who reigns?
Between the cherubims:
Your ego dies.
Your plans are examined.
Your motives are exposed.
And that is mercy.
🔥 Final Exhortation
If you stop dwelling between the cherubims,
you will start finishing in the flesh.
If you lose the fear of God,
you will substitute systems for Spirit.
Return to the Mercy Seat.
Return to trembling.
Return to the place where God speaks —
and man falls silent.
Because He still dwells
between the cherubims.

The Sound Mind or Sacred Madness?
📖 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” — 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)
This is not comfort.
This is a verdict.
God has not given you fear.
He has not given you instability.
He has not given you spiritual derangement.
He has given you a sound mind.
The question is not whether God gave it.
The question is whether you are governing it — or losing it.
🔬 What Is a Sound Mind?
A sound mind is not mere intelligence.
It is regulated thought under divine authority.
It is:
Appetite under restraint.
Emotion under discipline.
Ambition under submission.
Power under control.
Desire filtered through eternity.
A sane mind is governed.
An insane mind is driven.
A sane mind responds.
An insane mind reacts.
A sane mind weighs consequences.
An insane mind pursues impulse.
A sane mind submits to truth.
An insane mind negotiates with compromise.
🐴 The Madness of a Gifted Man
📖 “But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.” — 2 Peter 2:16 (KJV)
Balaam was not ignorant.
He was prophetic. Gifted. Recognized.
Yet Scripture calls him mad.
Why?
Because he heard God — and still preferred gain.
He saw danger — and still pursued reward.
Madness is not ignorance.
Madness is clarity overridden by greed.
When appetite governs revelation, insanity has begun.
A donkey had to restrain a prophet.
That is sacred madness — spiritual privilege with a corrupted mind.
🗑 Insanity Eats Garbage
If a man eats from refuse, we call it disorder.
But what of the one who feeds daily on:
Pornography?
Bitterness?
Envy?
Fear narratives?
Gossip?
Corrupt conversations?
That too is garbage consumption.
Insanity is repeatedly consuming what poisons you.
A sound mind rejects contamination.
Without divine governance, you will:
Laugh at what should grieve you.
Celebrate what should alarm you.
Justify what once convicted you.
Trade conviction for convenience.
And call it progress.
💰 The Ultimate Derangement: Profit and Perish
📖 “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” — Mark 8:36 (KJV)
This is Christ’s definition of insanity.
To gain the world — and lose yourself.
To build wealth — and bankrupt eternity.
To expand influence — and shrink your soul.
To secure status — and forfeit sanity.
That is not ambition.
That is vanity.
If your soul is deteriorating while your profile is rising, you are not advancing.
You are unraveling.
Sacred madness is applauded by society —
but heaven calls it loss.
🙏 The Grace You Rarely Thank God For
You thank God for provision.
You thank God for protection.
Do you thank Him for your mind?
Because without divine restraint:
You could wreck destiny in one decision.
You could speak words that scar generations.
You could pursue one appetite that dismantles everything.
Sanity is mercy.
When the prodigal “came to himself” (Luke 15:17), sanity returned.
When the demoniac was delivered, he was found “sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind.” (Mark 5:15, KJV)
Right mind follows right Lord.
⚖️ The Fear Factor
Fear is not harmless.
Fear distorts proportion.
Fear exaggerates threats.
Fear invites irrational decisions.
And Scripture is explicit:
God did not give you that spirit.
If fear governs your choices, it is unauthorized influence.
Unrestrained fear produces spiritual insanity.
A sound mind remains steady under pressure.
🩺 The Surgical Question
Let us remove pretence.
Are you truly sane?
Do you consistently choose eternity over appetite?
Do you guard what enters your mind?
Do you reject profitable compromise?
Do you value your soul above applause?
Are your ambitions submitted to Christ?
Or are you:
Gaining the world but losing peace?
Feeding secretly on garbage?
Negotiating obedience?
Justifying disobedience because it pays?
If your pursuits violate eternity for temporary advantage — that is insanity.
If your empire is expanding while your soul is shrinking — that is vanity.
If you would trade your salvation for applause — that is madness.
🔥 Final Diagnosis
If God withdrew His governing hand from your mind today —
what would you do?
That answer reveals your condition.
📖 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
Guard your mind.
Because once the mind collapses, everything follows.
Power without sanity corrupts.
Love without sanity indulges.
Success without sanity destroys.
But a sound mind?
That is heaven’s internal government.
Examine yourself.
Are you operating in the blessings of a sound mind —
Or are you simply functioning while slowly losing your soul?

Would You Survive Heaven’s Examination?
An audit is not an accusation.
It is an examination.
It does not ask how you feel.
It asks what is recorded.
And heaven keeps records.
📖 “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” — Ecclesiastes 12:14 (KJV)
Not some things.
Every secret thing.
📂 1️⃣ The Invisible Ledger
In the corporate world, numbers must reconcile.
In eternity, motives must reconcile.
📖 “For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.” — Luke 12:2 (KJV)
The frightening part of a moral audit is not public exposure.
It is divine clarity.
God does not investigate. He already knows.
📖 “All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” — Hebrews 4:13 (KJV)
Opened.
The word suggests something laid back, fully exposed — like a throat ready for inspection.
Nothing padded. Nothing rebranded. Nothing excused.
⚖️ 2️⃣ Heaven Audits Intentions, Not Impressions
Men audit performance. God audits the heart.
📖 “Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” — 1 Samuel 16:7 (KJV)
You can pass church inspection and fail heaven’s audit.
You can preach powerfully and still negotiate privately with sin.
In Acts of the Apostles, Ananias and Sapphira passed the offering moment — but failed the integrity audit.
The issue was not the amount. It was the lie.
🧠 3️⃣ The Internal Vote
Every sin is preceded by a silent board meeting in the soul.
Temptation proposes. Conscience objects. Will votes.
📖 “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are…” — Romans 6:16 (KJV)
The moral audit question is not:
Were you tempted?
It is:
Did you yield?
Heaven does not grade pressure. Heaven records consent.
🔥 4️⃣ The Audit of Motives
Why did you do what you did?
To be seen?
To be praised?
To be safe?
To be dominant?
📖 “Therefore judge nothing before the time… who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.” — 1 Corinthians 4:5 (KJV)
The counsels of the heart.
Not just actions — intentions.
You may have done the right thing for the wrong reason. And heaven distinguishes.
🛑 5️⃣ The Dangerous Comfort of “Everyone Does It”
Cultural normalization does not cancel divine standard.
📖 “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil.” — Exodus 23:2 (KJV)
A crowd cannot rewrite righteousness.
In Genesis, the majority drowned. In Exodus, the majority murmured. In Numbers, the majority refused to enter.
Heaven has never governed by majority vote.
🩺 6️⃣ Diagnostic Questions for Your Moral Audit
Ask yourself:
If my private thoughts were projected publicly, would I stand?
If my motives were examined, would they hold?
If my digital history were opened, would it honour Christ?
If my last 30 days were replayed, would they reflect holiness?
Because one day —
📖 “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” — Romans 14:12 (KJV)
Not your spouse. Not your pastor. Not your board. You.
🌊 7️⃣ The Mercy Clause
An audit is terrifying — unless reconciliation has already happened.
📖 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” — 1 John 1:9 (KJV)
Notice: Forgive. Cleanse.
He does not just adjust the books. He purifies the heart.
The safest place to conduct a moral audit is before the throne of grace.
🔥 Final Confrontation
If heaven audited you tonight —
Would it find:
Integrity or image?
Surrender or strategy?
Purity or performance?
Obedience or optics?
Because eternity will not ask how successful you were.
It will ask how faithful you were.
📖 “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” — 1 Corinthians 4:2 (KJV)
So here is the closing question:
If the audit began now…
Would you survive it?

The Beautiful Family of Faith
Bound by Blood and Belief
The family of faith is not sentimental.
It is supernatural.
It is not formed by shared hobbies, tribe, or surname.
It is formed by two unbreakable forces:
Blood and belief.
Not the blood of ancestry —
but the blood of Jesus.
1️⃣ The Blood That Formed the Family
Jesus Christ did not merely teach us love.
He purchased us.
“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins…”
— Ephesians 1:7 (KJV)
Redemption is not poetic language.
It is transactional.
We were bought.
“Ye are not your own… For ye are bought with a price…”
— 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 (KJV)
The church is a blood-bought household.
We do not gather because we agree on everything.
We gather because we were cleansed by the same sacrifice.
The blood leveled us.
No superior race.
No inferior class.
No spiritual aristocracy.
At the foot of the cross —
we are one.
2️⃣ Belief That Seals the Bond
The blood provides access.
Belief activates adoption.
“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
— Galatians 3:26 (KJV)
Faith brings us into the household.
We are bound by belief in:
His finished work.
His resurrection.
His Lordship.
Not cultural Christianity.
Not inherited religion.
But living faith.
Blood paid the price.
Belief receives the promise.
3️⃣ A Family That Love Identifies
“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
— John 13:35 (KJV)
Love is not optional among the blood-bought.
To despise your brother is to insult the price paid for him.
How can I dishonor someone
for whom Christ shed His blood?
Every believer you meet carries the mark of Calvary.
That makes the family beautiful.
4️⃣ One Table, One Covenant
At the Lord’s Table, we remember:
“This cup is the new testament in my blood…”
— 1 Corinthians 11:25 (KJV)
Communion is not ritual.
It is family remembrance.
We were strangers.
Now we are sons and daughters.
We were enemies.
Now we are brethren.
Bound by blood.
Bound by belief.
🔥 A Confronting Reflection
If we are bound by the blood of Jesus:
Why division?
Why jealousy?
Why coldness?
Why rivalry?
The blood did not just reconcile you to God.
It reconciled you to one another.
“For he is our peace, who hath made both one…”
— Ephesians 2:14 (KJV)
The cross tore down walls.
Why rebuild what Christ destroyed?
✨ Devotional Charge
Remember the price.
Honor the blood.
Protect the unity.
Live worthy of the family name.
Because one day, around the throne,
the family of faith — from every nation and generation —
will worship the Lamb who bound us together.
Not by tribe.
Not by tradition.
But by blood and belief.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers…” — Ephesians 6:12 (KJV)
“And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” — Colossians 2:15 (KJV)
“For by him were all things created… whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers.” — Colossians 1:16 (KJV)
There is a realm your eyes cannot see — but your life feels daily.
Scripture calls it the sphere of principalities and powers.
It is the invisible architecture behind visible events.
It is the spiritual climate influencing earthly systems.
It is where authority operates beyond human headlines.
And whether you acknowledge it or not —
you live inside its tension.
1️⃣ Not Flesh and Blood
Paul is precise:
“We wrestle not against flesh and blood…”
Your real adversary is not:
the colleague,
the government official,
the competitor,
the critic,
the opposing party.
Behind structures are spirits.
Behind systems are influences.
Behind movements are unseen agendas.
Principalities are territorial authorities.
Powers are operational forces.
Rulers of darkness shape moral climates.
Spiritual wickedness occupies high places.
The sphere is organized.
And ignorance of it is not protection from it.
2️⃣ Authority Was Created — and Reordered
Colossians 1:16 reminds us:
“By him were all things created… whether they be… principalities, or powers.”
Authority itself was created by Christ.
But Colossians 2:15 reveals something decisive:
“Having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly…”
At the Cross, Jesus did not negotiate.
He disarmed.
He stripped illegitimate authority.
He exposed spiritual arrogance.
He publicly triumphed.
The sphere still exists —
but its ultimate dominance has been broken.
The Cross shifted the balance of power.
3️⃣ Access Determines Influence
There are only two spiritual jurisdictions:
The dominion of darkness
The kingdom of God’s dear Son (Colossians 1:13)
Neutrality is illusion.
Every thought, system, ambition, and alignment operates under influence.
When truth is rejected, deception gains ground.
When holiness is compromised, darkness advances.
When prayer weakens, pressure increases.
The sphere responds to alignment.
4️⃣ The Believer’s Position
Ephesians 1:20–21 declares that Christ is:
“Far above all principality, and power…”
And Ephesians 2:6 says He:
“Made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
This is not poetic language.
It is positional authority.
You do not fight for victory.
You fight from victory.
But position without submission is dangerous.
You cannot claim authority while ignoring obedience.
🔥 The Diagnostic Question
Are you discerning the sphere —
or reacting only to symptoms?
Are you praying strategically —
or merely emotionally?
Are you aligned with heaven’s order —
or entangled in worldly influence?
Because principalities do not fear noise.
They respond to authority.
And authority flows from alignment with the Word.
⚔ Final Charge
Put on the whole armour of God.
Stand, not panic.
Discern, not assume.
Pray with precision.
The sphere of principalities and powers is real.
But greater is He that is in you,
than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4)
You are not helpless.
But you must be aware.
The invisible realm is active.
The Cross has triumphed.
The authority is established.
Now — stand.

How God Builds Leaders Before He Hands Them MantlesTexts: Exodus 33:11; Numbers 27:18–23; Deuteronomy 34:9; Joshua 1:1–9 (KJV)God does not improvise leadership. When a season ends, Heaven does not panic. Long before Moses climbed Nebo for the last time, God had already been forming the man who would carry the next phase of the promise.Joshua did not inherit Moses’ mantle by proximity to death, but by participation in process.“And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit…”— Numbers 27:18 (KJV)Joshua was not empty when he was called. He was already carrying something God could trust.1. God Builds Successors in the Shadow, Not the SpotlightJoshua learned leadership where few were watching.“But his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.”— Exodus 33:11 (KJV)While others admired Moses from a distance, Joshua studied God at close range. Staying when others leave is not inactivity; it is preparation. What you linger around eventually shapes you.2. Submission Is the First Mantle God Hands a ManBefore Joshua ever commanded Israel, he obeyed Moses.He fought Amalek under instruction, not ambition (Exodus 17). He waited while Moses ascended Sinai. He learned how authority functions without possessing it. God never entrusts power to those who have not first learned restraint.3. Faith Under Pressure Separates Successors from SpectatorsWhen the land was surveyed, the nation panicked—but Joshua stood.“If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land…”— Numbers 14:8 (KJV)Majorities do not determine destiny—alignment does. Joshua’s voice mattered to God because it agreed with heaven when fear ruled the camp.4. Mantles Are Transferred, But Capacity Must Already ExistMoses laid hands on Joshua, but he did not create Joshua.“And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him…”— Deuteronomy 34:9 (KJV)Impartation confirms what preparation has already built. Hands may transmit authority, but character carries it.5. God Does Not Reduce His Presence at TransitionWith Moses gone, God did not downgrade His promise.“As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”— Joshua 1:5 (KJV)The continuity of God’s presence proves the legitimacy of the successor. God moves with His purpose, not with personalities.6. Every New Season Is Governed by the Same WordJoshua was not given a new law—only a deeper responsibility to obey it.“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth…”— Joshua 1:8 (KJV)Innovation without obedience is rebellion in disguise. God builds leaders by rooting them in what never changes.Closing ChargeJoshua did not rush into leadership—leadership caught up with him.He stayed when others drifted.He submitted when others asserted.He believed when others feared.That is the making of a successor.God is still forming Joshuas—quietly, patiently, deliberately.The only question is: are you staying long enough to be built?

When faith leaks, destiny bleeds.
“Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.”
— Hebrews 10:35 (KJV)
Confidence is not arrogance.
Confidence is faith held under pressure.
Heaven does not reward intentions, emotions, or explanations—it rewards confidence that refuses to loosen its grip. The enemy is not always trying to make you sin; often he is trying to make you doubt, hesitate, or explain yourself out of obedience.
Confidence is the first casualty of delay.

1. Confidence Is a Trust—Not a Feeling
   The Scripture does not say feel confident; it says cast not away your confidence. Confidence is something you carry, something you can drop, something you can guard.
   Feelings fluctuate.
   Confidence is anchored.
   David didn’t feel confident when Goliath roared—but he spoke confident because his trust was already settled:
   “The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me…”
   — 1 Samuel 17:37 (KJV)
   Confidence remembers what fear tries to erase.
2. Pressure Is Designed to Loosen Your Grip
   Trials are not just tests of endurance; they are tests of conviction. The longer the wait, the louder the question: “Are you still sure God said it?”
   This is where many believers don’t backslide—they leak.
   They still pray, but softly.
   They still believe, but cautiously.
   They still obey, but with an escape plan.
   Hebrews doesn’t warn against open rebellion; it warns against casting away confidence—quietly, politely, logically.
3. Confidence Has a Reward Attached
   “…which hath great recompence of reward.”
   — Hebrews 10:35 (KJV)
   God ties reward not only to faith, but to faith that remains confident under fire. Confidence is faith refusing to renegotiate with circumstances.
   The reward is not just what you receive—it is what you become:
   Unshakeable
   Rooted
   Authoritative
   Calm in storms that panic others
   Confidence tightens your spiritual posture.
4. Heaven Responds to Bold Trust
   When Peter stepped out of the boat, the miracle was not the water—it was the decision. The moment he looked at the wind, confidence loosened, and he began to sink.
   What failed was not the word; it was the focus.
   “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.”
   — Hebrews 12:2 (KJV)
   Confidence stays tight by staying focused.
   A Final Charge
   Do not let delay loosen you.
   Do not let opposition explain you out of obedience.
   Do not let familiarity make you casual with God’s promises.
   Keep your confidence tight.
   Tight in prayer.
   Tight in confession.
   Tight in obedience.
   Tight in expectation.
   Because the reward is closer than the pressure suggests.
   “For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.”
   — Hebrews 10:37 (KJV)

When God’s Love and Spirit Say “No”
Texts: 2 Corinthians 5:14; Acts 16:6 (KJV)
Supporting: Acts 20:22
“For the love of Christ constraineth us…”
— 2 Corinthians 5:14
Not all constraints are cages.
Some are compasses.
The love of Christ does not merely inspire—it restrains.
It places holy pressure on desire, ambition, speech, and movement.
This is not oppression.
This is government.
When God loves a man deeply, He limits him deliberately.
Love That Will Not Let You Go Anywhere
Paul did not say the love of Christ encouraged us.
He said it constrained us.
Love narrowed his options.
Love closed doors.
Love vetoed selfish freedom.
Anything love does not approve,
grace does not empower.
If love is not constraining you,
it may not yet be governing you.
“And they were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia.”
— Acts 16:6
This is shocking.
The assignment was good.
The intention was noble.
The message was correct.
Yet the Holy Ghost said No.
Because timing matters.
Territory matters.
Sequence matters.
God does not only guide by permission—
He also guides by prohibition.
The Discipline of Divine “No”
The Holy Ghost forbade Paul, not because Asia was evil,
but because Macedonia was urgent.
A delayed obedience in one place
can abort destiny in another.
Sometimes God blocks your path,
not to punish you,
but to protect what is ahead.
“And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem…”
— Acts 20:22
Paul was not chained by men.
He was bound by the Spirit.
This is the highest form of freedom—
to be unable to disobey God.
When the Spirit binds you,
confusion ends.
Debate dies.
Options collapse.
Only assignment remains.
Closing Charge
In a generation addicted to options,
God still raises men governed by constraints.

• Constrained by love
• Restricted by truth
• Forbidden by the Spirit
• Bound to purpose
  If God is limiting you,
  He is likely positioning you.
  Do not pray against holy restraints.
  They are evidence of trust.
  Declaration
  Lord, constrain me by Your love.
  Forbid me where You have not sent me.
  Bind me to Your purpose.
  I choose divine restriction over dangerous freedom.