Mark 1:23-26 NKJV “Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.” I have a word the Lord has placed on my heart to give to those who are running away from the church because of an experience or fear of rejection. A synagogue is a house of worship, a place where people come together and pray. Jesus walked into a synagogue to cast a demon out of a man. Now hear me on this, Even the people in the church are hurting. But some don’t know the enemy is using them because a lot of people in the church don’t know they are in sin. It could be pride, doubt, fear, anything because what many may think is little sin is still big sin that enemy can use to bring chaos, pain, division because there is no greater sin. Sin is sin and it’s an open door for demons to do whatever they can to “try” to stop a move of God. Hear me, so if satan can use someone at church to stop you from coming to know God for yourself, then the enemy will do that. You can’t idolize a human interaction on how the Lord is if that same human needs Jesus themselves. A lot of people in the church pretend because they fear not being saved. So they will do all these things to try and “please” God in the church before seeking the Lord for their healing and deliverance to actually know how He’s called them to serve Him. A lot of people in the church don’t understand that it is not by human might nor human power to transform a person, its by the spirit of God. We are all called to love, but a lot of people in the church don’t know how to love instead, they judge because they still haven’t one forgiven themselves for their own sins or two they don’t know how to love themselves to be able to love anyone else.

“Then the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath; and Israel recovered its territory from the hands of the Philistines. Also there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.” What the enemy meant for your harm, God meant for your good. The promises of the Lord will always stand. No one can stand in the way of what He has predestined for you to receive. When the Israelites thought it was over for them, God said it was just the beginning for their sudden breakthrough. God doesn’t submit under human authority. God doesn’t flow through the charts of the wisdom of men, there’s limitations in that. God breaks through the charts. Where the odds were set against you could be a divine set up for repentance. A divine set up for character development. A divine set up of God trying to draw you near to Him. But there are no odds that can take away what God has for you, it can only bring you closer because what’s for you will always be for you. It’s the Lord’s purpose to give what He has for you. Everyone is called to a purpose that only you can run. The word of God says run the race that is set before YOU. Hear me, not every homeowner has the same set of keys to their neighbors houses. Therefore, no one can just walk into your place and take what’s from you unless you open the door for them. Hear me on this, when you walk in sin, you are opening the door to the enemy allowing him access to try and steal what God has for you. Which he cannot, but he will try to manipulate your mind through fear thinking that it is a lost cause for you. But the devil is a liar! Get out of your head, and return to Him seek Him for understanding of the season He has placed you in. Don’t question the loss, embrace the loss. Rejoice in the loss, because in Christ you’re not losing anything, you’re actually gaining what’s meant for you. And what’s for you will always be for you in His appointed timing. Don’t rest in disbelief, rest in belief that God is turning it around for you. Rest in the redemption through His blood that washes you clean.

“Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only. And Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” So they gathered together at Mizpah, drew water, and poured it out before the Lord. And they fasted that day, and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah. Now when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, the Lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines.” The Israelites were so afraid because they sinned against God. Where confidence once was, fear took over because they recently fought the philistines expecting victory and lost, even after bringing the ark of the Lord to the battlefield. Hear me on this, they didn’t receive their expectation in their current season because they were in sin. But God still used that moment where they thought they lost everything, to save them. It was all part of God’s plan. Now, once the Israelites decided to prepare their hearts to only serve God, the Philistines heard and tried to intimidate them by striking fear in their hearts because of the past battle. But that battle was part of God’s rescue plan to save the Israelites out of sin which was already destroying them. God used a moment where the enemy thought he won, as a stepping tool for the Israelites true victory. Victory within themselves and within their circumstance. Remember, there is no battle too hard for the Lord. He can’t lose. He can’t be overpowered. In Ecclesiastes 7:14, it says “When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other."

“Then she made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.”” Look at the specifics of Hannah’s prayer. She didn’t ask for a female child but a male child and spoke the standards of someone predestined to be there. Predestined for her to birth. I want you to read this metaphorically. Glory that was predestined for her to birth. Hannah knew the type of child she was going to birth before giving birth to the child. Before conception, she knew how the child needed to be. Before she received the child, she recognized the child through the longings of her heart. You will sometimes know what you are about to conceive before conceiving it. Hear me, you will sometimes know what’s for you before it’s for you. It was meant for Hannah to give birth to Samuel and devote him to the Lord. She knew the purpose of the child she was desiring before receiving the child. Don’t run away from the longings of your heart as you await the promises of God. Continue to pray. Continue to yearn and may the Lord lead your heart to pray according to His purpose just as He did for Hannah. In Hannah’s sacrificial worship came provision. The sacrifice was her desires—her wants. Before her prayer, she prayed for a child with intention of pleasing herself but once she gave her desires unto the Lord, He aligned her to the purpose of why she was going to birth a child. Not for her glory but for His. When you are faithful to God then He will too be faithful to you. In her prayer of faith, led her to abundance. The Lord needed Hannah to first align to what He needed for her to do for Him first which was come into alignment with the purpose of her birthing her first child and then coming into agreement with His will by devoting the child to God. 1. Surrender