Recovered In Christ

November 4, 2018

Denying the Devil’s existence or minimizing his power does not protect you from him. The Devil doesn’t need your belief in order to operate in your life. In fact – your ignorance, denial and lack of belief are the very tools he uses to maneuver himself in your innermost life.

May 27, 2018

A true spiritual experience produced by the Holy Spirit requires no action on your part but it inspires it.

January 14, 2018

I am surrounded by so many Christians who can’t seem to choose a pair of socks without the crippling doubt plaguing them of “I’m not sure this is God’s Will for me” – they are constantly unsure of what move to make – they can’t seem to make any spontaneous decisions and somehow that’s been spiritualized into them believing they are deferring to seek God’s Will rather than their own in that situation. But this is far from the truth. In truth – they are still approaching the world with a mind that is still conformed to it – attempting not to be!!! Rather than a mind renewed by being a living sacrifice to God which comes as a response to the mercies of God! A renewed mind that would have the power to test and discern what is the good, acceptable, perfect will of God.

October 27, 2017

“Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart” (Jeremiah 15:16)

May 19, 2017

A must share! Bang on Michael. #1 fav comment of the month!

“A moment that really stands out as transformational in my life was when I was convinced that the writings of some of my favorite mentors who quoted a lot of authors like Tozer and Spurgeon were about me – and I hated it. I saw it as an accusation and a condemnation. My pride had me in a “chokehold” as you say…until I finally realized that up until then my acceptance of my shortcomings and conviction of sin was just lip service. Truth is – it burned me up inside to be exposed by these people. But they kept at it – challenging me directly and indirectly through all of their writings and sermons – until I welcomed it. That is transformation. Can’t be faked.” – Michael Pikose

This “theme” has been on my mind quite a bit. It seems that writing challenging posts and exposing sickness and sin is ok with alot of people…as long as it’s about someone else! As soon as it hits too close to home, it is suddenly deemed as a personal attack. Or venting “resentment”. lol! I get this alot!! People thinking that I’m writing about them. If you really think that…chances are I am! Of course I am. Who else would I be talking about? It seems ok with you if I use your “enemies” as examples in my writing, you nod your head deeply, and shout out a smug amen! But you are devastated that I would use YOU in my examples.

You then try to school me about my “wicked” ways of writing about you…by writing about me on your social media. LOL!

But I don’t think you’re upset for the reasons you try to give. The Truth remains that you are mad at me for noticing how sick you are. You thought your friendship/worship/agreeing with me/kissing my ass would buy me off. That is a prevalent sick dynamic in so many recovery circles/church groups etc. that I see that deeply disturbs me. You thought that because we had a friendship I would look the other way as you began to embrace the defects you once fought to get rid of. You then thought that you could manipulate me by accusing me of what you are guilty of! You thought I would care about your approval as much as you care about mine. You thought wrong.

I say what I say and write what I write, not out of resentment, not to “attack” you and not to shame you. But rather because I know that YOU know I am telling the truth. And that has always been my promise to you, the seal of my friendship, that I will tell you the truth regardless of what it costs me, regardless of how much you will try to make it about something else. Despite your protestations, slander and anger, I believe that you are still listening to me! So much so, that you are on here reading this long after you claimed to have stopped listening.

April 24, 2017

Believe. Believe that Christ wants you to be Free. Believe that He won that freedom for you with the divine blood in his veins. Believe it. You can make that choice. To believe. Keep praying until it comes. Stop allowing the Enemy to steal the precious ground you’ve gained. PUSH him back. Refuse to surrender to the circumstances, influences and attacks coming at you, at your faith. REFUSE to be moved from your power position. You are in a power position my friend. ALL the powers and forces of hell gathered around the cross of Christ and were defeated on your behalf – they were to put to an open shame. Christ did that for you. THAT is your power position.

December 18, 2016

2 Timothy 3:12-13

The reason why some of you get into so much trouble for what you say is not because the words you use are all that different from the words that “conflict free” Christians use – it’s because you actually mean them.

October 1, 2016

A friendship based on a willingness and commitment to stay the course of pursuing truth and rejecting falsehood is one that will last longer than a lifetime, it will continue on into eternity with God. Although those friendships will be rare. Rare yet precious.

On the flip side, you will be amazed at how easily you can maintain all kinds of relationships and “connect” under the banner of “peace and unity” when you have sold out. When your common denominator is the worship of self and the pursuit of “My will be done”. Many have drowned out God’s clarion call by the shouts of their camaraderie, they have drawn together in celebration and purpose, emboldened by the noise of activity and solidarity – only to find that it does not matter how many people agree with and promote your lifestyle – it will not tip the scale of God’s opinion.

Paradoxically it is those people who care more about God’s opinion than in being your friend – that are your true friends. They love you enough to take the brunt of your displeasure – that you might hear the truth; repent and believe.

Christ, the truest friend any man can have, laid down his life for us, literally died for us, but he called us to leave our life of sin and follow him. He challenges us to die to self, to leave the dead to be buried by the dead, to pick up our cross and follow him if we are to be considered friends of his.

Don’t be fooled into believing that anyone that challenges you to less is really your friend.

August 13, 2016

So tired of these signs that people love to quote that take a dig at religious people. “Your beliefs don’t make you a better person, your behaviour does.”

No. Wrong.

Your behaviour doesn’t make you a better person, God does.

June 17, 2014

The Truth is uncomfortable when it confronts our secret desire to make up God instead of Seek Him.

Thursday, June 12, 2014

There is no human experience of “completeness”. Yet everything driving our human condition is the result of this lack of completeness. Every attempt has been made in mankind’s history to erase the memory of God’s original plan for us to be complete. Man’s mission has been to make “broken” the new normal. Satan’s mission has been to try to satiate our brokenness and hunger with every form of poison he can devise. Yet it is only because of and through the Lord Himself in all his glory and grace that we are ever granted the mercy to know that we are broken. Only by His grace can you see that there is no human experience of being “complete”. Only through His grace can you be brought into the presence of the One who is, has been and will eternally be complete. The Lord Himself is the one who holds complete joy, complete love and complete acceptance in Himself. It is only there that you can find it. And he has provided the bridge to Himself. The way out of your attempts to find meaning and “completeness” in yourself, your philosophy, your relationships and your work. The way out of you and the way into Him is through the one who said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

There is no human experience of “completeness”. It belongs to God alone – and only though His grace can your spirit supernaturally enter into and dwell in the presence of the Lord who is the finisher – the perfecter – the ”completer” of your faith.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

It was the God that I was fighting against that saved me. An anti-Christ; chosen, pursued and won over by The Christ. In all things and in all ways I had chosen evil with zero inclination to do otherwise. It was evil not just because it was sinister and openly harmful. Some of it was good. Spiritual. Beautiful. Praise worthy. Yet every drop of it was against Christ and yet his sovereign will chose me before the world was even created – and with all wisdom and understanding he revealed the mystery of His will to me. I chose evil. I pursued it to death’s door – and yet the King of Kings included me in Himself, in Christ when I heard the message of truth, the gospel of my salvation. My fate – my destiny is sealed. Believing the message I heard marked me with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. My voice that committed to slandering Christ has joined the eternal chorus that praises His glorious grace.

“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of his glory.” – Ephesians 1:4-14

Friday, March 21, 2014
(Ravi Zacharias)

On November 26, 2008, a gang of terrorists stormed the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai, India. After the carnage had left 200 people dead, a reporter interviewed a guest who had been at the hotel for dinner that night. The guest described how he and his friends were eating dinner when they heard gunshots. Someone grabbed him and pulled him under the table. The assassins came striding through the restaurant, shooting at will, until everyone (or so they thought) had been killed. Miraculously, this man survived. When the interviewer asked the guest how he lived when everyone else at his table had been killed, he replied, “I suppose because I was covered in someone else’s blood, and they took me for dead.”

“How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” Hebrews 8:14

Monday, March 17, 2014
“Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it.” 1 Peter 3:9

I love God’s sovereignty! All the trolling and stalking by my hater fan base (as well as my lovely readership’s support) has increased this blog’s exposure and visibility to help us reach a new audience worldwide. They’ve helped in my mission….to spread the word about The Word!! Thanks guys. You know who you are! 🙂

In all seriousness though, just think about that for a moment – really think about the fact that no matter who or what is against you, if God is truly for you – if what you are pursuing, standing for, preaching about is truly His Will…then all the forces of hell combined with all the odds of the world could conspire to stand against you…and not only will it come to nothing, God will actually TURN them around and use them to bless you…oh yes he will!! As He is the sovereign King. All things are under his power and control. All things, good, bad and indifferent are available to Him. And he has a knack for flipping things upside down, for grabbing a curse mid air that was being hurled against you and transforming it into a blessing, so that you and everyone around you can see the goodness, mercy and glory of our God!

Wednesday, December 11, 2013
The Chief End Of All Mission Work Is The Glory Of God

Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Slain In The “Spirit”? Drunk In The “Spirit”?…Or Deceived By spirits?

Probably one of the most important things a believer needs to know about the workings of Christ versus demons in “beautiful” spiritual experiences:

“The period of danger is, as already shown in Chapter 3, at the time of seeking the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, when much has been said by others about manifestations of God to the consciousness, or some “coming upon” of the Spirit, felt by the senses. This is the opportunity for the watching spirits.

What believer is there that does not long for the “conscious” presence of God, and would not give up all to obtain it? How difficult it is to walk by “faith,” when passing through the dark places of life! If the “conscious presence” is to be obtained by the Baptism of the Spirit, and there can be supernatural effects upon the senses, so that God is really felt to be at hand – then who would not be tempted to seek it? It looks to be an absolutely necessary equipment for service, and it appears from the Bible story of Pentecost, as if the believers then must have had this conscious presence, felt by them physically and actually.

Here lies the danger point which first opens the door to Satan. The working upon the senses in the religious realm, has long been Satan’s special mode of deceiving men throughout the whole world, of which he is the god and prince. He knows how to soothe, and move, and work upon the senses in every possible way, and, in every form of religion ever known, deceiving unregenerate men with the form of godliness whilst denying the power. Among the truly converted, and even sanctified believers, the senses are still his way of approach. Let the soul admit a craving for beautiful emotions, happy feelings, overwhelming joy, and the conception that manifestations, or “signs,” are necessary to prove the presence of God, especially in the Baptism of the Spirit, and the way is open for Satan’s lying spirits to deceive.

The Lord said, on the eve of His Cross, concerning the coming of the Holy Spirit to the believer, “I will . . manifest Myself unto him” (John 14: 21), but He did not say how He would fulfill His promise. To the woman at the well He said “God is spirit,” and “they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” The manifestation of Christ is, therefore, to the spirit, and not in the realm of the senses, or animal soul. Hence the craving for sense-manifestation opens the door to deceiving spirits to counterfeit the real presence of Christ; but the consent and co-operation of the will to their control must be obtained, and this they seek to get under the guise of an “angel of light”; as a messenger of God apparently clothed with light, not darkness, for light is the very nature and character of God.

The basis of this deception of the believer is his ignorance of the principles on which God works in man, and the true conditions for His manifested presence in the man’s spirit; and his ignorance of the conditions upon which evil spirits work, in a passive surrender  of the will, mind and body to supernatural power. In his ignorance of the true working of God, the believer expects Him to move on the physical being, so that He is manifested to the senses, and to use his faculties apart from him, as a proof of His presence and “control,” whereas God only moves in, and through the man himself by the active co-operation of his will–the will being the ego, or centre of the man. Neither does God use the faculties of the man apart from conjunction with the man, i.e., through his will. Not instead of the man, but with him (2 Cor. 6: 1).” – Jessie Penn-Lewis; War On The Saints, Chapter 5

Monday, September 2, 2013
And He’ll Huff And He’ll Puff and He’ll Blow Your House Down!

Sometimes I love thinking about old children’s stories – like the 3 little pigs. I also love when God connects something so deep and profound with something so simple. 3 little pigs – 2 were lazy and half assed and built their houses out of straw and sticks…and got eaten by the wolf. The 3rd piggy built his house out of brick and not only didn’t get eaten…the wolf trying to come through another entryway…fell to his death in a fiery pot in the piggy’s house!!

I wonder if the other 2 piggy’s while alive felt  judged by the 3rd? Did they sit around dissecting complex socio/political ideas – and felt insulted by what they perceived were self-righteous “bricks” that Mr.3 was using to build his home?

Did they fight for their right to insist that straw and sticks were EQUAL and valid choices to the brick? Perhaps they weren’t even lazy. Perhaps they simply didn’t believe in a silly wolf who was on his way to devour them! Perhaps they had concluded that he was nothing more than a remnant of a popular “archetype”. Perhaps they did believe in the existence of the wolf – but felt he was misunderstood, he was just a gentle vegetarian who’d been falsely accused of eating piggys! Perhaps they clung to their ideology that there is no “us” versus “them”…there is only love!! Or maybe they really thought they could reason with him, live in harmony with him, perhaps they even sent Mr. 3 some books and articles on love and tolerance of wolfies! I wonder what they thought as he swallowed them?

I believe with all my heart that God uses time and kindness to convince you to leave your house and philosophy of straw and knock on Mr.3′s door – he’ll let you in! God has not left you without a Mr.3 piggy in your neighborhood. The house of brick fits way more than just one little piggy.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” Psalm 1

Friday, April 5, 2013
Jezebel Spirit Unmasked!

Tuesday, August 14, 2012
The Light Of The World

I had no idea how I was created. I had no idea where I would go when I died. I had no idea why it is or how I was on a planet filled with life surrounded by vast endless space and yet I was so close minded to anything that seemed “far fetched”. Being alive and conscious and on this planet is actually far fetched if you really think about it!.

I snickered and rolled my eyes at people who wanted me to believe something about a man who lived 2 thousand years ago – and yet I accepted theories from other men about things that apparently happened 65 million years ago.

And I was indoctrinated by them to believe it wasn’t “theory”, it was fact!

They too had no idea where they came from and where they are going – we all just continued to walk in darkness, focusing on the little we did know and avoiding how much we didn’t know! We catalogued the creation and called it science or added a twist of the spiritual to it and called it “my own understanding of God”.

But I put aside my own understanding and began to seek this man who said “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life…even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.” (John 8: 12-14)

Monday, April 30th, 2012
Yes I Hate.

Yes I have a hatred. I hate sin. But I do not hate the one committing the sin.

There is a perfect division between the two. That only the Holiness of God can maintain.

Without His Spirit, the lines begin to blur.

You will start to hate your neighbor, your “enemy” or yourself.

Or in your human attempt at compassion you will begin to tolerate the sin.

Only the Holy Spirit of God can keep your hatred of sin pure. Free from the corrupting influence of Satan and Self.

Only His Spirit can enable you to love and bless your most vilest human enemies of truth – without compromising your total and absolute rejection of their sin.

Thursday, March 22nd, 2012
The Truth…

Only God can “convert” a person’s heart by opening their eyes to the truth, I understand why people don’t want me to talk about it – because I was ‘allowed’ to have my own experience when I was a ‘non-Christian’…when really I was an anti-Christian, defending my right to be wrong…and people allowed me to do that – but it NEVER stopped them from sharing the truth.

I couldn’t ignore the fact, that I had never met anyone who was truly ‘clean’ and living a life of power who wasn’t a follower of Jesus Christ. Reading all of the first hand experiences of the people who started the recovery fellowships showed me by their own words how each and every single one of them suffered horribly and could never retain their state of grace when they pursued their own conception of God. I have never met anyone in recovery who had lasting peace, emotional recovery and the Spirit of God dwelling in them who were not SAVED by Christ.

It is usually through a deep experience with God, and True Repentance (which is what the recovery steps really are) that they are set on a path that if they truly follow through with earnestly seeking The Truth about God – always find Jesus.

You can believe in whatever you want – I won’t stop you or argue with you, or refuse you my friendship, but does that mean if I am asked point blank what I believe is the Truth I would deny Him, in the hopes of winning someone over? No. Never. Those games people play are evil. Alot of people have tried doing that to me. They want what I have, they want to work with me, but they don’t really want to change. They don’t follow through with the real work of repentance (Being HONEST, taking inventory, making amends, helping others, seeking God) instead they want to feed off of me, and when they can’t they turn on us and accuse us of trying to convert them! LOL.

You can have what I had before I knew Jesus Christ. I had true repentance, I recovered. I changed. I was healed, and set free from addiction. I had an experience with God, the Father. And I was given hope of something greater to come. That is all we have as non Christians. But people are not satisfied with that, not for very long. They want the LIGHT that they see in me now. And the Truth is, 100%, that the Light that is in me now, the power and authority that I have, is the Light of Christ. The Son of The Father. The Truth.

100%  no matter who you are, or what you believe, if you consistently ask God to Reveal the Truth to you, unadulterated, you will come to know it!

It blows me away, how many people I meet who are not in a life and death crisis, who enjoy a successful and stable life – and yet, are so willing to set aside their prejudice and talk about Jesus.

It equally blows my mind, how many people I meet in ‘recovery’ who claim to seek the Truth about God, who are adamant about respecting other people’s faith – deeply hate Christ. It makes me laugh to remember that about myself…I was a champion for freedom of religious expression, a warrior in defending people’s right to worship their exclusive God and express their beliefs that I didn’t share – except of course if it was Christianity!

When people got up and shared and spoke and went on and on in specific detail about their various religious and spiritual practices and how the rest of us should keep an open mind to trying what they did, we’d all nod in respect at how spiritual their twist on things were…but when someone got up and simply said, that the recovery process was helping them to become better Christians…we hit the roof. We recoiled. We squirmed. We started looking for some wood and nails to crucify and slander them, or at best roll our eyes…

Looking back – I am so grateful that I had that reaction…to me it was extra proof that Christ truly is a threat, to the darkness within, it was not because we all had negative experiences with ‘horrible’ Christianity. It’s because The Truth is uncomfortable when it confronts our secret desire to make up God instead of Seek Him. The non Christians in the room who were not offended were usually the ones who were more interested in seeking the Truth rather than defending their position.

At the time, that wasn’t me. At the time, I wanted my truth, rather than The Truth…and I can tell you in all sincerity, that I now, have never been more happy to have been wrong!

Jesus is The Son Of God, not because I am right, and not because someone else is wrong, but because He Is The Truth.

Thursday, December 8, 2011
To Judge or not to Judge…

I have been reading alot lately about people’s struggle with not wanting to ‘judge’ anyone, which is good stuff – but that’s not the real issue. The real struggle is their lack of the ability to discern true from false, good from evil, etc. Many people think that not condemning people or not acting hostile and judgmental means that we have been stripped of the ability to make value judgments on what is right and wrong! I find it so strange that people say things like ‘It’s not our place to judge whether people are Christians or not’, really? How can you think that – let alone say it? Everything that the prophets and apostles and people of God have left for us in scripture is to help us be able to do just that. Please stop twisting words and ideas. And taking things out of context. It is so unwise.

Yes, of course, we shouldn’t ‘judge’ as in condemn anyone through our own human opinion and rules or decide who gets to be saved and who doesn’t. God is the Final Judge! The power that God has and that He gives his children, is to be able to see sin and evil for what it is – and where it is, to reject it totally, and yet remain steadfast in His Love for people. If you are a TRUE believer, someone who is sincerely governed by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, you will naturally be able to discern who is a follower of Christ and who isn’t. You will naturally be able to make value judgments. You will ‘know’ things that your own human mind did not come up with!

This idea that we are not in a position to ‘judge’ and should stay on the sidelines is at the heart of new age (demonic) philosophy. Yes – there is a time to act/step in, and Yes, there is a time not to.

We are surrounded by wolves in sheep’s clothing. We are surrounded by people wanting their cake while eating it as well! What is the solution? To be judgmental and harsh? Of course not! But is it to be accepting of watered down ‘church-ianity’? No!

How can you strike a balance? How can you have the precision to judge and act in perfect harmony with the true Will of God – in every unique situation? By getting really honest with yourself and God! Do you now have the Spirit of Truth in you? Are you being led by the Spirit? Are your beliefs, actions and outcomes in alignment with the Word Of God? Is the sincere prayer of your heart that you want God to mold you and make you more like his Son? See, the closer you are with Jesus, the more you start being able to ‘see’. The more you will naturally ‘know’ how to judge a situation.

So many Christians ‘harm’ other Christians by allowing them into their inner circle and fellowship, while knowing full well that person is not repentant and truly seeking Christ!

Instead they should be taking the time to ‘minister’ to these people OUTSIDE of the fellowship of true believers, to plant seeds and show them God’s kindness that leads to repentance but instead they mix it all in and actually act confused when their fellowship/church/group gets watered down!!

To me, this is obviously due to a lack of wisdom. A lack of willingness to learn and do things the right way. A lack of knowledge of the Will of God. Studying the Bible and trying to follow the principles in your own life while navigating through the ‘church’ will be meaningless and futile without real humility. Humility – to truely seek to know and do the Will of God! Are you humble enough in your heart to really say ‘Of myself I know nothing. Of myself I can do nothing. Of myself I am nothing’ that is the ingredient that most ‘christians’ I meet lack! Because if a person really owns those words, God Himself will reveal things to you, God Himself will give you access to His Heart and Wisdom and Knowledge and Power. An amazing trade!
xo…Layla