Daily inspirational insight and revelations to start your day and offer hope, comfort and assurance in God.
Author: Anneta Pinto-Young
I am a trained Social Worker who currently provides professional leadership on a programme to support Social Work students and Newly Qualified Social Workers entering the Social Work Profession.
Born and raised in Jamaica in a Christian family where my father is an ordained Pastor and Deacon who has served for over 50 years in the ministry. My father is also a trained musician and our family can be described as a musical family. I grew up in a small farming community in St. Peter’s, St. Andrew and my parents also have a small farm.
I credit my gift of writing to my father who I watched and listened to over the years as he wrote sermons, poems and other recitals in his capacity in ministry. English has always been an easy subject for me and over the years I have developed an increased interest in writing.
I am a Trainer, I sing and have a passion for worship, the spoken word and the free flow of the prophetic anointing. I am married to my best friend Andrew Christopher Young who is an advanced Musician and whose music you can find on YouTube and Facebook. I am a trained Coach and Mentor and I love experimenting with food so I love cooking. I enjoy trying cultural dishes from across the world and I view food as an entry into cultures and languages.
🎙We’re back and ready to dive into all the highs, lows, and lessons learned from launching and recording Season 1. Expect fun, banter, and thought-provoking conversations, as we reflect on the journey so far.
Hopefully, you haven’t missed us too much- but if you have, don’t worry, we’re making up for it!
Hit that play button, stay tuned, and let’s get talking.
🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more great episodes!
~ This is a three part episode ~
Featuring Anneta Pinto-Young, Rose Tebere and Cherelle Wilson-Morrison AFHEA MA BSc
🎙We’re back and ready to dive into all the highs, lows, and lessons learned from launching and recording Season 1. Expect fun, banter, and thought-provoking conversations, as we reflect on the journey so far.
Hopefully, you haven’t missed us too much- but if you have, don’t worry, we’re making up for it!
Hit that play button, stay tuned, and let’s get talking.
🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more great episodes!
~ This is a three part episode ~
Featuring Anneta Pinto-Young, Rose Tebere and Cherelle Wilson-Morrison AFHEA MA BSc
“Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life! Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me” (Psalm 35:4).
David wrote Psalm 35 concerning God being the avenger of his people. He starts by asking God to contend with those who contended with him and to fight against those who fought against him. David used analogies of war to pray the prayer of vengeance. He asked God to take hold of the shield and buckler and rise up to help him. David asked God to draw the spear and javelin against those who were pursuing him. David used the context of weapons used on the battlefield during his time in battle. We can imagine modern day weapons of war such as guns, missiles or other ballistic weapons of mass destruction.
David asked God to cause his enemies to be put to shame and dishonour who sought after his life. He prayed for them to be turned back and disappointed who devised evil against him. David asked for them to be like the chaff in the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away. “Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them” (Psalm 35:6)! David’s contention was that they had set traps for him without a reason. Without a just cause they had dug a pit to destroy his life. David asked for destruction to come upon his enemies unaware. He prayed for them to be caught in their own traps and for the enemies to fall in the pit that they had dug.
This last verse reminded me of Haman being hung on the same gallows that he built for Mordecai (Esther 7:10). God is a God of justice and people will reap of the seeds that they sow. Our enemies will fall in the same traps that they have set for us. David declared that his soul would rejoice in the Lord when he had seen the destruction of his enemies. “Let not those rejoice over me who are wrongfully my foes, and let not those wink the eye who hate me without cause” (Psalm 35:19). David asked the Lord to arise and vindicate him. He asked God to vindicate him according to his righteousness, so that his enemies would not rejoice over him.
As we pray the prayer of vengeance, remember that this is not about revenge. Vengeance is God’s punishment for the wrongs done by others against his people. Vengeance belongs to God, so we ensure that we don’t hold any bitterness or harbour any resentment towards anyone. If we regard iniquity, the Lord will not hear our prayers. The battle that we fight is not against flesh and blood and it’s not against people. We fight against principalities and powers, the rulers of darkness of this world. The devil uses people as demonic hosts, but our attacks are against his spirits and demonic hosts of darkness. God wants every sinner to repent so that they can live in him. If they remain in sin, this leads to death.
“But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money” (Acts 8:20)!
In Acts 8, Peter and John were sent to Samaria to pray for the saints, that they might receive the Holy Spirit. There was a Sorcerer in Samaria named Simon, who when he saw what happened, offered to give them money to receive power to lay hands on people, so that they also could receive the spirit. He had seen the Holy Ghost manifested through Peter and John, laying hands on saints and wanted to have this power. Peter’s rebuke was quick and sharp, ‘your money perish with you, because you thought the gift of God could be purchased with money.’ He was cautioned to repent and he begged Peter to pray so that none of the calamities he spoke of would come upon him. The Holy Ghost was given to the church to manifest the power of God. This manifestation includes signs, wonders and miracles. “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16:17-18).
Jesus promised that we would do even greater works than he did during his time here. There are many ministers and believers who manifest the gifts of healing, deliverance, prophecy and other miracles. There are people, including some ‘ministers’ who have infiltrated the church arena and are using diabolical powers to mimic spiritual gifts. There are false preachers, apostles, prophets and teachers who are visiting Fetish Priests and witchcraft practitioners, to pretend to operate in the gifts of the spirit. Paul also cautioned the churches who were led astray by contrary teachings and false apostles. He reminded them that many deceitful workers had transformed themselves into apostles of Christ. “And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light” (II Corinthians 11:14). Some ministers and ministries have also become contaminated through demonic manipulation. Instead of leading people to Christ, people are being led astray and polluted by idolatry and demonic manipulation and control.
A minister who is anointed and living for God today, can become contaminated and veer away from the things of God, if they are not firmly planted. It is important to know God for yourself, read and study the bible so that you can test every spirit, know sound doctrine and use the gift of discernment. We have to pray for our churches and church leaders, as the devil will send his agents on assignment, to infiltrate church circles and contaminate them. Agents of darkness try hard to get into close proximity to leadership, either by getting close to a minister or often getting close to their spouses. Some ministers become discouraged about small congregation sizes and meagre salaries and out of desperation, turn to demonic practices. This is often to try to control members through fear of losing them and some ministers will even try to steal members from other churches.
Sometimes the guise may be to get members from other churches, to become partners in their church, to serve their ministry, give their tithes and offering into their church or to give a portion of it, while being members in another church. These practices are under handed and deceptive and should not be the case in church circles. Witchcraft involves the use of manipulation and control of people, for the purpose of getting them to do things outside of their will. While the charismatic movement focuses on the gifts of the spirit and walking in spiritual authority, charismatic witchcraft places leaders on a pedestal and emphasises their gifts over and above others. This places leaders in a position of superiority, encouraging members to become overly dependent on them and focuses on the anointing and power of the leader, rather than focusing on God. Churches should equip members to understand their identify in Christ, grow and mature in the things of God, develop and flow in their spiritual gifts and enable them to walk in dominion and authority.
“lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices” (II Corinthians 2:11).
“nor as being Lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock” (I Peter 5:3).
For the purpose of this teaching, I will write two instalments on the subject of charismatic witchcraft and discuss how this manifests in the body of Christ. I will draw examples and make reference to points when this was seen in the Old and New Testament and share some of the insight from Jesus, Peter and Paul, in terms of how this manifests in the church. The term charismatic witchcraft can be referred to as the misuse of spiritual gifts, authority and influence within Pentecostal and charismatic Christian circles. This is in an attempt to manipulate, control or dominate people for the purpose of personal gain or hidden agendas. The term witchcraft relates to the use of supernatural powers outside of Christianity. However, charismatic witchcraft relates to spiritual manipulation, using Christian language and teachings to cover up or mask the true intention. – https://learn.openchristian.education/blog/sangwa/charismatic-witchcraft.
Peter spoke to the disciples in the New Testament, about the role of leaders who were assigned to care for the church. In 1 Peter 5, he spoke to the elders of the church about caring for God’s people. They were urged to care for the church with a willing heart and not out of obligation. They were to ensure that their desire for leadership in the church, was not in order to gain dishonestly from members. They were warned not to act as Lords over people or be domineering and controlling, but to live by setting an example. Peter said that when Jesus returns, the good leaders would receive a crown of glory that does not fade away. Jeremiah lived during a time when Jerusalem was led astray by false prophets and leaders. ““Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” says the Lord”” (Jeremiah 23:1).
He called both the prophets and priests profane and there was wickedness in the house of God. There was fierce judgement prophesied over false prophets and leaders who spoke when God did not send them. “And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten’ ”” (Jeremiah 23:40). Jesus had several woes and condemnations for the religious leaders during his time, who shut up the kingdom of heaven, so they can’t enter and they also blocked others from entering. They did all of their good deeds to be seen by men and wore elaborate clothing. They wanted to be seated in the best places in the synagogues and loved to have special greetings from people calling them Teacher and father. “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven” (Matthew 23:9). It was within this context that Jesus said, that anyone who exalted themselves would be humbled and whoever humbled themselves would be exalted.
He also said that the religious leaders devoured widow’s houses and prayed long pretentious prayers. They traveled far to make a disciple and then made him twice a son of hell as themselves. They focused on the traditional things, such as paying tithes, yet they neglected the more important things such as mercy and justice. They pretended to be clean by outward showing, but internally they were unclean. All throughout the bible, there are examples of church leaders and congregations that veered away from the path of holiness and righteousness. Many churches are doing their best to lead people to Christ and prepare the church for Christ’s return. Similar to what was happening in the bible days, there are also congregations and leaders who have become deceitful and self seeking. We have to constantly test the spirits to see whether they are of God or they are of the devil. Don’t place any minister or ministry on a pedestal, as we are all human beings and are subject to failure.
“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16).
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).
In Matthew 7, Jesus implored his disciples to keep asking, for everyone who asks receives and whoever seeks, finds and the person who knocks, the door will be opened. I listened to an online discussion recently where three entrepreneurs discussed our relationship with the word NO. One of them said a motivational speaker asked someone, ‘what if you are one hundred NOs away from a billion dollars?’ The guy’s response was that he would start today collecting his ninety nine NOs so he could get that one billion. It doesn’t really quite work out exactly the same way in God’s economy, but often answers to our prayers have many meanings. I’ve been told before than when we pray, God’s response can either be yes, no or wait. If you have a deeper understanding of the voice of God, He may even provide an explanation for a no or a wait.
Sometimes, no matter how acquainted you are with God, there are times when He may not provide an answer and all you hear is silence. Often, God’s silence is during a test when our faith, trust and endurance is being tried. What do we do when we pray and don’t get an immediate response? There are many times when I have prayed to know the will of God concerning a situation and I don’t get an immediate response. Other times I get a response as soon as the question leaves my mouth or even when it enters my mind. “For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ” (I Corinthians 2:16). An intimate relationship with God gives us some insight into his mind and heart. A good knowledge and understanding of the word also teaches us about the will of God. Nevertheless, no human being will come into a complete understanding of the ways and things of God. The bible says that while we are on earth, even prophets only see partially and know partly the things of God.
This is because our human nature cannot fully contain or comprehend the complete nature of God. It is only when we strip off this mortal body and return to our immortal selves, that we will comprehend more of the things of God. “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known” (I Corinthians 13:12). Despite these human limitations, God still wants us to pray to Him about our desires. Even if the answer to a prayer request is no, persistent prayer will reveal to us the mind and the will of God. Eventually, God will help us to understand why he said no to a request. There are many times, long after I have prayed about something, received a no and grieved that thing, that I later realised why God said no. It is often after I understood, when I have gone back to God to thank him for saying no. When we seek Him, he will be found by us and he will abide and communicate with us. The presence of the Lord brings safety, security and healing.
Most people want to be in the presence of people of significance, because they know of the benefits that this brings. God daily loads us with benefits and He is the only one who opens doors that no one can shut (Revelation 3:7). God will not hold back any good thing from us, so if we know that a door is meant to open to us, then we must keep knocking. It may not open at the first knock, but like persistent prayer, if we knock continuously, that door will open. “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). A relationship with God gives us the boldness to come before His throne, knowing that we will find mercy and grace to help us in our times of need. We have to be clear about what it is that we want and then take our requests to God to get answers. Never stop praying, don’t stop asking and keep knocking until that door opens.
“And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14).
“So she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die”” (I Kings 17:12).
In 1 Kings 17, Elijah proclaimed a drought in Isreal and told King Ahab that it would not rain until he said so. The backdrop to this was that Ahab and his wife Jezebel did more evil in the sight of God than any other king who reigned before him. He set up an altar for Baal in the temple, which he built in Samaria and he did more to provoke the anger of God, than any other king. Although Elijah prophesied about the drought, he was echoing the heart and mind of God, who wanted to execute judgment on the land because of the king’s wickedness. The king also led the people astray in idol worship as he encouraged them to worship Baal. Now that Elijah declared a drought, he also had to consider how he was going to survive. God led him to a Brook Cherith, which flowed into Jordan and he stayed hydrated with water from the brook and God sent ravens to feed him. The ravens brought bread and meat in the morning and evenings for Elijah.
After a while the brook dried up, since there was no rain in the land, nevertheless, God had a plan to sustain him. “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you” (I Kings 17:9). He obeyed God and travelled to Zarephath and saw a widow collecting sticks, at the gate the city. Elijah would have perceived that this was the woman who he was sent to meet, so he asked her for some water. On her way to get the water, he called out and asked her to bring him a piece of bread. When she heard his request, the woman lamented and swore to Elijah that she did not have any bread. All she had was a handful of flour in a bin and little oil in a jar. Her plan was to gather the sticks, prepare the flour as a final meal for her and her son and then wait to die. You would think that God would have sent Elijah to someone who had a lot to give. Elijah consoled the woman and told her not to fear, but to do what she planned to do.
The only request is that she needed to make a small cake for him first, bring it to him and then she could make something for her son and herself. Elijah also had a word from the Lord for this widow. “For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth’ ”(I Kings 17:14). This statement must have sounded impossible, but the woman listened and did as Elijah requested. The result was that the widow and her household ate for many days. The bin of flour was not used up and the jar of oil did not run dry. Something else of significance happened during Elijah’s time with the widow, her son became seriously ill and died. She was indignant and practically blamed Elijah for her son’s death. He in turn took her son, carried him into the upper room where he was staying and cried out to God.
“Then he cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son”” (I Kings 17:20)? In essence Elijah was saying, ‘God you can’t bring me to this widow’s house and use me to multiply her food and then allow her son to die.’ After crying out to God and stretching himself over the child, he came back to life and he returned the child to his mother. She proclaimed that Elijah was indeed a man of God and the word of the Lord in his mouth was true. We would think that the miracle of supernatural supply, was enough to prove to the woman that Elijah was a true prophet. However, a mother in grief over her child was unlikely to be rationale enough to consider any of this, but laid the blame squarely at Elijah’s feet. I believe that God sent Elijah to stay with that woman for a few reasons. 1. Elijah needed to be sustained during the drought and God also wanted to provide for the widow and her son. 2. They were likely to have starved to death, had he not arrived in her home with the anointing of God on his life.
3. Although Elijah made the request, it took faith for the woman to believe the word of God, that giving to the prophet out of the little that she had, would lead to increase. Often when we experience lack, our instinct is to try to protect the little that we have. How do we trust God to give out of nothing and obey him to be a blessing to others when we are struggling? The kingdom principle of sowing and reaping is a supernatural principle. When we give as God commands, we are planting or sowing a seed which is bound to yield an increase. We prove God by giving, even when things are hard and watch him expand what we have to meet not only our needs, but the needs of others. The only caution is to give as you are led by the spirit and not out of compulsion or obligation. We also need to give without murmuring or complaining so that our giving will please God. “Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness” (II Corinthians 9:10).
The ARC Logos Podcast went live on YouTube and Spotify on the 17th September 2024. Season 1 culminated with episodes 6, 7 & 8 focused on maintaining healthy relationships and emotional wellbeing. The links to the final episodes are posted below. We are currently reforging for season 2 which goes live in Spring.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).
Jesus taught his disciples about persistent prayer and the importance of asking God for what we want. He taught them to ask, seek and knock. Asking is directing our request towards someone and waiting for them to respond. Seeking suggests some additional effort placed into searching for something. Knocking creates an imagery of standing in front of a closed door, knocking and waiting for the door to open so that we can enter. We knock on a door to be allowed into someone’s home and we knock to enter an office or a place of establishment. The knock precedes a response before the door is opened. Jesus told his disciples that everyone who asks receives, those who seek finds and those who knock will have the door opened. He made the comparison to God being like a father whose son requested from him bread or fish. Jesus said that in the same way that earthly fathers would not give their sons a stone instead of a bread or a serpent for a fish, God is also invested in giving us good gifts.
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17). James also said earlier in this chapter, that when we pray or ask anything from God, that we should ask in faith, without doubting. He compared a person who doubts as being like a wave of the sea, being tossed and driven. He called this being double minded and said that it is hard to receive from God. The antidote for doubt is faith, which increases by studying the word. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). We should also pray for God to help us in areas where we have unbelief. James spoke more about prayer in chapter 4, and said that pride, strife and division affected our prayers. “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:3).
Praying amiss relates to praying without a true understanding of the heart and mind of God. We can only know the mind of God through studying His word and then praying according to scripture. Jesus said that before one drop or ounce of any of God’s words pass away or become redundant, heaven and earth would pass away (Matthew 5:18). The word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any double edged sword, piercing to the dividing of souls and spirit and discerns the motives and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). Anyone who knows the word of God and consistently prays the word of God will receive answers to their prayers. Prayer should also be heartfelt and persistent (James 5:16). The bible says that Elijah was a man like us, who prayed fervently that there would be no rain and it didn’t rain for 3 years. After the three years, he again prayed fervently and the Lord sent rain (James 5:17).
We have to make sure that when we pray, we do not have any bitterness or unforgiveness towards anyone, because sin will hinder our prayers. Once we have a clear conscience, then we have to focus our prayers on the areas where we need help. A scatter gun approach to prayer does not work, where we just pray and leave it all up to God. He is in control and He can fix every situation, but we have to make our requests known to Him. Don’t assume that because God already knows what we need, that we don’t need to ask. There are prayers which are required for healing, prayers for breakthrough and prayers for warfare. All of the instructions are in the word. The Psalms are a good place to start when it comes to warfare and understanding how God trained David’s hands for war. Jesus’s teachings and his miraculous acts of healing are useful for anyone struggling with their health.
Moses had to face off with Pharaoh and we saw how God handled the spirit of oppression. Discernment is useful to understand the spirit(s) that we are contending with and then learning about how these spirits were addressed in the bible. Even earthly warfare requires tactical warfare strategies and rules of engagement to win battles successfully. A coach drafts up a game plan before a match to help his team succeed. The Holy Spirit is our helper, so we have to seek wisdom and understanding to know the strategy that the devil is trying to use against us. We also rely on the Spirit to guide us and to provide intelligence about how to pray. “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26).
“For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now” (Romans 8:22).
In Romans 8, Paul spoke to the church about moving from a place of suffering for Christ, to being transformed into glory. He called the sufferings that we experience not worthy, to be compared to the glory which is to be revealed in us. The entire creation is waiting for the children of God to be revealed or manifested. This is when Christ returns and we are transformed into his immortal image. Right now creation experiences frustrations and vanity, not willingly, but we have hope in God. One day we will be delivered from our decaying bodies, into a glorious freedom to live with God. Creation has been groaning in labour pains, up to our present time. We also have a joyful hope of what is to come, although we also groan inwardly, we wait in anticipation to be adopted as children, when our bodies will be transformed at the resurrection.
Our hope is by salvation through faith in what is unseen, we wait in expectation and perseverance. While we wait, the Holy Spirit prays for us and through us. “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26). He searches our hearts and knows the mind of God and prays to God on behalf of his children, according to the will of God. As we live in the will of God, we know that everything works out for good, for those who love Him and are called according to His will and purpose. God knew before creation those who are called and preordained to walk in His image, to be the chosen among His children. Those who God chose ahead of time, He set apart and made righteous and raised us up to live with Him in heavenly places.
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us” (Romans 8:31)? God sent His only son to die for us, so no one can bring any charges against us and because God has justified us, then no one can condemn us. Nothing in all of creation can separate us from the love of God and we are more than conquerers, through Him who loved us. Through the love of God and Him making us righteous, we have access to come to God with our needs. Jesus is our High Priest who can sympathise with our weaknesses and experienced every temptation that we experience. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Jesus sits at the right hand of God and makes intercession for us, so we have the High Priest bringing our prayers and requests to God.
Prayer is our means of communication with God. It is our access key and passcode to enter into the throne and presence of God, to bring our praise, worship, thanksgiving and prayer requests. Through prayer, we develop an intimate relationship with God, where we abide in his presence and understand His mind and His will. Understanding the mind and will of God, helps us to pray accordingly. The Holy Spirit prays through us with ‘groanings which cannot be understood,’ through the manifestation of speaking in tongues. On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit appeared as tongues of fire and rested on the saints. As they were filled, they spoke in tongues as the spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2). Praying in tongues transcends human understanding as we pray in the language of the spirit, which is the language of heaven.
Although we don’t understand as we pray in tongues, we surrender to the Spirit so that He can pray through us, in ways which we don’t understand. The Spirit searches our hearts and knows our needs and also knows the mind of God. We should desire to pray in tongues as this takes our prayers to a different dimension in the spirit, where God reveals mysteries and His heart and mind. “For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries” (I Corinthians 14:2).
Devotional Inspirations 