HOW TO GO ON THE ATTACK!                           DO 2128                            11/85
--Quote Scripture, Pray, Praise & Sing!
        
         1. (MARIA: FOR THE FIRST FEW DAYS FOLLOWING THE PRAYER FOR MY HEALING (See ML#2072.), my eye condition stayed the same, then gradually cleared up completely to where my eyes were totally back to normal for the first time in months.--A real miracle of the Lord's healing! But after a while I began to have problems again. The Lord had answered & done the work, but He still had more to teach us. And again, He spoke through Dad with further counsel on fighting the Enemy & getting the victory.)

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         2. THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT SAYING THINGS OUT LOUD. IT IS A TESTIMONY TO YOURSELF & TO THE MULTITUDE OF WITNESSES THAT SURROUND US! It's not enough to just say it in your head, you need to say it out loud, quote Scriptures & rebuke the Devil & praise the Lord! That's why my Mother used to say, "Words are real things", & you need to say them. Words can curse or words can save. "By thy words art thou justified or by thy words thou art condemned!"--Mat.12:36,37. You have to give an account of your words.
         3. WORDS ARE VERY IMPORTANT! YOU NEED TO USE THEM! The Lord hears them & the Heavenly hosts hear them & you hear them & the Devil hears them. It is very important that you use the words, even if you can only whisper them. (Maria: Then it's not as effective if you just say them in your head without using your mouth?)--NO, it doesn't seem to have the same power for some reason or another.
         4. GIVE NO PLACE TO THE EVIL ONE!--Eph.4:27. If you get so busy quoting Scripture & praising the Lord & rebuking the Devil, you won't have so much time to think about your headache. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee because he trusteth in Thee." (Isa.26:3) If your mind is centered on the Lord & stayed on Him then He is the One you are thinking about & you can't think about both things at once.
         5. SO KEEP THINKING ABOUT THE LORD & PRAISING THE LORD & QUOTING SCRIPTURES & PRAYING OUT LOUD. That takes concentration, you have to think about it, you have to keep your mind on the Lord & your mind on the Scripture & on your praises, even sing! The Devil hates song because it's praise to the Lord. You've just got to keep at it, really WORK at it! It's a testimony even to the Lord that you are really trusting Him, that you really have faith in His Word.
         6. AS LONG AS YOU KEEP THINKING ABOUT YOUR HEADACHE & CONCENTRATING on your headache, then it's your headache you'll have! But if you get your mind on something else, it won't be as bad.
         7. I THINK THAT'S WHY YOUR HEADACHES GET SO BAD AT NIGHT, YOU'RE NOT WORKING, you're not reading & all you can think about is your headache. But you need to get your mind off it & rebuke it & praise the Lord! Sing, quote Scriptures & really go on the attack!
         8. BUT THERE IS JUST SOMETHING ABOUT SAYING THE WORDS THAT REALLY CRYSTALISES YOUR RESISTANCE & CAUSES THE DEVILS TO FLEE! They hate to hear the Word. Besides, if others are listening it is a declaration to them that you are trusting the Lord, that you have faith in His Word. It's a testimony & a witness to them, it even encourages them to know that you're really trusting the Lord & have faith in His Word & you really believe those Scriptures & just keep quoting them even if you can only whisper them.
         9. IT TAKES MORE CONCENTRATION & IT OCCUPIES MORE OF YOUR MIND & YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS IF YOU HAVE TO SAY IT OUT LOUD, quote it out loud & praise the Lord out loud! Rebuke the Devil out loud! He has to obey. "Resist the Devil & he WILL flee from you!"--Jam.4:7. Quiet faith is fine but it is not enough of a real attack, a real fight!
         10. YOU'VE REALLY GOT TO DO IT OUT LOUD, THE LOUDER THE BETTER! (Maria: Does that really make a difference?--The louder the better?)--Yes! The more people that hear you the better! It's good for them. It encourages their faith & lets them know that you're declaring that you're trusting the Lord instead of just moping around & suffering in silence.
         11. YOU NEED TO GO ON THE ATTACK! BE POSITIVE & SHOW THAT YOU HAVE FAITH IN THE WORD, faith in the Lord, faith in praise, a sign that you really trust & you really believe. It's like a declaration of faith. And when your mind is occupied with that, you can't be occupied with your suffering & your pain.
         12. THERE IS POWER IN THE WORD! THERE IS ABSOLUTE POWER IN THE WORDS! You really need to say it with your mouth. "Thou shalt confess with thy MOUTH that Christ is Lord."--Rom.10:9. "With my MOUTH will I make known Thy faithfulness unto all generations."--Psa.89:1.
         13. I NEVER SAW MY MOTHER GET THE VICTORY JUST BY THINKING THE WORDS OR THINKING PRAYER. You can do that too under some circumstances, but when you're having a real battle with the Devil or sickness or headache or something, you've got to say it out loud, you've got to go on the attack & really fill your mind & heart & your mouth with declarations of faith & praise & prayer & Scriptures--the Word! You have to use your mouth to say the Word. Words are things that you have in your mouth made by your mouth. You've got to use your mouth & then that becomes not only a testimony to yourself but to others as well.
         14. THERE ARE A GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES WHO ARE ALWAYS WATCHING US, TRYING TO HELP US, but you need to declare your faith openly & loud enough at least that you can hear it yourself.--Heb.12:1. It'll keep your mind & your mouth occupied with the Word & with prayer & praise & with attacks on the Enemy. It really helps to occupy your mind & your heart & especially your mouth, as well as your spirit. It will do you a lot of good!
         15. YOU'VE JUST GOT TO GET BUSY, YOU'VE GOT TO SAY IT, YOU'VE GOT TO WORD IT, PUT IT INTO WORDS & SAY IT OUT LOUD & really rebuke the Devil & declare your faith & show your trust in the Word by quoting it out loud. Even though nobody can hear you but yourself, it will do YOU a lot of good. "By thy words shalt thou be justified & by thy words shalt thou be condemned."--Mat.12:37.
         16. NOW YOU NEED TO OPEN YOUR MOUTH, HONEY, & LET THE LORD FILL IT WITH WHATEVER HE WANTS TO GIVE YOU. Pray in tongues as well & the Lord could give you interpretations to encourage you. You've got to do it out loud! Forget this suffering in silence business. I know in bed here you are trying to keep from waking me up, but you've got to do it somehow. Either whisper to yourself or go in the next room & do it.
         17. BOY, WHEN I GOT UP EARLY SOME MORNINGS, IF I DIDN'T GO IN MY LITTLE CUBICLE & PRAY & PRAISE THE LORD OUT LOUD, I DON'T THINK I COULD MAKE IT! I mean it does me good just to hear my own voice quoting Scripture & praying & praising the Lord even if it is only in a whisper. It just takes a lot of concentration to say it with your mouth & use your tongue & the Devil has a hard time getting past that.
         18. WHEN IT COMES TO THE DEVIL, WORDS ARE SORT OF LIKE BULLETS OR DEATH RAYS OR SOMETHING & THEY JUST BLAST THE DEVIL! Every word just zaps him! They're part of our offensive weaponry, the Word! It describes the armour of a Christian--it says the SWORD of the Spirit is the WORD!--Eph.6:10-17. It's sharper than any two-edged sword.--Heb.4:12.
         19. IF YOU WERE QUOTING SCRIPTURES & PRAISING THE LORD & PRAYING & TALKING IN TONGUES I'D KNOW YOU WERE REALLY ON THE ATTACK! It would even encourage me. But when you have these headaches & just sort of go silent, you just sort of freeze up. (Maria: I always thought that that kind of thing would be drawing attention to yourself & asking everybody to concentrate on your sickness.)--Good!
         20. LET THEM CONCENTRATE ON IT! LET THEM PRAY & PRAISE THE LORD WITH YOU, quote Scriptures & stand with you in faith. Then they'd know you need prayer, they'd know you need help. "One can chase a thousand, but two can put ten thousand to flight!"--Deut.32:30. You really need to do it out loud & go on the attack & let others know that you are attacking, that you're not just suffering in silence.
         21. DOING IT OUT LOUD REALLY FOCUSES YOUR ATTENTION ON WHAT YOU'RE DOING & WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, & you're not only using your mouth & your tongue, which takes concentration, but your ears are busy listening so your consciousness is almost fully occupied with what you're saying & you can't think so much about your pain or your problems or worries or whatever. Don't submit to the Devil! He gets you on the run where you're just thinking about nothing but your headache & that's the worst thing in the World you could do!
         22. YOU NEED TO DECLARE YOUR FAITH & JUST FLING IT IN THE FACE OF THE DEVIL! Just throw fiery darts of Scriptures at him out loud in prayer & praise! He hates that because it is a testimony to YOU even if you're all alone. And if there are others present, it is a testimony to THEM. It is a declaration that you are trusting the Lord & that you have faith in the Word, & you need to use your own words as well as God's Words. Amen? (Maria: Amen! Thank You Jesus! That's right!)
         23. IF YOU'RE NOT DOING THAT & YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT HOW YOUR HEAD ACHES & you're thinking about how your eyes ache, & he is telling you all kinds of lies about how this is caused by this & that, you're always going to have this, & blah, blah, as long as you're quiet & silent, he can really talk to you! I ought to know, I've been through it plenty. You need to just go on the attack & be positive & say things out loud against the Devil.
         24. QUOTE SCRIPTURES & SING & PRAY & PRAISE THE LORD & TALK IN TONGUES & KEEP YOUR MOUTH BUSY & your mind busy & it keeps your ears busy too. And it's just like a vicious cycle against the Devil & it's a SAVING cycle for you! Just keep it in circulation. Keep it going! Say it and hear it and think it and say it & hear it & think it, & say it & hear it & think it & keep it going!
         25. HE JUST TALKS UP THAT PAIN & AGGRAVATES IT & the more you concentrate your mind & your heart on your pain & your headache & your eyeache & your backache or whatever it is, the more it magnifies it, aggravates it & the more he makes you think about it. But if you'll keep your mind & your mouth & your heart & your ears busy with the Word, you just haven't got time to listen to the Devil or even feel his pain! Just rebuke it & rebuke him & do it OUT LOUD, & quote Scriptures & sing, pray, praise, talk in tongues, anything to keep your mind & heart & your mouth & your ears & your eyes busy!
         26. JUST OUT-TALK HIM! DROWN HIM OUT, BECAUSE YOU CAN'T BE THINKING ABOUT TWO THINGS AT ONCE. You can't be thinking about both of them. You can't be concentrating & thinking & worrying about your pain or your problems while your mind, heart & spirit, mouth, tongue, ears & eyes & everything are busy with the WORD. Even if you don't know much Scripture to QUOTE, then just READ it, but READ IT OUT LOUD.
         27. THERE IS JUST SOMETHING ABOUT SAYING WORDS OUT LOUD THAT SEEMS TO BE MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE THAN MERE THOUGHTS. The Lord said to Isaiah, "Command thou Me!"--Isa.45:11. He meant for him to put it into WORDS, to TELL Him what to do.
         28. A LOT OF TIMES THAT'S WHY I GET UP EARLY IN THE MORNING INSTEAD OF LYING HERE SILENTLY IN BED thinking about all the things I ought to be doing & about all my problems & worries & whatnot. I get up & I DO something! That's another thing, keep active, keep busy, what they call "WORK THERAPY", & keep your hands busy if you can't do anything else. But all the time be talking to the Lord & praising.--Talking in tongues, praying, quoting Scriptures & singing!
         29. IF YOU CAN KEEP YOUR ACTUAL PHYSICAL BODY BUSY WITH THE WORD, including your tongue & your mouth & your eyes & your ears & your thoughts & EVERYTHING, then you won't have time to think about your problems! You won't have time to think about your worries or your pains if you're concentrating on the Lord. And He promised, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is STAYED on Thee."--Isa.26:3.
         30. IF YOUR MIND IS BUSY, IT MAKES YOU FORGET OTHER THINGS! It pushes everything else out of your head. When you're TALKING you can't think of anything else but what you're SAYING. So SAY it!--Amen?