Category: Blog

Testimony of a Prodigal Daughter

“As God began to heal and restore me, I cried out to Him and asked Him to forgive me. I prayed that He would touch the hearts of my children to forgive me too. It was hard to even imagine that it could be possible but I knew that:

~Matthew 6:33 says: ‘But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.’ 

One thing I learned early was to ALWAYS tie my faith to His Word. I always want a scripture to stand on because the Bible says that His Word doesn’t return void. I stood on that scripture, trusting and believing that one day I would have a relationship with my children again, and I am SO EXCITED to get to tell you today that I DO! God has restored my relationship with all three of my children, and not only that, but I have had the HONOR of being with my children when all three of my BEAUTIFUL grandchildren were born!”

~Dawn Knighton-Adkins

 

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Love, Mercy & GRACE

Recently a friend of mine felt lead to give me the book “Radical Restoration” by Pastor Dawn Knighton-Adkins, a 46 time convicted felon, and former prostitute whom God in His LOVE, MERCY & GRACE, delivered out of a life of drug addiction and abuse. The Lord gave her a POWERFUL testimony of a prodigal daughter, and empowered her with the type of faith that moved mountain after mountain until she became equipped to rescue other women from the Sex Industry. Pastor Dawn is now the Founder and CEO of “Radical Restoration Ministries” with a string of half way houses.  God empowers her to teach these rescued “Daughters of the King” to make a viable living, stay sober, become healed and set free from bondage, and serve the Kingdom of God. The simple truth is this, it takes a prodigal to reach one, and no one loves Jesus like those of us who were so far into a life of sin, that no amount of human effort could have saved us. We know WITHOUT A DOUBT that we NEEDED the sacrifice that Jesus made. That we needed Him to not only pay our ransom, but to reach into the deepest pit imaginable, and retrieve us from the clutches of satan.

“Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give Me water for My feet, but she wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not greet Me with a kiss, but she has not stopped kissing My feet since I arrived. You did not anoint My head with oil, but she has anointed My feet with perfume.…Therefore I tell you because her many sins have been forgiven, she has LOVED MUCH. But he who has been forgiven little, loves little.”

~Luke 7:44-47

 

Tonight Pastor Dawn will be a Special Guest on the “Gettin’ Real With Ron” Radio Show on The Word FM 100.7 here in Texas, from 10-Midnight CST!

I will also be giving my personal testimony, so be sure to TUNE IN!

“Walk on the Wild Side; God LOVES Prodigals”

You can FOLLOW “Gettin’ Real With Ron” on Instagram here!

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You can also STREAM LIVE from ANY device at TheWordFM.com

You won’t want to miss this! We also have another woman giving her testimony of being delivered from the Sex Industry, and how God is using HER in miraculous ways!

To FOLLOW “Radical Restoration Ministries” on Facebook, or buy THE BOOK, just click on these links.

And PLEASE KNOW THIS, if you are praying for prodigal children who are lost in addiction, or caught up in the Sex Industry, don’t stop! They NEED that supernatural intervention and NO ONE is beyond hope. God can restore all that the enemy has stolen from you, and your family! He’ll then use what was meant to destroy you, for your good! Pastor Dawn and I are living proof of that.

Thanx for stopping by TODAY! Please don’t forget to “Like” and “Follow” Abide In Hope on Facebook & Instagram, and  SUBSCRIBE! To the mailing list, to get a notification EVERY time I make a new post!

Spiritual Warfare Part I

One of the most common questions I hear about spiritual warfare is “can Christians be possessed?” 

To answer that question, I think we first have to define “possessed.” When scripture talks about the “demon possessed” it uses two Greek words “daimoni” and “zomai.” 

daimon: demon

zomai: possessed, or under the influence of

so the answer is YES. A Christian CAN be under the influence of a demon!

“We are OWNED BY GOD, but we CAN be under the influence of a demon.”

~Pastor Robert Morris

To get a better grasp on exactly what the Bible says about Christians being in bondage, allow me show you the Free Indeed series by Pastor Robert Morris of Gateway Church.

These are HANDS DOWN the BEST spiritual warfare sermons, I’ve EVER seen! And btw…

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Spiritual Warfare Sermons:

The first time I personally came to REALLY know that demons are real, was after a long journey of seeking out the truth about the spiritual realm, in a variety of occult practices.

You see, from the time that I was a young child I knew that I could FEEL a supernatural presence, and I had ONCE even heard an audible voice tell me to do something specific, that had saved my life. But then some Christians that I looked to for guidance, told me with absolute confidence that “God didn’t work that way.” They told me that He didn’t really speak to people, and that the spiritual gifts (like healing/prophesy/miracles) had ceased to be active on the earth, in these modern times.

Continue reading “Spiritual Warfare Part I” →

What Does 11:11 Mean Spiritually?

I have been seeing 11:11 EVERYWHERE and was wondering “what does 1111 mean spiritually?”

  • One day I was praying to the Lord, and when finished, I open my eyes and lifted my head, to see that the clock read exactly 11:11.
  • A little later I went to the market, and the total on my receipt was $11.11.
  • That afternoon while working in Photoshop, the dimensions of the photo had 1111 in them, (specifically 1411.11)
  • Then I ended up stuck in the Dallas traffic for an hour, staring at the license plate on the car in front of me, which also had a double 11.
  • When I finally got home, and ready for bed, I  heard a notification on my cell and turned to see that the time on my cell read exactly 11:11!
  •  Then when I crawled into bed and opened my laptop, I saw it AGAIN on Social Media (in the number of followers on one Instagram profile, then I clicked over to Facebook, to see a post that said it had 11 likes and 11 comments!

Finally I just bursted out in laughter! This had gone from a little weird, to down right CRAZY.

What was God trying to tell me?!?

 

 

I decided to put “what does 11:11 mean spiritually” into the Google search engine, and THIS is what I found:

A website to a church in Australia called “Pour It Out Ministries” had been getting letters and emails from all over the world, asking about this strange phenomena, and so the staff there decided to fast and pray, and ask God what it all meant.

 

excerpt from Pour It Out Ministries website: ”

Awakening, Wake Up Call, fresh spiritual awakening into more, supernatural favour and provision to take possession of promises, transition and alignment, revival.  God is bringing life to the dead things and places.  God is breathing encounters over you to WAKE YOU UP into spiritual clarity, fresh connected relationship with Him, and awakened sense of identity in God and your exciting eternal purpose.

Isaiah 11:11   “In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people…”   God is with his remnant.
John 11:11   “After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”  Resurrection life, God of the impossible, AWAKENING
Deut 11:11   “But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven.”

New authority and ownership, coming into promises, tasting promises, supernatural favour and provision where God leads
11 can mean transition and so a doubling of eleven can signify a season of intense shaking as things transition into the new. 11 also means alignment and so the shaking brings alignment to allow for awakening and revival.”

I continued to see NOT JUST the 11:11, but other number repeats like 1234.

 

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So I started to search out all the scripture verses, that had the numbers I was seeing in them, like I had read “Pour It Out Ministries” do, and THEN… I let the Lord lead.

 

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As the days, weeks and months passed, the strange phenomena continued, so I just accepted it as part of my interaction with God.

Now if I start seeing repeats of the same number, I just make a mental note of what I am thinking about when it occurs, then go into my next scripture study having that in mind.

The Lord has confirmed to me in our quiet place together, that He is guiding me to specific scripture, for a specific purpose; to give me deeper spiritual insight to what I’m going through, while CHANGING the way I think about the Lord, myself and the world around me.

It’s been a profound experience, and one that I’m not alone in.

Many Christians, from every corner of the globe are seeing the number repeats, and many of them are developing a more intimate relationship with the Lord through it.

Take a look at THIS online class by Pastor Bob Hamp, from Gateway Church, when he talks about experiencing this very thing and being lead to:

~Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

and then Pastor Hamp tells how he got a confirmation of what God was saying to him, later in a church service!

In this Freedom Class, he teaches on how to hear God, and then how to discern if it IS in fact God that’s trying to speak to you.

 

 

I’ve come to understand and accept that God CAN and does speak to His children, in a variety of ways!

     ~Acts 2:17-18 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.”

 

My personal belief is that this is part of the OUT POURING of the Holy SPIRIT that the Lord talks about in His Word will occur in these very last, of The Last Days.

 

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He’s wooing His Bride, and communicating with us in many beautiful and creative ways! I encourage you to engage with Him more fully, and enjoy the experience!

 

 

Blessings to each and every one of you!

And thank you for reading my blog.

Sincerely~Victoria 🙂

David, a Man After My Own Heart

excerpt from “The Spirit Filled Believer’s Daily Devotional

   “This is one of those verses which reads the same in the Old Testament (1 Sam. 13:14) as in the New Testament. When the Lord states that David is a man after His own heart, what He is saying is: ‘David is My kind of man! I can count on him to do all My will without any reluctance or hesitation.’

Twice in the Psalms, David discusses his willingness to do the Lord’s will. In Psalm 40:8 he declares: ‘I delight to do Your will, O my God. And Your law is within my heart.’ (NKJ) Then in Psalm 143:10 he requests the Lord’s help in this area: ‘Teach me to do Your will.’ (NKJ) This desire to do the Lord’s will was PLEASING to God.

David had another characteristic that qualified him to be a man after God’s own heart. It was a QUICKNESS to ACKNOWLEDGE WRONGDOING when he was confronted with it. David was QUICK to REPENT. He did not hide his sins. He did not carry grudges, hatred, unforgiveness, or resentment in his heart. 

He always hurried to the place of FORGIVENESS and RECONCILIATION. How many hours, days, weeks, months, and years have we wasted by not coming to grips with unconfessed sin? David was SO SENSITIVE about DISPLEASING the Lord that he was quick to make amends and be restored to loving fellowship. He did not lose any time clearing away the debris in his life. It was THIS quality that caused him to be a man after God’s own heart.” 

~Dick Mills

Sometimes I struggle with feelings of inadequacy. Feeling like I’m falling SO SHORT of the Glory of God, that the Lord MUST not want to hear from me. That THIS time I’ve messed up too bad, and am an utter failure. A disappointment to my Father in Heaven.

Continue reading “David, a Man After My Own Heart” →

The Spiritual Roots Of OBESITY

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

~John 8:36

 

 

I’ve had struggles with food for most of my life, but had never considered what the spiritual components to weight gain, and eating disorders like Anorexia and Bulimia were.

Then half way through an online weight loss challenge that I’m doing on AskingMom.Org (one of my other websites,) I came upon a ministry that deals with the spiritual roots of obesity.

WOW, what a concept!

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I’ve been working in “Freedom Ministry” aka “Sozo” for many years but had never thought of DELIVERANCE FROM FOOD ADDICTION until I met Doug Cromer.

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If you have ever struggled with your weight, or felt the Holy Spirit moving in your heart about fasting and prayer to overcome food addiction, THIS is your confirmation.

Check out Altered Appetite and the support available through their website!

This is a BEFORE & AFTER photo of Doug Cromer:

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You can also check out the “Altered Appetite” You Tube Channel here with this link!

 

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Open Door

Revelation 3:7-8

“What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your works. Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one can shut. For you have a little power, and have kept My Word, and did not deny My name.”

 

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April 4

excerpt from “The Spirit Filled Believer’s Daily Devotional”

“This verse presents an area called the transition zone.

Think about the scene: Behind you is a door which the Lord has closed. You know you cannot go back. There is nothing to go back to. In front of you stands a door to new opportunities, new challenges, new ministry, new spheres of influence, a whole new future. In this transition zone in which you find yourself, the door to the past is sealed shut, but the door to the future has not yet opened. You know it is time to progress. There are all kinds of indications that the new door WILL OPEN, but so far you are at a stand still. What is expected of you in this situation?

You must maintain a good level of trust in your God. This is no time to oscillate, fluctuate, or vacillate. This is the time to be reassured that the same Lord who closed the old door behind you will also open the new door in front of you. His leading you into transition zone is NOT A SIGN OF ABANDONMENT, but of His CONFIDENCE in you and of your need of confidence in Him.

Remember…He did not bring you out to desert you; He brought you out in order to BRING YOU IN!”

~Dick Mills

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…the waiting is never easy but it DOES build dependence upon, and trust in the One who is Holy and true.

AND I promise you, He’ll ALWAYS come through.

 

 

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Cast Your Care

How freeing it is to truly CAST ALL YOUR CARE onto the LORD.

I know it’s not easy to stay in that place of complete and total TRUST, that whatever the obstacle stands before you, God has it already handled.

But it is POSSIBLE.

April 3

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excerpt from “Spirit Filled Believer’s” Daily Devotional

“This verse contains a play on words: your care becomes God’s care. Reading in the original language helps add a dimension not always evident in the English version. The words ‘CARE’ and ‘CARES’ in this version happen to be two entirely different words. Looking closely at their meanings makes this promise even more precious to us.

In the Greek text, this word translated care is merimna (mer’-im-nah). It is a noun which has to do with anxiety, stress, distraction, preoccupation with insecurity, or worry. It suggests the kind of thoughts that trouble us and keep us from PEACE of mind. Jesus used this word when He said to His disciples: …take no (anxious) thought for your life…(Matt. 6:25). This is a reminder that time spent in anxiety could be better invested in Bible reading, prayer, praising the LORD, and waiting upon Him for direction.

The second word translated cares is melo (mel’o) a verb meaning ‘to be concerned about or interested in.’ God IS AWARE OF YOU. He is INTERESTED in you. You can cast all your worries, anxieties, and insecurities upon Him because your well-being matters to Him.

Don’t carry around any unnecessary burdens; the LORD invites you to shift them onto Him. He has a 2000-year head start on burden-bearing. He can be TRUSTED. Give Him your cares; He cares!”

~Dick Mills

This is easier said than done though, isn’t it?

Today’s devotional reminds me of the Psalms and all the times David was up against insurmountable odds. In the natural it looked hopeless time and time again.

However what I’ve learned from reading about David, and all the giants that I myself have been up against is this: GOD ALWAYS CAME THROUGH.

He is faithful, and we can rest in the knowledge that although we may not be able to understand what’s happening in the midst of the storm…He is still on the THRONE.

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Prayer for PEACE

“Father I thank You for all the times that You have been there for me. For all the times that You’ve held me in the palm of Your MIGHTY hand, where ‘not one shall be snatched.’ 

Thank You for building my faith into a strong tower, with every miracle that I’ve seen You unfold in my life. 

Once again I come to You with my cares, my worries and my concerns, as I ask You to help me leave them at the Cross today. 

Father You tell me to be still (at peace) and that You will do my fighting for me, that You are my Source and my perfect Provider. You tell me that You will protect my heart and mind, and I ask that You would do that now Lord…give me a peace that surpasses all understanding. Envelope me in Your PRESENCE…Teach me to hold every thought captive in obedience to Christ, as You have instructed us to do. Show me how to PRAISE YOU THROUGH the storms that life brings, and to not let anything or anyone steal my joy.

Please lessen my stress and give me a SUPERNATURAL faith.

I ask that You would deploy Your warrior angels from the windows of Heaven to encamp around me, as I come and as I go from this time forth, and forever more.

Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and bring me into a closer more intimate relationship with You. Teach me to seek You in all things, and to not look to the world to fulfill me in ways that ONLY You can.

Please restore all the enemy has stolen; restore my physical health, and heal me of any emotional wounds that cause me to see myself and the world through the eyes of a wounded soul.

Give me a breakthrough in my finances, and cause my giftings and abilities to become stronger and more valuable with each and every passing day.

If there is anything in my life that acts as a barrier to what Your plans are for me, please remove it, as I trust You with both the doors that You have closed, and those You choose to open. 

I thank You for doing this, as I humbly pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”

 

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The REAL Question Is; Who’s YOUR Daddy?!?

First ask the Lord what His WILL is for your life…

then once you have stepped into alignment with THAT, and you’re faced with a challenge… ask yourself:

“WHO’S your Daddy?” 

When setbacks and obstacles SEEM overwhelming, just ask:

“Who.is.YOUR.Daddy?” 

When you don’t feel strong enough, smart enough, or capable of doing what’s in front of you for lack of WHATEVER.…ASK THIS QUESTION,

“WHO IS YOUR DADDY?!?”

…because I promise you HE IS ENOUGH, He is ABLE, and there is truly NOTHING BEYOND HIS POWER, so proceed with THAT confidence.

Not with who you are, or what you can do of your own power, but of WHO’S you are…and what He’s able and willing to do for those who love Him.

What ever the challenge, no matter how daunting, say these words out loud;

“MY FATHER NEVER FAILS!” 

 

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March 24

excerpt from “Spirit Filled Believer’s” Daily Devotional

“To ‘commit your works to the Lord’ is to ‘roll’ into Him all your plans and schemes. It means to come to the place where you are willing to trust yourself and your future TOTALLY to His keeping, watchful care.

Before you and I became Christians, we learned self-preservation from the world system. Before conversion we thought we had to depend upon survival instinct based on human cleverness and native ingenuity. It is quite a transition from ‘Look out for NUMBER ONE’ to ‘The will of the Lord be done.’ To get self-will to God’s will takes quite a bit of doing. This verse placed in the Bible was to help us make the necessary adjustments to our attitude and actions.

Rolling your plans and activities onto the Lord can be done only when you are convinced that He is more interested in your happiness and well-being than you are.

…He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and so shall your plans be established and succeed. 

Your thoughts are the equivalent of your plans, aims, objectives, hopes, and desires. Turn your future over to the lord 100 percent, and then you can know that your plans will succeed. It’s a paradox: hold on too tightly and you lose, release the Lord and YOU WIN! Try it!”

~Dick Mills

 

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