All Things Skin, Wellness & Faith

BREADCRUMBS OF FAITH DEVOTIONAL 41: Shield Up: Prayer, Word, Authority

• Natasha Dias

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The enemy is predictable—he repeats old tricks with fresh paint. We walk through a focused, grace-filled plan to fight back using Scripture, prayer, and the authority Jesus already gave us. You’ll hear how to recognize spiritual patterns, close doors through genuine repentance, and stand your ground by declaring the Word with faith that expects results.

We unpack what it means to draw near with a contrite heart and why repentance is not punishment but alignment that restores clarity and power. From Luke 10:19 and Mark 11:24 to John 15, we connect the dots between abiding, authority, and answered prayer. You’ll learn how to build a simple daily rhythm: identify the battle, choose targeted verses, pray and believe, and keep declaring truth when emotions swing. We also talk about the difference between the person and the spirit behind conflict, and how to bless people while binding the scheme at work.

Think of this as a refresher course for your spirit. Keep the Word close, keep your heart soft, and keep your faith active. Write key scriptures on cards, carry them with you, and speak them until they live in you. As you practice, spiritual stamina grows and peace becomes your default. If this message strengthens you, share it with a friend who needs courage today, and leave a quick review so more believers can find it. Subscribe for future episodes that blend skin, wellness, and faith with practical, biblical tools you can use right away.

SPEAKER_00:

Hey there, you tuned into another episode of All Things Skin, Wellness, and Faith, a podcast where you'll learn simple ways to implement skin care and wellness techniques from a holistic approach. On this podcast, we'll explore practical ways to address skin health and overall holistic spiritual well-being while deepening your faith. I'm your host, Natasha Dez, a licensed holistic aesthetician, day spa owner, and a faithful believer and follower of Christ. And it's time to get ready to get encouraged and empowered as we dive into all things skin, wellness, and faith. Good day, Unto you. Welcome back to another episode of the Bright Palms of Faith by All Things Skin, Wellness and Faith. I know it's been a little bit since I've been to you. I've been on vacation on a cruise, so we are a little delayed with our scheduling. I thank you for bearing with me. I actually had a different subject that I was going to speak on today, but as I was in prayer and communing with the Father, the Holy Spirit downloaded another message into me today that I am to deliver to you today. So I take it that this is for someone out there. So I'm just going to go ahead and just get started with it. And basically, with the message is just speaking about spiritual warfare, weapons, and just knowing who you are as a believer. And it's funny because everything that I speak to you guys is something that I'm actually going through, or I've gone through myself. I don't speak or minister to anyone with anything that I'm not familiar with myself. So as I speak this message, it's interesting because these are things that I feel like we already know as believers. But I think what the Holy Spirit is doing with this is giving us kind of sort of a refresher course, per se. And it's like as believers, we are reminded that the word is a weapon. As a believer in the Messiah, Jesus is our number one tool against the enemy of our souls that we have and that we use the word as our weapon because the word is our number one weapon. It's like we are so familiar with this tool. We are so familiar, you know, with the word being a weapon. I'm sure this is something that is not new to you. But like I said, I think this serves as more so as a refresher course. And so we have to get familiar with this tool and learn how to use it effectively, is what I'm hearing. It's like there's a reason that it's hard for us to understand and hard for us to make time to read our Bibles. And the enemy is well aware of the power and the authority that is released into a believer that knows the word and that stays armed with it. Prayer is another weapon that we use in our arsenal, but we need to know how to use it effectively. We need to know how to use both of these weapons effectively together, prayer and the word. So that when the enemy comes, that we are prepared. When the enemy comes to attack us, we are prepared. And we know how to stand against the wiles and the schemes, is what the Bible tells us. And it's like honestly, I'm all for a resolution. So as I bring to you, you know, these concerns and these issues, I also want to bring to you a strategy and a biblical strategy, how to stand against these things. So, what does this look like? In our everyday lives, the enemy comes very sneakily. The more you study his ways, it's like the more you see that they are the same, they're just slightly different. And really, you can see that once you start to study him and you sniff them out, you can see like, how do I word this so that you guys get it? You can see that basically once you start to study the enemy and you look at your past problems, past things that you have overcome, you can see that he's very repetitive in the way that he acts, the things that he brings to us. But it's like when we're blindsided with these things, we usually don't see it right away. He's very good at what he does. Of course, he is the father of lies and the father of deceit. And usually, you know, there's like a veil, there's a covering over our lives, and after we come through it, we're like, wow, that's the same exact way, you know, he operated the last time. That's the same way you operated with my ex-boyfriend that you're operating with my sister. It's the same way that you operated with my co-worker, and now you're using that through my mother. So the thing is that we go through these things, we go through these problems, and often we don't see it until we come out on the other side of it. So, what is the remedy to all that? And the Bible, it's really imperative, and I'm gonna say this again. I'll probably be a little bit repetitive with what I'm saying to you today, but I really just want to drill this point home to you today, so please excuse the repetition. But the Bible is very clear and explicit about drawing close to God, and the Bible says that it tells us that it is important that we draw close to God because although the enemy is the same in his attacks, it's like I said previously, he's a father of lies and a father of deceit, and so he's really good at what he does. The Bible says in James 4 and 8, an amplified version, it tells us to come close to God with a contrite heart, and he will come close to you. So, what is a contrite heart? The Bible uses these words sometimes, and I think you know this is where we get into studying our word and knowing our word, and it's like we can't just read these things because the Bible says contrite heart a couple of times, but do we really know what a contrite heart is, or are we just using context clues and kind of just figuring out on our own what we think a contrite heart is? And this is very important to use, you know, a dictionary, or even like I like to use you can use a dictionary, but a dictionary sometimes gives you a different depiction of the word than what the Bible is actually saying. So, what I like to use is a concordance, like the strongest concordance is like the best, and everyone may not be in that place yet. You can use a regular dictionary, and you can, you know, it's Google and and these different things, but I like to use something that is really going to depict the biblical meaning of things. And if you look up and you see what a contrite heart is, a contrite heart is basically a repentant heart. It's a pure heart, it's a heart that is deeply sorrowful for sin, and it's a heart that earnestly seeks forgiveness because sin separates us from God, which is why the enemy works so hard to keep us to stay in sin. And it's not only about staying in sin, but it's staying in unrepented sin. Because what repentance does is it kind of cleans us up, it cleans us up per se. So it's like the Bible tells us that all our sins are taken underneath the blood of Jesus, and that is true, and that is correct, but it's not something that just comes automatic. You have, you know, the Jesus has been placed on the cross and all our sins are taken underneath the blood, but it does it just doesn't come automatically to us. We have work, we have things that we have to do to exercise to make sure that we're cleaning up. And repenting is cleaning up, it's just expressing to God that yes, I acknowledge this sin. I acknowledge that I fell short. I'm really sorry for what I did. Um, repent to repent means to turn away from your wicked ways. And it's like we can't turn away on our own. We need the help of the Holy Spirit. So this is where we're going into prayer with a repentant heart, a heart that's sorrowful, and we're asking for the help of the Holy Spirit. Because if you know your word, you know that the Bible says that the Holy Spirit is our helper. And we can't do really anything without the help of the Holy Spirit. We can't even really truly understand the word of God without the Holy Spirit. So it's important that you know your word. You know that you will fall into sin. It's pretty much inevitable. We're going to try and, you know, try, but we are human and we are flesh. But the thing is, like, we're going to get stronger each time. The goal is to sin less and less and less. So there are going to be ways that we may be tripped up, but we're not going to be repetitive, you know, with the same sins over and over again. With the knowledge of the Holy Spirit, the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, and the help of the Holy Spirit, the Bible says we are more than overcomers. So going back to sin, like I was saying, that sin separates us from God. And so that we can see that if we separated from God, which is what the enemy wants more and more, the Bible says that the wages of sin is death, which is what it says in Romans 6 and 23. As we're separated from God, what happens? So if we can't live, the opposite of living is death, in which we pretty much spiritually we die as we operate in repetitive sin over and over again. That leads us to John 14, John 15, verses 4 through 6. That tells us in summary that we are to remain in the Lord, or as James says in 4.8, we are to draw close to him in order to live and in order to produce fruit. We cannot produce fruit without the Lord, because if we are separated from him, it tells us in John 15 5 that apart from him we can do nothing. So what you can see is that this all just really ties together to give us a strategy on how to fight, to give us a strategy on how to use our weapons, and how to live an abundant and harmonious life that's promised to us in John 10 10. You see, the promises are there, and it's like the promises are true, but what we have to know as believers is we have to know how to keep what has already been given to us. Because another thing it tells us in John 10 10 is that pretty much we have a thief, and that thief is the enemy, and that thief is coming to steal, kill, or destroy. So, like I said, it's imperative that we use our weapons. Our weapons are the word, our weapons are prayer, and our weapons are faith. So when the thief comes knocking at your door to steal your peace, to steal your peace by basically that can be means of your health or the health of a loved one, you have to know how to use your weapons. What are your weapons? Your number one weapon is the word. But if you don't know the word, if you're not in the word, then how can you use it when he comes? And trust me, he's going to come and he's going to come repetitively. And it's like the enemy uses spirits to monitor us. So we are being monitored at all times. So he knows what our weaknesses are, he knows how to strike, when to strike. So we have to be strategic about using these weapons to stand against him. Just the same way that he is strategic. Our God is strategic. Our God is strategic in the way he's outlined his word and how he's given us the knowledge to, you know, stand against the enemy. But if we're not in our word and we're not studying, we're not practicing how to effectively use these weapons, then how can we truly stand in authority? It's very important that you know your authority as a believer. And it's very important that you study this authority in your word. So, what does the Bible tell us in Luke 10 and 19? One way to clearly know your authority, like I said repetitively, like I said, is to know your word. Luke 10 and 19 tells us, look, I have given you authority and up the power over the enemy. So he's already given us power. It's in the word. The word tells us the authority that he's given us. The word is our weapon, but if you don't know the word, then you may forget. If you're not reciting this word, if you're not reading this word, if you're not going over it and you know, just studying it, meditating it, meditating on it, chewing on it over and over again, then you're not gonna have this in your spirit. So you're not gonna know. So when you get a diagnosis from the doctor, you're not gonna know to go to Lieutenant 19 and say, look, I have authority over this sickness. When you have a spouse or a child or you know, a co-worker or someone that is coming against you that is, you know, attacking you, it looks like that it's that person, but really it's the enemy. You have to know I have authority over this spirit that is working against me, and you won't know that if you're not in your word, and you have to know how to apply this. It's like in Mark 11:24, another good scriptures scripture tells us you can pray for anything, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you receive it, then it will be yours. So tying these two scriptures together, you can see knowing your authority, believing, believing just basically means that you have faith, tells you that you can stand against every attack, everything that the enemy throws against you. You have authority over the kingdom of darkness. I really recommend that you take these scriptures, Luke 10 and 19, Mark 11 and 24. I really recommend that you pray over them, that you meditate on them, that you write them down in a little card, you keep it in your wallet, because, like I said, the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. The enemy is going to try to attack you. Mark 6 and 23 tells us that he even vowed, I will give you whatever you ask. Tie all these three scriptures together, which is the word, and you have an arsenal of power to stand when the thief comes. Because, like it says in John 10 10, the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. If you don't know who you are, if you don't know these scriptures, if you don't know this word, the enemy is going to blindsight you over and over again. If you're not in your word, if you're not in your personal time, the Bible says, and this is not a scripture I was going to reference, so I don't have it directly in front of me, but the Bible says that even in the last days, that the elect will be fooled. Even those of us that know our word will be fooled. So it's important that we stay in the word over and over again. It's important that we are prayed up daily. The Bible tells us to renew your mind daily, not every two days, not every other week, not Sunday when you go to church, or Wednesday when you go to Bible study, but every single day. These are active keys to living abundantly. And it's like we don't live abundantly and we live with a lot more hardship than we need to because what? We simply we just don't know the word and we don't know our authority. The way we know our authority is by being in the word, the way we exercise our authority is by reciting these things and studying it over, over and over again, meditating on it. These are active keys, faith. As a believer, you have to have faith. You can know this word, you can know the Bible Bible from cover to cover to beginning to end, but if you are not standing on that word, then you are not going to be able to withstand the wiles of the enemy. If you're not believing this, the Bible also says that we only need a mustard seed of faith. If you don't truly believe this in your heart, then it is your faith that is activating this. So again, when the enemy comes through sickness, when the enemy comes through financial distress, family issues, depression, or any other type of um oppression or any other type of stress, you have to stand against him with your authority. And you must know what the word says. So whatever it is that you're battling, what I suggest that you do is you look up the scripture, you meditate on it, and you know your authority because your authority is your inheritance. And your inheritance, basically, when you get an inheritance, it's a check that you can cash and that you can take in and claim. So when you know your inheritance, which is the word, you know your authority, and you cash it in, then you can claim it, and you can claim it victoriously by praying the words that the Bible states. And simply, it's very simple how you do this. You just simply use the scripture and you just tell the enemy whatever he's coming to you with, any of those things that I mentioned, family issues, depression, any of that, you tell the enemy the word says, and quote the scripture back, and then you go back into the Lord and you say, So I declare this to be true in the name of the Messiah Jesus. You remind yourself and you remind God and you tell him what his word says. So when you're praying in your private time and your secret place, you're saying, Lord, your word says whatever. Mark 11, 24, um, whatever, wherever the scripture is, Luke 10 and 19. Your works, your word says whatever it is that it says. So I thank you, Lord, for victory in this area. And once you start to exercise this and do this on a regular basis, then you will begin to build spiritual strength and spiritual stamina. So I just want to encourage you to know your authority. I want to encourage you to know how to stand and to live and to fight and to be victorious as a believer because this is our inheritance. And the word says that we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the power of our testimony. So I'm just gonna wrap that up for you here today. I pray that this resonates with someone out there. I know it does because, like I said, I was totally interrupted from what I was gonna speak on today, and this is what the Holy Spirit gave me. So If this or any other podcast episode has blessed you, I just pray that you would just leave me a review so that it can boost the algorithm and get it out there to other believers. Um, the word says in Proverbs that iron sharpens iron, and as I release this word out to you and it blesses you, you are to release it and to bless it to some and to give it to someone else. So that is to be a blessing. And the Bible says we are blessed to be a blessing. So again, you can those of you listening on Apple, you can leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Those of you listening on Spotify or any other platform, there's ways for you to leave reviews on those areas, and of course, you can just share it with a friend, which is also important. So I just want to thank you so much for tuning in, for lending me your ears, and always, like I always say, be blessed and be a blessing. Bye for now.