Last week I preached in Swansea prison.  It was an interesting experience, with the service being attended by a number of men who were there for various reasons.  However, some were open to the presence of God.  I’ve preached in the prison three or four times before and time after time, I see the same faces reappearing.

You can’t manufacture the presence of God. I can’t manufacture the word of God. This is God at work, and He provided a good word for them. It’s a miracle.

I spoke to them about a man in the bible called Jabez.  The name Jabez means “distress or pain”.  His own mother called him a pain and trouble. But Jabez called out to God; he didn’t want to be pain and trouble. Jabez asked God to change who he was and God took the curse away. Jabez had blessing and life, and because God answered his prayer, Jabez’s life contradicted his name.

If there’s something in your life that doesn’t belong to a Christian, you too can pick it out and give it to God.

Step back and see the problems the devil has put into your life. See the things that don’t belong to you and will take you down to death. Give these things to God.  There are many things that don’t belong to a Christian.  These things can be hurt, hatred, bitterness, unforgiveness, impurity, anger etc.

It says in the bible that we can cry out that your life will match up with the word of God.

It starts with us. We first have to have a desire for our lives to match up with the things of God. God gives us a new life. We then have to ask God to give that new life to us so that we can grow and change.

God has given us a book of words that will change our life. Words that will change us and shape us. These are proclamations – or promises – God has given His children.  We can claim them and we can hang on to them, in the assurance that God will deliver according to His Word.

In Isaiah 54: 17 we read:

“No weapon formed against you will prosper”.

We can take these words and personalise it to ourselves. No weapons formed against you will prosper!  No weapon of the devil formed against you, as a child of God, will prosper.  If we read on in the verse, we can see that we are bound for righteousness!

We must proclaim the truths of God into your lives.

In Psalm 118: 17 we read:

“I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done”.

The devil will take you out of where you are and plunge you into nothingness. The devil puts lies in your head. You need to fight for your place in God. You must stand for what God has given you. As you battle against spiritual forces claim this promise from God – you will not die but you will proclaim what the Lord has done!

What are you known for in your circles?  Like Jabez, He will change your nature and He will change your name to that what He has for you.

We can pick a verse and speak it over our life. These are God’s words and God’s promises!

If we leave things as they are, and if we leave the problems there, they will become a curse. They will start to gnaw away at us and rob us of God’s blessing.  We must see the problem and fight for what He has given us. If you ever feel unsteady, hopeless, lost, hurt, weak or vulnerable, then proclamation is for you. We’ve seen miracles, with demons cast out and politicians removed from power.

In Psalm 60: 12 we read:

“With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies”.

Personalise it to yourself.  With God, you will gain the victory!  With God, He will trample down your enemies!

Take your responsibility seriously. Sort out what needs to be sorted, and don’t let those things gnaw away at you. We are meant to live in authority and victory. Take authority back from what the devil robs off us.

God brings life to the dead and strength to those who are weak!

There are many proclamations and promises in the Bible.  They are there for you.  Find them and claim them over your life.  You are a child of God.  Don’t let the devil or your nature rob you.

Amen.