Walking In Divine Health Part 3

I have always said that I will beat the enemy by giving testimony to whatever he throws my way. I don't find it the least bit coincidental that I blogged about divine health and I am feeling less than divine right now.

So instead of hiding until the manifest of health bursts on the scene I will share with you what I am doing.

About 19 years ago I suffered from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Epstein Barr disease. Thankfully I was completely healed from that, praise God! Every now and then I get "that feeling" and I fight it with the sword of the Spirit. God's Word. This week has been very draining for some reason. Could it be my age?? I turned another year older last Friday and I must say I did celebrate ALOT. I have also noticed I am staying up way to late, getting up way to early and I eat like garbage.

There comes responsibility when we claim God's promises for our lives. Taking proper care of the body He gives us is very important. So as I grocery shopped and purchased very healthy foods for myself, I spoke God's promises. I took a multi vitamin with added energy (hey I need all the help I can get). I refused to even entertain the thought that I will relive the previous illness (come on you know we are all tempted to revisit the past and let fear set in).

I am thankful for the opportunity to once again allow God to be glorified.

Here are a few more promises for you too!

Ex 23:25
Ex 15:26
Deut 28:1-14
Deut 30:19-20
Nahum 1:9
Rom 4:17-21
2 Cor 10:4-5

Walking In Divine Health Part 2

Have you ever felt like this guy? I know I have. I hope that meditating on the verses in Part 1 have given you a new revelation to the power that is available to us. I was standing next to a friend the other night who was definitely looking like the guy in this picture. I was so excited to share what my current blog series was on!! I encouraged him to speak the Word out loud and I prayed for him too.

I admit I got the "yeah that sounds good but I feel like garbage" look. Then another friend came into the room and announced "hey Lisa thanks for praying for me the other day! I feel GREAT!" I responded with "God is so good! Did you speak those scriptures out loud?" "I sure did" replied my second friend. I was so excited and said "Tell him...tell him" referring to sick friend #1. The power of testimony. How fun is God!

When you feel the "ick" coming on you have a choice to make. You can say "OH NO I am getting sick, I feel terrible, this will ruin my week. It will take me forever to get over it and then my family will get it" ....and on and on.

OR you can say "I will not get sick in Jesus' name. No weapons forged against me shall prosper! No sickness or disease can touch my body. I am the temple of the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in me!" My Father is Jehovah Raffa the Lord who heals! By Jesus' stripes I am healed! He healed all my diseases...." you get the picture.

Now I hate pain and discomfort so at the first sign of any hint of an attack of the "yuck" I have been known to take medicine. Does that mean I don't have faith? Maybe to some. I just take it and continue to speak the promises of God out loud often. Within a very short time either minutes, hours or 1 day I have NO symptoms. NONE. It's been that way for 2 years. PRAISE GOD!

It is amazing to see how my kids are picking this up. Samantha's stomach was really hurting her the other night. As she was grabbing the porcelain, one of her parents was saying "are you going to be sick? I think you ARE going to be sick!" She looked at the other parent and said "pray for me and I will speak the scriptures in my head". That's my girl! The tummy bug left without her getting sick. She was in perfect health all day. God is faithful.

Now again my disclaimer: This is what happens with me. I love to share it just as if it were a great recipe for chicken noodle soup! I do think this method is better than any hand santizer out there. And you never have to worry about running out of it!!

Walking in Divine Health Part 1

Well it is that time of year where sickness seems to jump on anyone it can. I have been asked a lot lately to pray for people who are sick and can't seem to shake that nagging cough or the "oh no my kids have the stomach flu please not me" people.

I have been blessed to learn from God's Word how to actively walk in the area of divine health. Now before you send me nasty blog comments, I am going to tell you MY story and what I do. I am not saying everyone should do this. I am saying try it if you want. It has worked for me by the grace of God for 2 years. I am trying to get my kids involved as well. That is taking some time. 2 years and 3 kids worth of various ailments have plagued our home, one of which was the swine flu. That one did get contained to one family member out of 5, PRAISE GOD!

Another disclaimer. I believe God heals, period. The bible says so. Does everyone get healed? No. Do I know why? No. Does that mean I disregard what I know to be true because I don't always see the results I want? No. I take God at His Word. I understand His ways are not our ways and I pursue what Jesus gave his disciples authority to do. I then leave the results to Him.

Most often we don't pray and ask God to protect us before we are sick, we wait until we are sick and then we beg God to do something or finish us off (which I have done during bouts of a horrific stomach virus).

The first thing you need is a revelation from God. If you read Ephesians 1:17-21 you will see that the same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in you! If that is true why can't we get rid of the common cold?

So in today's first lesson. Get out your bible. Seek the Holy Spirit to lead you into all Truth. Ask Him to show you the authority Jesus gave you as a believer. Meditate on these verses:
Psalm 103:1-4
Isaiah 53:5
1Peter 2:24
1Cor 6:19

Stayed tuned for Part 2!

Choose Wisely

For some reason it seems that people are under attack at a tougher level. I am not sure if its because of the "new level new devil" theory or that people are just being shaken more easily by the same old stuff. This past weekend...yes Valentines Weekend was pretty rough for a few friends of mine. Strong God loving people. The arrows that were shot were unfortunately not from chubby adorable cupid...but from the one who shoots firey darts.

The main battle field where we fight the enemy is in our own minds. We need to take every thought captive and hold it obedient to Christ( 2Cor 10:5). I have discovered that the easiest way to do that is to make a decision before you are under siege. Set your mind and be determined to honor God and His word. By making a choice you will be prepared, even if you are caught off guard.

The enemy doesn't fight fare. He is out to steal, kill and destroy. An army wouldn't go into battle without weapons. You also don't see them huddled in a corner wringing their hands in worry and fear. They are out there fighting. Should we be any different?

Whether you are in a battle right now or not, make the choice to honor God's Word and God's ability. Trust that what He asks you to do in your circumstances, you can do in His strength. It all begins with a decision, so choose wisely.

A note to married Christians: If your spouse isn't strong enough to fight whatever the enemy is throwing at them, then you be strong enough to honor God with your actions. Your obedience and your prayers will have an impact. If you decide to let the enemy get to you too, then the battle just got bigger. This is the time to fall back on the Word that you have been listening to in church your entire life and put it into practice!

The Month of Loooove

I received a card once that had the verse 1 Corinthians 13:12 on it, "we don't yet see things clearly...but it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright!"

After weeks of this miserable weather who is seeing clearly? But there is a promised sun to come and warm this place up! Have you ever wondered why you have certain situations come up in your life? Sometimes it is something small and irritating and other times it's a huge issue. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose. The God who loves you and me has planned our days and it was written in His book before we were one day old (Psalm 139:16). So in the midst of our hectic schedules, our relationships, our responsibilities and our hardships we can take comfort in knowing that:

* All of our days were planned for us before we came to be
* All things work for God's good...and
* We may not see it now, but when the difficulties pass the sun will shine bright!

During the month of heart shaped candies, flowers, chocolates (also known as the month of LOOOOOVE), my hope is that you stop and think about how much God loves _____________ (insert your name here). When you see a heart hanging in the store or see "BE MINE" and "I'M YOURS" on candy, may it remind you that the best love of all is from the One who planned everything about you!

Don't Deny It

John 1:24 says: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

I have read that many times and thought I understood what it meant. I love how God takes the living word and breathes a deeper revelation into it and opens my eyes to new understanding.

When this verse was impressed upon me the next thought was from Luke 12:8-9. It reads: I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.

Don't deny or disown the Word of God, any of it. It's ALL God breathed. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you into all Truth. Read the Word and seek God for understanding. Embrace what God is showing you. Never assume you have it all down or you have total understanding. Come to God with child like faith and a teachable spirit. Be open to receive what He reveals to you.

Are you worried what people may say? That's OK just rely on this.

Don't deny the Word. That Word became flesh!

Milestones to Praise

I read the twitter from Wade Joye a few hours ago: I just saw Liana walk across the entire room! So grateful for how Jesus has answered our prayers.

What an amazing miracle to see that against the odds, against the doctor's reports, this precious child walks! For those of you who don't know you can read the journey here.

As I catch my breath and comprehend how God moved in the lives of Adleigh and Liana, I am excited about the milestones that they will have. With each milestone people who know them or know their story will be drawn to the power of God and God will get the glory!! Imagine, Liana walks, we praise God. They go to school, we remember their story, we praise God. They start to drive, they go to college, they get married, they have families of their own and we all stop and remember what God did.

We all have milestones that should bring glory to God. Every time we do something or don't do something because of what Jesus did in our lives is an opportunity to praise God. Maybe we don't have a visible milestone for the world to see. Maybe its a marriage that God restored and the restoration process wasn't necessarily public. Maybe no one knows or sees who you used to be before you met Christ. That doesn't mean we should forget what God did for us.

As we celebrate and praise God for this amazing miracle of Liana Joye walking 18 steps today, remember that God has done amazing things for you, big and small. Praise Him for what He has done in your life and share it. Let people know the miracle of a changed heart, a changed life, a restored marriage,a healing or peace through loss.

Revelation 12:11 says: They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony;

Praise God for your miracle milestones, make sure people can see them and give God all the glory!

Expect the Unexpected

We often expect certain things. When God gives you a vision for your life and it burns a desire so deep in you that you can't let it go, its hard not to think about it. Many times on our journey of God's will we wonder "will I miss Him?" or "Is this God?" We ask, "Do I do this or do that?" What about, "Maybe THIS is the open door I need".

I am learning the hard way that God will hardly take the road that we expect. I know based on God's Word who He is and that He will do what He says He will do. What I don't always know is "the how" and I think He likes it like that.

Often times my mentors will say, "You aren't trusting God with this". On the contrary, I do trust God with all of it. What I don't trust is that I won't hear Him and miss His leading. I confess I have a fear of wandering in the desert for years wondering when the heck I will get to the promised land. A vision from God is a promise though so don't give up on the vision.

I am learning to expect that God will bring our visions to pass if we surrender and wholeheartedly follow Him. While we wait for His timing we have several things that we need to do:

1) Seek Him and not the vision. Our relationship with Him is more important to Him than anything He has destined us to do. Without that intimacy we are not supernaturally equipped to do anything. Being set on the end result and not a relationship makes the vision an idol.

2) Understand that while waiting we are in "prep mode". God is refining us and the holding pattern is ultimately for our protection.

3) Realize that any closed door or lack of support means that the season of learning in that area may have ended. Just because it seemed logical to us why we were placed where we were placed is probably the very reason God shut the door. He likes to be God and do miraculous things so no man can boast.

If you feel your vision is a faded off dream. Hold on to the promise of being used by God in a mighty way. Get excited that He is calling a "time out" because you ARE headed in the right direction. He is just moving things in place.

Don't be discouraged if the very people you thought would embrace your passion don't see what God sees. You are in great company. Joseph's brothers threw him in a pit. As harsh as that was they actually helped him realize the vision they were jealous he had. Don't be offended or get side lined because of that. They may not be against you, they could only take you so far in God's journey.

Joseph had a God given vision but then he ended up in a pit and then prison. His vision eventually came to pass. Embrace where you are at. Seek Him during this season for clarity on what He is doing and for a deeper time of intimacy. Then expect the unexpected.

INtegrity or OUTegrity Part 2

Psalm 19:14 says "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."

I am learning that God will allow situations to arise in our lives that will bring our heart issues to the surface. He doesn't do it so that we become resentful bitter gossips. He does it so that we can bring our issues to Him. Sometimes we think we have dealt with things like fear, anxiety, rejection or abandonment. Our spiritual life is in a great place and its smooth sailing. Then all of a sudden we hit a perfect storm and familiar feelings we thought were long gone resurface.

God uses these opportunities to draw us to Him to deal with hidden issues of our heart. I confess I struggle with resentment and bitterness when I feel rejected. In order to "feel better" I talk...too much and usually not positive uplifting things either. I prayed to be delivered from rejection because it hinders me and my ministry. Why was I so shocked when I was given beyond normal opportunities to walk them out with INtegrity?

So what do you do? You share your feelings with a few close trustworthy friends. They must hold you accountable and encourage you in the painful refinement God is trying to bring about. Confess your sin of bitterness, anger, revenge, whatever it is, to God and to those you trust. Next, meditate on the Word of God. You don't let it leave your sight. You replace the thoughts in your head with the promises of God. Let them penetrate your heart. Then you speak them out loud. Sometimes all I can say is "the power of God is alive and working in me". It's a powerful confession that will flow OUT and it beats unloading negativity.

God says He is your Lord, your Rock and your Redeemer. He will deliver you, He will vindicate you. Keep your eyes fixed on Him and your mouth speaking forth His Truth so that they are pleasing to Him.

Then relax and be confident that He who began a good work in your will carry it on to completion.

INtegrity or OUTegrity

I heard a teaching once that "INTEGRITY" is what you do when no one is looking. That proves that integrity is a heart issue. Often times I make the decision to walk in integrity. Be the bigger person, act like Jesus, be holier, ooze God's grace. But what I am really exercising is OUTegrity. I am going through motions because it is what I "should" do. In the recesses of my heart though I am fighting my flesh.

I am pretty sure in those moments where I "faked it", I neglected to ask God to forgive my attitude. I wanted Him to bless my actions. Some examples would be bitterness or my judgmental/critical attitude or whatever was on my "emotional menu" at the time. I have "acted"(and still do at times...insert friends nodding their heads here) like I am fine with a situation when I really am not. I confess I "chose" to take the high rode when in my heart and head I was kicking and screaming the entire way.

Let's face it. When you are "faking it" you become more resentful if you don't bring it to God to be dealt with. Luke 6:45 says, "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."

We need to work out the issues of the heart so that our mouth will speak good things and that we really mean the good things we say. Words that are edifying and encouraging. Words that build each other up not tear each other down. Words that heal not hurt.

God gave us His grace. In turn we are to extend it to others. If we are "stuck" and we find ourselves "faking it" we aren't fooling God. Use Matthew 18 as a directive if you have been hurt or offended. If that is not possible then forgive as you have been forgiven. (It could be a daily process as you replay the offense over and over, God's Word will win eventually!)

Don't fake the "I am above reproach" approach. We are all human. We all fall short. Be honest with God and seek HIM to work on your heart. You aren't fooling Him anyway. INtegrity will last and Outegrity will be a passing fad.

FAITH

F - forgetting what is seen and looking to the unseen, that is what is eternal!
A - accepting that God is in control & His way works
I - including time into your day to read His Word & pray
T - trusting He loves you and that His promises are true
H - Holding the hand of the one who loved you enough to die for you even when we don't understand.


We are all given a measure of faith. It is up to you to determine if your faith will grow or dwindle. Take captive the thoughts you have in your situation and compare them to what God has said to you and about you. It is there you will choose who and what to believe.

Be determined to see God's hand in your situation. What is happening may be quite painful. Can you find God's goodness in the midst of it? Can you think back to when God was faithful and came through for you. Praise Him for what He has done and thank Him in advance for what He is doing. HE IS the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. God is faithful to the faithful!

White Water Rafting

We celebrated Mike and Sydney's birthdays this year by going white water rafting. I was excited but somewhat nervous. Then I sat in the "safety session" and oozed with fear. I literally prayed that the three of us would be safe and no one would fall out of the boat. When I heard the course contained water pressure from 6 pumps, one of which could fill an olympic pool in 20 seconds, my fear over took me.

Please God don't let us die. Please God don't let any of us have broken bones...and the list went on. When we were assigned our guide I started to laugh. His name was Noah. OK God, thanks for your humor! I told the guide I felt a bit less nervous because Noahs have good reputations when it comes to boats and alot of water.

As I sat down on the side of the raft I was once again put at ease. Noah's name was written on his oar. His real name...NOAH GODBEY....I could not make that up if I tried. So again I laughed and felt that God was comforting me. I was thankful to be sitting right in front of Noah and did not mind one bit that he screamed his instructions into my left ear.

We hit the waves and the rocks and it was a wild ride. Noah boomed instructions with his stern voice. He did that to ensure no one got tossed from the boat. "I want to be sure the people in the front of the boat can hear me", he explained. "It's no fun pulling people out" so I yell loud enough for the front of the raft to hear me. I am firm because "I want to avoid danger."

As my heart palpatations were increasing with rapids I felt God say "You are safe, no one will get hurt, I want to teach you something." I forced myself to trust God and Noah and I really had a great safe experience. It occurred to me that this is how we should be in life. When the wind and the waves hit, we need to be close to the source. The closer we are to "The Guide" the easier it is to hear His instructions. His desire is to keep everyone on course. His instructions are to keep everyone safe so that no one "falls out of the boat". It is no fun to get swept downstream and there are hazards that await you. Our Guide cares so much for us that He will scream the instructions so we can hear him, even if we aren't positioned close to Him. The question is are you listening to Him or the crashing waves?

Stick close to God so you can hear His instructions when you have a storm in your life. You may be able to look back and see what God was trying to teach you without needlessly injuring yourself!

Love Deepens

I would like to wish my husband a very happy 13th anniversary (June 1st). I am thankful for you and for all that God has done in our lives. I read this quote and hope it inspires others to stick with it. I thank God we did!

We have often said that we would not choose to go back to some of the early days of our marriage. Too often, early love is a marriage built on day dreams. Love deepens with understanding and varying viewpoints expand and challenge one another. So many things improve with age. Those who abandon ship the first time it enters a storm miss the calm beyond. And the rougher the storms weathered together, the deeper and stronger real love grows. Ruth Graham

Thankful

Several years ago I sat in a church office trying to pitch my passion to bring the Love and Respect Conference to Charlotte. I explained that 2 days before our meeting I had an actual dream where I saw Dr. Emerson on stage at Calvary Church and it was filled with people. There was a chuckle amongst those in the room. Someone said "well if you dreamed it it must be true..haha". A year later I spoke with Dr. Emerson and told him I had a dream about him coming to Charlotte, he asked where he was in the dream. I said "Calvary Church". He did not laugh at me. His response was "then that is where it will be".
I am thankful for my friend Cheyenne Schultz for taking this picture. It's exactly what I saw in my dream. I am grateful to have this as a reminder that God given dreams come true! 2929 people from 24 states to be exact.

As we celebrate Easter I want to thank God for sending His only Son to die for our sins. I want to give praise and thanksgiving to Jesus for suffering on our behalf. I give thanks to the Holy Spirit for guiding us and comforting us and leading us into Truth. I am grateful to Dr. Emerson & Sarah Eggerichs and their team whose passion for marriages and heart to hear and obey God resurrected my marriage and thousands of others!

I pray that you all know the resurrection power for those who believe!

Happy Easter!!

The Outcome

Well sorry for the delay on the outcome for the conference! Here is what you witnessed or missed depending on if you were there or not.

2929 people from 24 states attended the Love & Respect Conference!!!Throughout the entire event all I could say to Mike was .."look at all the people...look at what God did!!"

The testimonies are still coming in! THANK YOU GOD!!!


If God gives you a dream or a vision and it looks impossible...stick with Him and don't give up!! HE WILL bring it to pass!

As soon as I get some pictures I will post them!

Love & Respect Conference!!!!!!!

OK...I have been a bit busy....but here is the deal:

Is your marriage great? It can be better! Is it mediocre? Take it to a new level! Is it over? Give God a shot! Check out more here.

The Love and Respect Conference
February 13 and 14th, 2009
Calvary Church, Charlotte, NC

Sign up today! It saved my marriage!


Ephesians 5:33

Husbands must love their wives as Christ loved the church, wives must respect their husbands.


Hope to see you there!

Lisa

Hearing God #2

I hope I gave you some time to jump into the scriptures and to pray about hearing God. My second tip is to hear God in your circumstances in regards to service. I did not know I had leadership abilities. I had mercy and compassion for others who were walking where I walked. I loved to share my story of God's grace in my life.

Then opportunities began to present themselves. "Lisa, tell your story". "Would you share at this group?" Phone calls from friends and then friend of friends desperate for help. They just started coming. Alas, God brought forth a ministry. I never felt led to promote myself and I don't think there is anything wrong with that. For me though, God just brought them.

So many times I have heard people say they are waiting on God to tell them what they should do. Align your circumstances. Do you love kids? Do you love music? Well if there is an opening for a children's choir director or assistant or room mom, that could be God. You may learn you have His anointing for it. If not you will learn something in it.

If you have a nudge to do "something" look at your situation, look at your experiences (both good and bad) and ask God where there is a need. Fall back on this scripture if you are a woman and this one too. Take a leap of faith to serve and see where God leads you!

Hearing God #1

My Pastor is doing a GREAT series this month called "Do You Hear?" You can tune in here. I am so excited about this because it is a passion if mine. Ever since I was in the 6th grade I thought, how weird that God would talk to people a thousand years ago and not talk to us now!

In my trials of life, when all seemed hopeless, I turned to God. In that, a relationship developed and I am SO thankful that it grows every day. I have decided to give you my practical tips on how to hear God. Now I KNOW God speaks to each of us differently, so I will talk about my experiences. Maybe it will help you tap into a deeper communion with our Creator!

First and foremost God speaks through His scriptures. His Word is alive and the revelations are neverending. Always seek His Word for direction, confirmation, encouragement and discipline. Having verses hidden in your heart is the safest bet. Also He will never contradict His Word. So start there.

John 10:4 says "his sheep follow him because they know his voice". That tells me we CAN hear Him. So I began to pray the verse back to God like this, "Lord your Word said Your sheep know Your voice. I want to know your voice and hear You. I do not want to be left wondering if it is You or not. Make it clear to me, open my ears to hear and my eyes to see." Then as you begin to "hear" and you obey, I believe God will do it more.

So start with those two things first and stay tuned for more "tips" to help you tune into God!

Physically Fit to..... Sleep?

There is somewhat of a bone of contention with me and working out. I really wonder why people work out to improve their stamina yet they get so tired from working out they fall asleep during conversations or have to take naps. To me, if you take the time to exercise and it zaps your energy its counter productive. I had this conversation with a certain work out enthusiast who blamed his/her lack of energy mid evening on the fact that he/she gets up at 4:30am to work out. My answer was "sleep in and stay awake, what good is being in shape if you sleep through your evenings?" Of course said person disagreed and I think said I was mean and unfair...

Then the thought of "physically fit to sleep" turned into a spiritual parallel (doesn't it always?). I immediately thought of the millions of Christ loving followers thrusting into scriptures, piling up on bible studies year after year, bench pressing conferences (get it?), reading books, building knowledge, knowledge and more knowledge. Truth be told they lack the POWER to do what they trained for. So they end up sleeping through their Christian life content with the thought that they are spiritually in shape.

Jesus says this in Matt 10:5-8: These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

So I close with this...take care of your physical body but not to the point of exhaustion and take care of your spiritual life but make sure its a productive work out!

The Butterfly

My kids and I went to a fall festival at a barn last weekend. It was the perfect fall day and we had a great time. Of all the horses, the cats, the dogs, the chickens and the goat, the butterfly struck me.

It was brown and orange and was sitting on the pebbled driveway. I bent down and placed my hand near its legs expecting it to fly off. To my surprise it walked up into my hand. As I stood, this beautiful butterfly moved its wings to show off its beauty, yet it did not fly away. My son noticed and asked to "hold it" I explained that this was a precious time because butterflies aren't usually so peaceful and how careful we have to be with their gentle wings. Just then the butterfly flew off and my son was a bit disappointed. I felt confident that my son would want to grab hold of it tightly so it would stay with him. Firmly grabbing a butterfly will surely cripple it,if not kill it.

God spoke to me in that example. It is so important as mothers, spouses, leaders and friends that we not hold too tightly to what WE want in another. It is so important to hold onto someone with an open hand caring enough to allow God to have His way in their lives. We should encourage them, love them, hold them accountable, but never to our own standards or for our own purposes. To truly see beauty in another is to want for them what God wants for them and then see them fly.

Colossians 1:16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.