God wants us to hold pictures in our minds of His supernatural victories in our lives.
When the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground, they picked up stones from the dry river bed, and when they got to the far side of the Jordan they stacked them up into an altar as a memorial of the victory God had just won for them. Now whenever they passed this altar, their children could ask what it was for and they could recount God’s wonderful miracle to them. In this way God’s supernatural provision would never be forgotten (Josh. 4).
It is important for us to follow this pattern. When I have just experienced a miracle of healing or deliverance or provision or victory from the enemy, I want to make sure I never forget it and it becomes a testimony to me, my friends and my posterity of God’s greatness and mercy in my life. This helps me live a life of gratitude (Col. 2:7, Heb.12:28).
So ask God, “What would you have me create as a memorial to commemorate this victory in my life?” Create whatever He reveals. It could be a writing, a picture, a poster, a carving, a creation, a song, an object. Let Him lead. Create what He gives you to create. Never forget His wonder-working power in your life. Receive encouragement and strength every time you look at it or recount it to others.
Divine pictures drive out demonic pictures. A picture is worth 1000 words. Pictures are the language of the heart. Out of the heart flow the issues of life (see Prov. 4:23). When Abraham gazed at a picture of the promise fulfilled, faith arose in his heart (Gen. 15:5,6).
Below is an example of a memorial.
I Replace False Altars With True Altars Unto the Lord —by Kirsten Himmelberg
As I was going through my healing process, I found that as I was doing inner healing, I spent far too much time shouting at the enemy and telling him to leave, and far too little time creating a friendly environment for the Holy Spirit to abide within me. The more I created an environment that welcomed Jesus in my heart and provided a friendly habitation for the Holy Spirit within, the less I had to yell at the enemy to leave. In fact, I rarely have to yell at the enemy anymore.
Here is how I created an altar in my heart to commune with Jesus which welcomed the Holy Spirit in. I like things in nature. So my altar is in a wooded grotto. There is a bench where I can sit and talk to Jesus my Savior. The temperature is perfect; there is soft music. I created flowers that honor the Lord, flowers that do not exist on earth. They display the cross of Christ and his resurrection. There is an altar there (like the ark of the covenant) but it doesn’t look like the ark of the covenant. It has a Bible in it. It plays music. It is erected to replace whatever ungodly altars I created in my soul when I didn’t know how to abide in Christ. I can come to the garden in my heart whenever I want to. Sometimes I walk in an area of nature with this song playing: “I come to the garden alone”. And in my mind’s eye, I am in the garden in my heart. I am creating an atmosphere that invites Jesus to show me what I need to know. Jesus talks to me. I honor the Father, and I welcome the Holy Spirit. Replacement has taken place. Evil has been replaced with good. {eoa}
Mark Virkler, Ph.D., has authored more than 50 books in the areas of hearing God’s voice and spiritual growth. He is the founder of Communion With God Ministries and Christian Leadership University (cluonline.com), where the voice of God is at the center of every learning experience. Mark has taught on developing intimacy with God and spiritual healing for 30-plus years on six continents. The message has been translated into over 40 languages, and he has helped to establish more than 250 church-centered Bible schools around the world.
This article originally appeared at cwgministries.org.
