The Land Mines in Our Spiritual Journey: A Spiritual Manual Inspired by the Holy Spirit

By Paul Barham

The Land Mines in our Spiritual Journey-this book is a Christian spiritual manual inspired by the Holy Spirit. It teaches us how to recognize Satan's lies and deceptions. How to love, honor, and worship God. How to observe and obey God's laws. How to govern your life responsibility and take responsibilit

• Language: English
• Publisher: URLink Print & Media, LLC
• Release date: Oct 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9781684862757

Book preview

THE LAND MINES

in our

SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

Inspired by the HOLY SPIRIT

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

—Romans 12:2

PAUL BARHAM

The Land Mines in Our Spiritual Journey

Copyright © 2022 by Paul Barham. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law.

The opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of URLink Print and Media.

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URLink Print and Media is committed to excellence in the publishing industry.

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Published in the United States of America

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022918311

ISBN 978-1-68486-271-9 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-68486-273-3 (Hardback)

ISBN 978-1-68486-275-7 (Digital)

13.02.23

CONTENTS

1. Identifying Your Land Mines

2. Living Your Life over Again

3. The Spirit of Lust

4. The Renewing of Your Mind

5. The Good, Permissive, and Perfect Will of God

6. Spiritual Balance and the Laws That Govern

7. The Power of Agreement

8. Your Greatness Is in Your Barrenness

9. Convictions versus Emotions

10. Separation for Revelation

11. Your Shame Is Someone Else’s Pride

12. Paralleling Your Life with the Word of God

13. Prophecy and Prophecies in Error

14. Believe in Yourself

15. The Fervent Prayer of the Righteous

16. What Causes Us to Doubt

17. What Makes Us Vulnerable

18. Crossing over Your Jordan

19. Constructing a Path That Leads to Victory

20. Words of Wisdom and Deliverance Prayers

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

—Romans 12:2

ENDORSEMENT

The Land Mines in Our Spiritual Journey is a book that expands our understanding of spiritual warfare and deliverance ministry. This book guides and teaches us how to overcome the battles that pursue us daily. Pastor Paul Barham exemplifies the obedient servant, called to fulfill the role of a deliverance pastor.

A devoted husband and father, who takes pride in nurturing his family and, as such, his ministry also. He has been faithful in compiling all his knowledge in this book to educate, inspire, and help the wide masses of people to live a victorious life in Christ. I have every hope and trust that my husband’s book will tremendously bless everyone who reads it.

—Michelle A. Barham

I believe I could not have been blessed with a greater father. My father is the wisest person I know and has taught me so much. Few people would sit with you for hours to explain the Bible to you, what the meaning behind scriptures are, and symbolism many Christians don’t see. As a child of God, my Dad has set an amazing example of how I can dig deeper and get to know Jesus on a different level. Pastor Paul Barham will make you see things differently and fill you with knowledge as you read this book.

—Mattaniah Barham

I have learned many things from my dad over the years. Things that have helped me to stay strong in my Christian faith. Hosea 4:6 says, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. I believe that this book will help so many people in their faith walk. God has blessed my dad with spiritual wisdom and insight. In this book, you will be given the tools and knowledge needed to fight the enemy. There is encouragement for everyday life. I hope this book is a blessing to you. I am happy that the lessons that I have learned from my dad will be passed on to others.

—Michka Barham

My father pastor Paul barham now turned author is an exceptional man blessed by God with the gift to of sharing the Lords word. I feel honored to have been raised as a child of God on his wisdom and guidance that the lord has provided him with. Witnessing my dad become a writer has been truly amazing. There is a light that shines through him as he preaches Gods word and it’s the same light we witness as he puts Gods messages into his books. My dad has always had an open and willing heart to help others find their way in life and guide them on their path to salvation and with his books I’m so happy to see him able to reach many more. I love you daddy and I am extremely proud of you.

-Aneika Barham

This book is not only filled with knowledge, but it is molded with dedication. The hours put into creating this book truly shows my father’s aspiration. At night, I hear my dad listening to his audiobook version as he falls asleep to the words he wrote. Everything written has a purpose, comes from his heart, and the wisdom God has blessed him with. In this book, he expresses the unthinkable, knows it by heart, and explains it for others to learn for themselves.

—Daniel Michelle Barham

Brilliant! Breathtaking! A punch to the gut! A must-read for all students of theology. Pastor Paul Barham has hit a home run with his newest book: The Land Mines in our Spiritual Journey. This is a well-thought-out manual that explains our spiritual journey as we seek a personal and rewarding relationship with Jesus Christ. It warns us of the land mines we will encounter on our journey and the steps we must take to avoid temptations, conflicts, and sin while experiencing a positive spiritual growth through Christ. This manual is great as an everyday reference that reminds us of the spiritual and psychological warfare that’s taking place around us every day between the forces of darkness and the children of God in both the natural and spiritual world. This manual is written as a guide to help you understand what’s happening to you and why, especially when you are a newly converted Christian, and you are facing struggles maintaining your newfound faith. Being a Christian is not easy as we face daily challenges to our faith, because we are enemy number one of the devil and the forces of darkness.

—Everett Barham

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am truly grateful to Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, for blessing me with the gift spiritually necessary to write this book. I never thought this was ever possible. When the Lord told me that I would be writing books, I looked at myself and said, How could this be possible? I am not so savvy in my reading, spelling, and vocabulary. But with God, all things are possible! The Spirit of Might is such: the Holy Spirit empowering you to go beyond yourself and do great things that are unimaginable.

With the help of my beloved wife, First Lady Michelle Barham, I am truly grateful for her love, care, and prayers.

To my older brother Everett. Every revelation from the Lord, I made known to him for a conversation. With his degrees and background in history and psychology, along with my spiritual knowledge, we make a perfect team in putting certain things in perspective. Thank you, Everett, for your help in editing this book. And thanks also to my sister-in-law Patrice for her help with editing. I am sincerely grateful. God bless you all.

INTRODUCTION

A Spiritual Manual

The Land Mines in Our Spiritual Journey—this book is a Christian spiritual manual inspired by the Holy Spirit. It teaches us how to recognize Satan’s lies and deceptions. How to love, honor, and worship God. How to observe and obey God’s laws. How to govern your life responsibly and take responsibility as God’s designated authority over the earth. It teaches us how to love and appreciate life and be confident. Everything is made perfect by God, the Creator of all things. God designed our pains, suffering, and failures, not to destroy our lives, but to shape our destiny to His glory, to draw us closer to Himself. He wants to impart a new life unto us, the essence of His dear Son, Jesus Christ, for eternal life. God will take you through difficult times to shape your perspective about life, because there is something He needs to fulfill through you for an appointed time.

God will guide you through the necessary challenges to gain knowledge so you can fulfill your true potential in Him and have a joyful life. He will also teach you how to be a blessing to others. We have not reached the place where God wants us to be, but instead, we remain hardened and unbroken. That means we ignore all the warning signs with an active pursuit of our selfish gains to fulfill the sensual nature and feel-good appetites. The more we are determined to be secure in our self-will and live in denial, the more we will be wounded. God will allow the chastisement of our soul to take us to the place where He wants to transition us into who He wants us to be. The Land Mines in Our Spiritual Journey covers some of the most troubling aspects of our life journey, such as the following:

Words of wisdom: to encourage, motivate, and strengthen you for a more favorable outcome.

Words of knowledge: for the confirmation of the lingering, unexplained truth; to realize; to garner courage and appetite to overhaul your life and change your perspective to take a more in-depth look into your life with God.

Prophetic messages: to open your eyes to God’s divine mystery. That applies to your faith and everyday walk, discerning truth from error.

Words of counsel: how to recognize and understand the spiritual mysteries in the Word of God. It is proven to be a reality that comes across like an abstract thought of your imagination.

TESTIMONY

I never thought that writing this book, The Land Mines in Our Spiritual Journey, and The Third-Dimensional Man: Christ the Anointed One, was ever possible.

I live an ordinary life. But my knowledge and depth of spiritual understanding is a gift from God, and sometimes it’s frightening! This book doesn’t reflect my everyday learning and personal experience from a child into an adult but from the Holy Spirit’s knowledge and wisdom.

I was told as a child by a teacher that I was the black sheep of the family, and I believed it! Adults don’t often realize that children will always remember the wrong done to them but never remember the wrong things they have done.

I struggled most of my childhood years, unable to read correctly. I still don’t pronounce most words accurately. I started speaking at a late stage and struggled to speak fluently. That became a significant setback for me during my school years, which went by quickly. I especially hated reading and writing. Most of my childhood was spent outdoors being adventurous, building toy trucks, or catching fish in the rivers, and raising birds. I was very energetic and often considered rude and mischievous by those who did not know what was going on in my little head.

I had no goals or aspirations, but I was simply living each day and dealing with the challenges that came with it. However, my life and my world transformed when I heard a clear voice say now is the time in April 1997. That is when my nonchalant world turned upside down. I had no idea my future would turn out to be used by God in this profound way, but I give all glory to God! The full transformation of my life took place upon a hill, praying and fasting, one Saturday morning at six o’clock. Praying for wisdom and understanding to read and comprehend God’s Word at first was confusing. I wanted to be able to counsel, advise, and win souls for God’s kingdom and do well in religious debates. I was full of zeal and yet very naive of the vast knowledge I would need to obtain, and the consequences that would follow.

Being a new convert, I felt that I should be on fire for the Lord! When I arrived at work the following morning, I was delighted and confident, and quite eager to share with my coworkers my encounter with God and how I heard His voice. When I told them, I am now a Christian, they all laughed and mocked me. I began to feel ridiculous. I thought they would be happy for me, but in their eyes, I was making a mockery of God and the faith. How could I party Friday and Saturday and then announce that I was a Christian on Monday? Wow!

Despite their doubts and ridicule, it did not have any effect on me. I worked hard on my newfound faith to prove that my transformation and conviction were real. That was when the persecution started! I had to keep repenting. Curse words would slip out of my mouth when trying to explain Bible scriptures to defend and prove my faith and convince everyone that my conversion was real.

Fasting and praying were proven to be my source of strength. And with the mountain experience that followed, I increased my learning, knowledge, and understanding of the scriptures. It started to dawn on me that I was no ordinary Christian. Maybe I would get famous because all this felt so strange. But I am a witness to God’s power and came to realize that to be used by God, I needed to remain humble.

God reveals Himself to me through dreams and visions and words of wisdom mostly in the mornings. I have learned a lot! I also learn from encouraging, praying, and counseling others. The Bible is my primary source of information on subjects that I had no previous knowledge of. The Bible and the inspiration from the Holy Spirit guide me through the most difficult and challenging periods of my life and still do. I am fond of listening to controversial preaching and prophetic messages. Praise the Lord!

I try to avoid the outside influence of negative news. So sometimes I isolate myself from nonsensical TV and radio programs and lukewarm religious shows. I have no previous training and knowledge of most of the things highlighted in this book. I would not know where to get this level of information, inspiration, or materials to use.

The various contexts and words used were given to me by the Holy Spirit. To understand some of the terms and meanings, I verified them in the dictionary to confirm that they fit perfectly in the sentences, not because I doubt God but because my brain is limited to absorb the level of spiritual revelations that I receive. Here are some of my favorite inspirational words:

Favorite song: Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried, and true

Favorite book of the Bible: Genesis

Favorite psalm: Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly (Psalms 1).

Favorite Bible verse: Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee (Psalms 25:21).

PRAYER

Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, I dedicate this book to you and the words written under the banner of the blood of Jesus Christ. Lord, I pray everyone who reads this book will feel and experience the touch of the virtue of the Holy Spirit and an impartation of God’s grace and mercy.

Father, so many people are hungry for in-depth knowledge and thirst to drink water that flows from the reservoir of the life of Jesus Christ.

Let the Holy Spirit’s quickening power transform the lives of those who identify with various revelations, words of knowledge, and the Spirit of counsel. The Holy Spirit guides and chastises to make known the Word of Truth, applicable in our life for a prosperous life.

Let your loving-kindness overshadow and embrace the readers. Give the understanding necessary to read with a heart to be inspired for a closer relationship with you. And let the Holy Spirit enrich all readers with His light, power, and blessings.

Thank you, Father, in Jesus’s name. Amen.

Chapter 1

IDENTIFYING YOUR LAND MINES

Satan’s Desired Plans

Each of us faces various trials when we become a new believer in the doctrine and teachings of Jesus Christ.

You are now a new creation in Christ; old things passed away, behold, all things become new. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

The moment you were converted, baptized, and filled with the Holy Spirit, you became an enemy of the kingdom of darkness. You have become a target of Satan, his dark forces, and human agents as they set out to destroy you.

The devil has placed his desired schemes and plans to trap, ensnare, and hinder you from your true potential. He distracts you by putting up walls and barricades, hoping you will walk into them, thus derailing you from becoming who God wants you to be and sabotaging God’s purpose for your life.

Satan is on a mission to subvert the church. Christians, washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, must walk with discernment, walk in wisdom, and have a clear understanding of the kingdom’s authority granted to them as the church, the body of Christ, the Son of the living God.

We must walk with determination and confidence, even when we don’t know where we are going and what we want to accomplish in this life and our faith.

If you lack confidence and are easily confused because you’re not sure where you are and where you are going, you will fall in the devil’s trap or spiritual land mine. Many of God’s people today are ignorant of