“If a man vows a vow to the Lord or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break and profane his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth” Numbers 30:2.

“The Lord spoke to me the other day out of the blue and began to show me something about many of you. He began by reminding me of my story.

When I was very, very young, I was married to a man who was abusive both verbally and physically. I don’t tell you this story to gain your sympathy or to make excuses for my life, but to see you set free of something that you may not even realize has controlled your life for many years.

While I was married to this man back in 1969 I became pregnant with the only child that I ever had, and who is now with the Lord. Because of some of the abuse, I believe I lost this child.

When I began to miscarry, he took me to the Airforce hospital in Michigan where we were stationed at and there he left me in this cold room with no one to be with me. I remember there being another person in the room, in another bed. I was in full labor, because I was about five months along.

I remember at one point a nurse coming in and saying to me that I needed to be quiet so as to not disturb anyone else. So as silently as I could in that much pain I finished having this miscarriage. The next morning I woke up to go to the restroom and passed out. The next thing I knew I was back in bed and they told me that I had had a DNC. I didn’t even know what that was, I was just 16 years old and didn’t know much about life.

When I came out and went home, my husband began to tell me how fat I was, so I ate nothing but beef broth until I was down to my size three clothes again. I found out from someone that my husband had been at a party all the while that I was in the hospital with another woman. The next week we went to a place with some friends and I was in the back seat and started crying as I was telling the other lady in our car about my miscarriage and my then husband stopped the car abruptly and turned around and began slapping me over and over.

I told you all of this to show you where I was going with this. Many years later after I had been divorced and had gotten married to my husband now of 25 years. I was in my basement ironing and I was asking the Lord what caused my perfectionism that had driven me and everyone else nearly crazy for many years.

He showed me that at that moment that the incident happened that I had Vowed a Vow in my heart that I would never let another man do that to me again. That I would always be the prettiest and the skinniest, the best house keeper etc.. He said that I needed to disavow that which I had vowed. I cried all day, but God set me free.

Now, just the other day, the Lord spoke to me again and said this…. He said that when we vow a vow that was not of him, that the vow begins to inwardly govern our lives and it becomes a god to you, instead of Him.

He said many of my people in tough situations in their lives have become perfectionists and many other things because they vowed a vow that was not of Him. They have blocked out His will for their lives, because it had become a constitution to them.

He said that He wanted me to bring this out, so that any of you can ask the Holy Spirit to shine His light on these areas and you can be set free to be obedient to Him again.

So ask the Lord right now to shine His light in any area that you have made your own constitution. He is ready to set you free. It is not an easy thing to do. It will tear you up inside, but it is a good tearing.

You will feel so free when this happens! Many of you will be healed in your body right now as you allow this to happen…. Glory to our Deliverer!

Father, we ask you to shine your light on those places in us that we have not yielded over to you because of ungodly vows in our time of pain. We ask you to cleanse us of that and let your Holy Spirit teach us how to walk in freedom and obedience to your will In Jesus Mighty Name! Amen!

~ by Jo Ellen Stevens
Arise Shine!

Jo Ellen Stevens of TCIC Ministries is a Prophetic speaker, author, worshiper and intercessor. She has ministered with her husband for 23 years and was a worship leader at the Assembly of God for many years. She is an ordained minister (Restoration Ministries) and works with Restoration Ministries in their Ministry Rooms doing prophetic worship with her husband. She has taught many bible studies and have led many intercessory prayer groups.