"... I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high." — Leviticus 26:13
The Lord desires that we walk upright. However, the enemy's plan is to keep us from standing upright by placing yokes upon us, tightening them, and oppressing our lives.
In Luke 13, we read about a woman who had been bound by a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years, unable to stand up straight. When the Lord saw her condition, His heart was moved with compassion. He decided to set her free.
Jesus called her to Him and said, "Woman, you are set free from your infirmity." He laid His hands on her, and immediately she stood up straight and praised God. (Luke 13:12–13)
There are many issues that prevent people from standing upright in life. One of them, as this passage shows, is a spirit of sickness.
We also read in Acts 14 about another man who had suffered from birth because of a physical disability:
In Lystra there was a man crippled in his feet, lame from birth, who had never walked. He listened to Paul speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed, and called out, "Stand up on your feet!" At that, the man jumped up and began to walk. (Acts 14)
The prophet Ezekiel 34 describes some of the enemy's strategies that keep people from standing upright by placing them under heavy yokes.
Ezekiel 34:27–29
The trees of the field will yield their fruit, and the ground will produce its crops. They will live securely in their land. I will break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from those who enslaved them. Then they will know that I am the LORD. They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid. I will provide for them a land renowned for its crops, and they will no longer suffer famine or bear the scorn of the nations.
Some of the ways the enemy keeps people from standing upright are:
1. Preventing fruitfulness and prosperity—hindering blessings so that life never seems to move forward.
2. Living in fear instead of peace—robbing people of security, rest, and tranquility.
3. Working like a slave without reward—no matter how sincerely or diligently one works, receiving neither recognition nor advancement, only exploitation and neglect.
4. Constant unexpected expenses—despite efforts to save, unforeseen financial burdens strike like lightning, making it impossible to get ahead.
5. Humiliation and reproach—bringing ridicule, shame, and emotional wounds in society, the church, or elsewhere, preventing people from living with dignity.
We were not created to live bent over, fallen down, crawling on the ground, or defeated. God's plan from heaven is that we stand upright—with our heads held high and with dignity.
Therefore, let us declare in faith:
"By the grace of my Lord, I, my family, and my generations shall rise and stand upright." (Psalm 20:8)
Amen.
With prayers,
Pastor Shaiju
Vachanamari Ministry, Madhya Pradesh
Phone: +91 94240 0654
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Personal Update from Pastor Shaiju
When I see so many dear people—who love me, care for me, and pray for me—asking about my health, I find myself without words to express my gratitude for your love.
Each one of you is a treasure that heaven has given me for winning souls for the Lord in North India over the past 33 years. I thank the Lord as I remember every one of you.
Through your prayers, I am recovering a little more each day. Although I still experience some physical weakness, I am spiritually strong.
Please continue to pray that, after completing my chemotherapy, I may return to Madhya Pradesh as soon as possible and continue the ministry the Lord has entrusted to me
