Hey everybody, I’m Anne-Marie Michaelis, a Christian author and coach. Welcome to the Hidden Battles Podcast, a weekly podcast about the hidden battles of spiritual warfare and the struggles that go on in our minds and hearts, and the truth to overcoming these hidden battles. My life was radically transformed during a supernatural encounter with Jesus.

God allowed my eyes to be spiritually opened long enough to see the truth of these hidden battles and to scare the rebellion against him right out of me. In each episode, I share a true story about a real life experience, a teaching, and a final takeaway. This podcast will reveal the hidden battles that lurk in our minds and hearts, and the way out.

Hidden Battles, revealing what the enemy does not want you to know. Please take a moment to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and subscribe to my channel on YouTube, at GodDesign LLC. Podcasts are available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

For a free download of my memoir, visit my website at goddesign.org.

Today in this episode called “God’s Message: Pumpernickel 101”, I’ll share a strange story of something that happened on May 1st, 2024.  I’ll preface this with that I did get permission to share this story from my husband, prior to me recording this episode.  This is a story demonstrating one way in which God speaks.  Not how I normally had encountered Him speaking to me, but a new and very much creative and rather humorous and fun way that He spoke to me. 

Let me lay the backstory that I never admitted to anyone during the time it was going on, but why it is so incredibly awesome that this encounter happened when it did, because I desperately needed to hear it.  Even though I was fighting the good fight through this hidden battle.

So, here I am speaking about God and Jesus more and more and more. Could this go on without a spiritual battle?  Of course not.  Satan initiated playbook strategy 101.  A very very common and expected one that most of us believers know in advance to expect.  Many around me had muted me. Some had unfriended me. Some were biting their tongue in annoyance at having to hear about Jesus and God all the time. Oh my … another God post.  Does she ever talk about anything else? So many annoyed by their own allergies to God and Jesus.  So many thinking to themselves, what the hell happened to her that she keeps talking about God and Jesus all the time.  Do you know she actually resigned from her job!  Did you know she shared her entire life story in a book for the entire world to read?  Wow!  That is embarrassing.  I wonder what her kids think.  I wonder what her husband thinks.  What is Satan’s strategy 101?  Well, he starts with others that have zero awareness of spiritual warfare and works in their minds and hearts freely because they have no awareness that their thoughts are really not their own half the time. So, what did they hear?  Unfriend her.  Mute or snooze her.  Ignore her.  Well that is the perfect cess-pool for Satan to start the secondary attack.  Playbook strategy 102. 

What was strategy 102? It was the one in my own mind.  I felt an invasion of thoughts trying to penetrate my mind and they sounded like this … “You keep talking about Jesus.  What if you’re wrong.  What if Jesus is not God. Then what?” The spiritual warfare for my mind by Satan attempting to dismantle what God had lead me through for all those years.  I was battling daily with the same attack and fighting with the Shield of Faith in one hand the Sword of the Spirit (which is the Word of God) in the other.  Did anyone know?  Heck no.  I was used to much worse than some thoughts trying to penetrate my mind.  When you are armed by your Heavenly Father He gives you what you need to fight the hidden battles with victory.  But God is so good.  He didn’t leave me to it alone for very long.  What did He do?

Well, let me tell what He did! Because it’s totally awesome!

My husband talks in his sleep often.  It is always about work and making sure things are done right or double checking numbers and such.  So this night on May 1st, 2024, I am barely sleeping and am woken up with some grumbling noises.  Then the first actual word he spoke, he spoke the word PUMPERNICKEL. Then he spoke the number 101.  Loudly and clearly.  PUMPERNICKEL 101.  That was all he spoke during his sleep, and then he continued back snoring. Yes, my husband snores.

I was stunned wondering what to do with that one.  Like I said normally it’s something about manufacturing, spreadsheets, or something clearly work related. 

PUMPERNICKEL 101

Anyone that knows me, knows I am up now.  That’s not work related and that’s not normal.  I need to know what the heck that means.  I was up with a flashlight, notebook, pen, and cell phone, in my bed sitting straight up ready to research this strangeness.  The research began!

I write down PUMPERNICKEL and leave some space and write down 101.

I started with searching if the Bible ever mentions pumpernickel. I literally went in circles for hours or so until I realized that the only bread in this house that my husband and I ate WAS pumpernickel bread.  For years, I had been buying pumpernickel bread and no white or wheat bread at all.  Currently we’ve graduated to only eating homemade sourdough bread- YUMMY!

So, for this house at that time “pumpernickel” meant “bread.”  I had made things way more complicated than it needed to be. Which of course is what I sometimes do getting entangled in research. Pumpernickel bread is BREAD. Now many of you already know where this is going with “bread” but I had to be absolutely sure.  I researched “bread” up and down throughout the Bible until I was fully confident that I could write down “the bread of life” which is Jesus. 

– John 6:35 (AMP) Jesus replied to them, “I am the Bread of Life. The one who comes to Me will never be hungry, and the one who believes in Me [as Savior] will never be thirsty [for that one will be sustained spiritually].

So, I have written down “Jesus” – the final answer for the pumpernickel bread.

Now, on to the number 101.  Again, I went Biblical and nothing made sense at all.  Then I found something called “Hebrew Gematria” which is words converted to numbers.  The number 101 converted back to the phrase “I AM GOD.” 

So, I have written down “Jesus” … “I am God.” … talk about mind blown.  At this point it’s 4:00am and I am pumped up.  How cool is God.  So cool.  How humorous is God to give me a riddle?  So humorous.  But most importantly, how merciful is God (knowing my spiritual battle I had been going through with Satan trying to plant doubt in my mind about Jesus being God).  So merciful. 

Now guess what happened to Satan’s whispers of trying to invade my mind with doubt?  Radio silence on this topic. Total radio silence.  God stepped in and BOOM.  JESUS IS GOD.  GAME OVER. 

What does God’s Word say about Jesus is God?

There is so much to say in God’s Word.  I pulled only six scripture and could have pulled in many more.  But these will give a richness to those who read or hear them.  So bare with me while I read these to you.  I’ll try and go slow so you can take it all in!

• Colossians 2:9-10 (AMP) For in Him (Jesus) all the fullness of Deity (the Godhead) dwells in bodily form [completely expressing the divine essence of God]. And in Him (Jesus) you have been made complete [achieving spiritual stature through Christ], and He (Jesus) is the head over all rule and authority [of every angelic and earthly power].

• Genesis 1:26 (AMP) Then God said, “Let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our image, according to Our likeness [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness]; and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, and over the entire earth, and over everything that creeps and crawls on the earth.”

• John 1:1 (AMP) In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.

• John 1:14 (AMP) And the Word (Christ) became flesh, and lived among us; and we [actually] saw His glory, glory as belongs to the [One and] only begotten Son of the Father, [the Son who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, who is] full of grace and truth (absolutely free of deception).

• John 14:6 (AMP) Jesus said to him, “I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

• Hebrews 1:3 (AMP) The Son is the radiance and only expression of the glory of [our awesome] God [reflecting God’s Shekinah glory, the Light-being, the brilliant light of the divine], and the exact representation and perfect imprint of His [Father’s] essence, and upholding and maintaining and propelling all things [the entire physical and spiritual universe] by His powerful word [carrying the universe along to its predetermined goal]. When He [Himself and no other] had [by offering Himself on the cross as a sacrifice for sin] accomplished purification from sins and established our freedom from guilt, He sat down [revealing His completed work] at the right hand of the Majesty on high [revealing His Divine authority],

Now for reflections.

Have you been on the fence with Jesus? Is there an emptiness you cannot seem to fill (a void)?  Have you tried to fill this emptiness or void with all the pleasures and things of the world and still are left constantly needing more?  More booze, more drugs, more money, more sex, more more more. Bigger or better and more?  You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by surrendering your heart to Christ.

If you’re ready to surrender to Christ, let’s pray a prayer of salvation and begin your commitment to walk with Jesus and accept Him into your mind, heart, and every facet of your life!  Pray this prayer with me with all your mind and heart.

Heavenly Father, I come to you as a sinner in need of Your grace. I repent of my sins and confess openly with my lips that Jesus is my Lord and Savior. I believe in my heart that He died and rose from the grave for my sins. Lord Jesus, I invite you into my life and ask for the Holy Spirit to dwell in my heart; to be my teacher, counselor, comforter, and helper in all areas of my life. May Your will be done in my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.   

If you prayed this prayer of salvation, this is the first step and a very important and good step in beginning your walk with Jesus.  Relationships take effort and communication, keep the communication channel open with Jesus so you can start building your relationship and hear what He has in store for you.

I’d like to pray this powerful scriptural prayer over you before I wrap this up … 

Ephesians 1:17-19 (AMP) [I always pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation [that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight] into the true knowledge of Him [for we know the Father through the Son]. And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people), and [so that you will begin to know] what the immeasurable and unlimited

and surpassing greatness of His [active, spiritual] power is in us who believe.

In Jesus’ name I pray this over you my friends.

Hey, friends, that wraps up today’s Hidden Battles Podcast. A transcript along with additional devotionals for this week’s podcast, as well as my memoir, are available for free download on my website at goddesign.org, or check out some of my other books that you may find helpful. If you liked this episode, please share with others.

Hidden Battles, revealing what the enemy does not want you to know. Never stop praying, never give up, and I’ll see you next week.