Category: Breaking Down Strongholds

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A Yoke Of Slavery

13 Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ ~ Numbers 11:13NIV

Moses had just delivered the people out of Egypt. They had been slaves for 400 years. When the burden of slavery became too hard for them, they cried out to the LORD, and the LORD answered them. He sent a deliverer and delivered them.

Now, they are free. No longer enslaved. No longer with a heavy burden that weighs them down. They thankful hearts didn’t last long. They soon began to grumble and complain. First it was hunger. Then it was that they were tired of the food they were given to eat and wanted meat. They commissioned and complained to the point where Moses had had enough, and could no longer take it.

Imagine being enslaved to the point where your baby boys are murdered in front of you. You and your family are worked tirelessly. Beaten and whipped. So you pray for intervention and when God intervenes, you’re only thankful for a short while because you don’t have the same foods as you did in slavery.

So many times God intervenes on our behalf, and we are thankful in the moment but we forget too quickly. We willingly return to slavery in order to have a snack. We trade freedom from our stomachs. Let that sink in. We trade our freedom to return to slavery.

1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5:1NIV

19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”

2 Peter 2:19 NIV

Sometimes, we trade freedom for tradition and legalism. We trade God’s freedom for manmade doctrines. Other times we trade freedom for desires. The Israelites of Moses’ day knowingly said they would rather be slaves in Egypt than follow God in the wilderness, today we do the same. We say we would rather be bound by tradition, legalism, and manmade doctrine than to be free in Christ Jesus.

Dear LORD, thank You for saving my soul. Thank You for redeeming me from my sins and giving me freedom in You. Please forgive me for each and every time I chose slavery over freedom. Please forgive each and every time I have fallen back into sin and given into my fleshly desires instead of remaining in Your perfect and holy will. I ask that You would please strengthen me and teach me. That You would uphold me when I fall, so that I might not remain down, but that I might get up and keep going. Please guide me and lead me in the path You have for my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Live In Abundance

10 A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance. ~ John 10:10CSB

I can honestly say, I’m not really sure what to say. The last couple days I’ve felt extremely defeated, discouraged, and alone, but this morning I woke up and all of the burdens were just gone. The craziest part is, as I was embracing this pure joy and peace of mind, I could feel something tugging at me wanting me to pick the burden back up and carry it longer because after all, the feelings were justified.

It’s crazy how the flesh and the enemy work together in order to defeat you. Satan doesn’t want you free and neither does your flesh. Your flesh has been corrupted. It’s filled with wickedness, bitterness, lust, anger, unforgiveness, etc. This is the importance of crucifying the flesh daily. We must put our flesh in check, or we’ll be defeated inside and out.

The enemy’s desire is for our destruction, whether spiritually or physically, he desires to destroy us. So, when we come to Christ and He picks up our burdens and takes them from us, the enemy tries to lie to us and use our flesh to tell us we need to carry those burdens. That we need to be broken and hurt, angry and bitter, because of what has been done. Christ says, give that to me and I’ll carry it for you. Give it to me and I’ll give you love, joy, and peace. I’ll give you everlasting life.

The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but Christ comes to bring life and life more abundantly.

Did I do everything right? Absolutely not. I never do. Nor does any other human. Did I pass the test? I believe this love, joy, and peace I feel right now is proof that I did. You don’t have to get every single thing right. That’s impossible. You do, however, have to pass the test. You have to not give the Devil room to accuse and destroy. You have to learn to kneel down at the feet of Jesus and allow Him to take your burdens from you. Give them to Him, and He will give you peace.

LORD, I’m sorry for all of the times I refused to come to You and lay my burdens down at Your feet. Thank You for never giving up on me. For never leaving me. For never forsaking me. Thank You for loving me. For giving me peace. For giving me hope and a future. Search me, oh LORD, and show me the unforgiveness in my heart. Help me to let it go, LORD. Here is my hurt, shame, and pain. I lay it at Your feet. Help me to lay it at Your feet and to never pick it up again. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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PDS

9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 13  But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 14 I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” ~ Luke 18:9-14NIV

When we’re raised in the church, it’s very easy for us to get Pharisee Disorder Syndrome. Here’s what I mean. It’s easy for us to think ourselves better than other people. We may not like the way they carry themselves or their past. We may feel they shouldn’t even be allowed in any church because of who they are and their sin. Church isn’t meant to be a place where self-righteous people go in order to make themselves feel good or superior to others. Church is meant to be a hospital. A place of learning. A place of growth. A place to meet with and meet God.

If you go to church every Sunday and feel you’re good where you’re at and have nothing that needs to be worked on or fixed in your life, then you need a new church. When we gather together, we should see growth. We should learn something new. We should see change. Church should be like a current helping the water flow through you, the stream. If you’re remaining stagnant and you go to church every Sunday, you and your church are spiritually asleep, maybe even spiritually dead.

When Jesus comes back, He’s not looking for self-righteous, churchgoing people. He’s looking for branches that have borne good fruit. He’s looking for faith, even as small as a mustard seed. He’s looking for evangelists who went into their areas (at the very least) and shared His Gospel. He’s looking for prayer warriors who spent time on their knees, not just seeking the kingdom for themselves but praying for the underground church. He’s looking for more than just a churchgoer. He’s looking for more than just a Pharisaical believer.

Belief alone will never get you into heaven. Faith will save your soul, but once you’re saved you have to begin to run the race set before you. Faith without action is dead.

So, I ask you, “What are you doing with your faith?”

Dear LORD, please forgive me for all the times I thought more of myself than I ought. Please forgive me for being an unjust judge and believing some aren’t worthy of even hearing about You. Please help me to love the world as You love the world. Help me to no longer hide my light under a basket. Instead, help me to shine it brightly so that all who come in contact with me see Your Light shining through me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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The Arguments

22 Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do His will. ~ 2 Timothy 2:22-26NIV

It’s been a long time since I’ve done a Bible Study for the ministry. So, I attempted to do a very basic teaching (the tree of the knowledge of good and evil) that I felt wouldn’t stir up any issues, but apparently, I was extremely wrong. Whenever you post a video online, people have the right to comment and have an opinion. That’s just a part of the internet. The biggest issue I have isn’t people disagreeing. It’s people so busy trying to disagree or argue that they actually don’t listen to what is being said.

Paul instructs us not to get into stupid arguments. I’d even take it a step further with “Don’t interact with people that will take your peace.” When we first started posting on YouTube, I would respond to each comment, whether good or bad. This actually took a toll on me. Not because I couldn’t defend my beliefs but because people are rude, insulting, and will twist anything you say, as well as twist anything God has said in His Word. So, I leave them to themselves. Why? Because I avoid those kinds of arguments. I don’t engage with it; instead, I do as Jesus and King Solomon tell me and judge the fruit of the person to determine whether or not I should respond.

The enemy can’t just enter into our lives and destroy. If he could, there would be no Christians on this earth. So, he uses those around us, those who come in contact with us, and even those who are just passing by to try to get us to open a door in our life for him to enter in and cause destruction. So, what are we to do, no longer communicate with the outside world? While part of me would like to say yes, the other part knows better.

We aren’t to cut off the world, lest they be left to their own devices and perish. No. We are to engage with the world and spread the Gospel. When we share the Gospel, we don’t continuously try to force it down someone’s throat. Jesus told His disciples that if they went somewhere and the people didn’t want to listen, they were to kick the dust off their sandals, move on, and take their peace with them. We don’t try to force someone to believe or to even listen. We give them the opportunity, but if they are unwilling to listen, we move on. We don’t stand there and argue, allowing ourselves to get angry, frustrated, or even distraught. We move on. Jesus said the fields are white onto harvest.

There’s many people in the world who want to hear the good news of Christ and have a willing heart to do so. Therefore, we can’t allow those who have a hardened heart and closed ears to take up all of our time and consume our energy. We have to judge the fruit of those that we are witnessing or correcting and decide, “Is this person closed off to the Truth? Do they just want to argue, or are they truly seeking the Truth? Are they asking a genuine question?”

Dear LORD, please forgive me for all the time I have wasted arguing in pointless arguments. Please forgive me for allowing the need to correct and show others why I’m right to blind me from those you have placed in my path to help. Thank You that You have not abandoned me, but that You prune me so that I might grow in You. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I might be guided by You. Please give me a spirit of discernment so that I might be able to discern who is from the enemy to distract me and who is from You. Help me not to exhaust myself with trivial matters but instead to train myself to not grow weary but to run the race You have set before me with endurance. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Remain Sméagol

7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it. ~ Genesis 4:7

One of my favorite characters in The Lord of the Rings series (that’s including The Hobbit) is Gollum. Now, to many people, including my mother, that’s insane. She sees him as a horrible, creepy character, but honestly, I see him as a character that represents the majority of humanity. Gollum, for those of you who don’t know who he is, is the original owner of the ring; well, he’s the owner that Bilbo got the ring from. Anyways, Gollum is deformed and crazy, all because of this ring. So, this ring has created a dual personality within him. One of almost innocence, like a child, and one of pure evil and wickedness.

This ring gives anyone who wears it the ability to turn invisible to all. Now, the ring also causes the owner to be driven mad; the more you use it, the more you lose yourself to the ring. This is much like the world today. The more we give into sin, the more we lose ourselves to sin. The more we are deformed and driven farther and farther away from the person God created us to be. When we just look at the outside, it’s easy to dislike and want judgment for the wicked. It’s easy to look at Gollum and hate him, but if we take a moment to actually look at Gollum, we’d see he’s nothing more than a lost soul who has been corrupted by the thing he loves most. And because it corrupts him, he also hates it.

That is the same with us and sin. We love and hate it all at the same time. We struggle back and forth with it, yet ultimately give in the majority of the time. It becomes a never-ending struggle that we will be unable to overcome on our own. I think J.R.R. Tolkien (the author of both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit) said it best:

He [Gollum] will never be rid of his need for it. He hates and loves the Ring, as he hates and loves himself. Sméagol’s [Gollum’s original name before he found the ring] life is a sad story. Yes, Sméagol he was once called. Before the Ring found him. Before it drove him mad.

Gollum was never intended to be a character to be despised but a character to be pitied, for he represents the dangers of giving into sin’s desires and not ruling over it. This will be a never-ending battle for the rest of our lives unless we submit to a new master. Unless we fully submit to Christ, we will all lose ourselves, just as Sméagol did.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Remain Sméagol.

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Uproot It

15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled. ~ Hebrews 12:15

The Israelites, whom Moses and Aaron brought up out of the land of Egypt, their tracks were supposed to lead to the Promised Land. It should have been an eleven- or twelve-day journey, but instead, it took them forty years.

Why? Because they let their circumstances dictate where their tracks would lead them.

When you lean too much to one side, you start getting off course. If you lean too much on the bad circumstances, you will become bitter and cynical, and that is what happened to those Israelites.

They let cynicism creep in, and a distrust of God rose up in them because of the root of bitterness that sprouted, and they let it grow.

The root of bitterness sprung up in the hearts of those Israelites, and they did not deal with it; rather, they became cynical and began to doubt God, which not only defiled them but also disqualified them from entering the Promised Land.

It’s not “Que Sera, Sera.” Just because God has something for you doesn’t mean you will get to enjoy it. Each and every one of our actions determines the outcome of our lives. They determine whether or not we will reach the end of the plans the LORD has for us or not. Therefore, doubt and unbelief will disqualify you from the promises of God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Uproot It.

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Control The Inner Words

[5] We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. ~ 2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV

As I continue this journey of growth and self-awareness, I found that words aren’t as important as I once held them to be. Let me explain. See, I felt like if I just kept my mouth shut and didn’t speak, then that was enough. But you know what I didn’t take into account? My thoughts. See, our thoughts are direct connector between our words/actions and our hearts. Out of our hearts come all things. So, even though my words were being kept in check, my thoughts weren’t being as regulated.

My thoughts allowed for bitterness, resentment, rejection, anger, depression, and anxiety to not only dwell inside of me, but to grow. Why? Because I allowed the thoughts that I’ve been wronged to continue. Thoughts aren’t just insignificant, as Daddy puts it thoughts are words you say to yourself. And he’s right. We’re quicker to check the words coming out of our mouths, rather than the ones coming into our minds. In fact, the thoughts of mankind was the reason for the flood. Now, I know it’s popular to believe that the flood was because of the angels and women having children and the Nephilim, but the Bible never once says that. In fact, it specifically tells us why the LORD flooded the earth.

[5]  The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. [6] The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. [7] So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.”

Genesis 6:5-7 ESV/NIV

It was the thoughts that come out of the heart. It wasn’t the actions. It wasn’t the words. It was the thoughts. Your thoughts are a direct reflection of your heart. Why? Because it’s more honest than your mouth. Our words can be good sounding, but they have no meaning behind them, so they are meaningless.

[8] These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. [9]  They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.

Matthew 15:8-9 NIV

Our thoughts are more of a reflection of who we are than our words, because our words people can hear and judge, so we will filter. Our thoughts, however, aren’t as filtered because we know no one else hears them, but us. But this is a false feeling of security because even though no one else can hear our thoughts, our soul and our spirit hear our thoughts. And those words directly impact them for either good or evil. For either building up or destruction. So, we must take Paul’s words to heart and put them into action because

[37] … in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Romans 8:37 NIV

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Control The Inner Words.

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Let God Live

20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ~ Galatians 2:20NIV

Lately, I’ve been trying a new approach at life. I’ve been letting go of me, and welcoming in more of God. In other words, I’ve been putting up more of a fight to allow Christ to live through me, instead of allowing my flesh, feelings, emotions, etc. to dictate my life. Now, this is much easier said than done, but it has been working significantly in my life.

When things would become difficult and overwhelming the screams of “give up” “you can’t do it” “you’ll never succeed” used to blare so loud I could only panic and give up. Or when I was hurt shouts of “you’re never good enough” “no one cares about you” “you’ll never be enough” “no one really loves you” would get so loud depression would begin to sink in. Now, I simply pause.

I take a moment no matter where I’m at. No matter what I’m doing and I just pause. In that pause, I refuse to listen to any voice, and I just pray. I lift up that exact situation and my exact feelings to God and pray for peace. Throughout my day, I sing worship songs to keep me in a state of worship. When I feel anger or resentment begin to try to grab a hold of me I pause, breathe, and remind myself that this life isn’t mine. I was bought by a price. It’s no longer I who live, but Christ who lives through me. Therefore, if I have been wronged, Christ will defend me. Christ will vindicate me. My role is to simply forgive and keep going.

This hasn’t been an easy journey to get to a place where I feel genuine joy, even in stressful and overwhelming situations, but it has been a journey that is worth it. Each day, I wake up laying my whole life in the hands of God. I lift up things I’m stressed about before Him, and I leave it there at His feet. When it wants to try to stress me out because it hasn’t happened yet, I tell myself, no, God hasn’t failed me yet, so He won’t fail me now. And I keep moving. Every night, I thank Him for His mercies and His grace. I thank Him for all that He has done for me. Then I lay each and everything weighing me down, and I lay it at His feet. And then I just allow His love and His peace to consume me as I drift off into sleep.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let God Live.

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Forgive A Pawn

11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. 13 For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. ~ Ephesians 6:11-13CSB

I heard someone say that we can’t live our lives being right because the more right you are, the more miserable you’ll be. Now, on its own out of context, that sounds crazy, but once in context, it’s quite profound. See, he explained that when we focus on the physical person hurting us and causing us pain, we begin to blame that person and bitterness, anger, resentment build up inside of us, Now, not only are we carrying the heavy load of pain, now we’re also carrying around the chains of anger, resentment, rejection, bitterness, etc. All of these things weigh us down and cause us more pain as well as cause us to the cause of someone else’s pain. This can cause a domino effect, which often leads to generational curses. So, what can we do?

This wise man said we had to look past the physical person causing us pain, and see the spiritual being behind it, Satan. Yes, you’re right in saying this person has done this to me and that to me, They’ve treated me like this and treated me like that. Yes, you’re right, but the more right you are the more hold them to that debt) the more pain you’ll feel inside, So, the more right you are, the more miserable you’ll be, So, what do we do?

We look past the physical and into the spiritual. When we do that, we’ll realize something, each and every human soul on this earth is a pawn for one of two kingdoms: Jesus’ kingdom or Satan’s kingdom, Each move we make is influenced by one of the other, If we were to look beyond the physical and into the spiritual, we would see the person causing us the pain is being influenced and ultimately moved by Satan. When we truly understand, believe, and accept this truth, we will be able to forgive the person who has wronged us. This will allow us to heal, take off our heavy oppressive chains, and find peace as we dwell in love.

Dear LORD, You see the hurt in my soul and oppression that keeps me enchained in the past. Please, LORD, open my eyes that I might see and my mind that I might understand the true being behind my pain isn’t the physical person who has hurt me, but Satan, who came down in great wrath and now prowls seeking some to devour. Please heal my heart as I forgive the person who has been used by Satan. Please be with me always guiding my every move so I won’t be devoured by the enemy. In Jesus’ name,
I pray, amen.

Please repeat this declaration after prayer:

I forgive you [insert name here] for [insert wrong doing here]. I release you from this debt and choose to cancel it just as Christ canceled mine. I forgive you. I know and understand you are being used by the enemy, but I no longer will be. I forgive you.

Now this won’t be the last time you battle thoughts about this. The enemy will try to attack your mind with these thoughts until you have fully forgiven the person who has wronged you and completely let go of the hurt.

So, every time Satan tries to remind you of the wrong doing, stop the thought immediately and remind yourself who the true enemy is behind it all, forgiveness and peace may not come overnight, but they will come to those who are faithful.

Peace. Love. Go forth and Forgive A Pawn.

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An Anxious Struggle

7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. ~ 1 Peter 5:7NIV

Anxiety caused by overwhelming thoughts or feelings is a weird kind of fear. Let’s break it down. In my case, I’ve been getting a paralyzing anxiety from overwhelming tasks that feel impossible to tackle. My heart begins to aggressively beat out of my chest; it feels like I can’t move. Then, the stress begins to cause my body to feel like it’s shutting down, leaving me with no other option but to pause and take a nap, hoping my body will relax a bit. This kind of stress, anxiety, and overwhelming feeling isn’t in God’s plan for my life. So where does it come from?

I’m sure there are deep-rooted issues that I need to work on that are the main source, but let’s look at what I know now. I’m a perfectionist. I want everything done the right way, done at the right time, and the way I expect it to be. Sometimes, my expectations for myself aren’t achievable, and this causes me great stress and anxiety. Sometimes, what I need to get done is so many daunting tasks that I feel stressed, overwhelmed, and paralyzed, unable to even attempt the task.

I suppose at the end of the day, my standard for myself is to be a perfectionist, but because I’m not a perfect person, I fall short every day. Because I fall short every day, this then adds to my stress by planting a seed in my subconscious that I’m not good enough. This then causes me to panic and stress. At least, this is seemingly one issue in the puzzle.

I know this is an issue because every time a mistake, problem, or issue is brought up about me, it causes me great stress, anxiety, and overwhelmness, and then, after a little while of these feelings, depression begins to sink in. It’s this continuous cycle that I’ve been stuck in for years. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve been chipping away at it, but until I can truly figure out the source of the issue, I’ll only be able to chop down the tree every time it shoots up.

While we don’t all struggle with anxiety and depression, we all struggle with something that pulls us back continuously. Something that we constantly have to battle and fight to overcome so that we can be free from it. This was never the plan, but it is the reality. So, what can we do? We bring it to God. We chip away at it until we get to the root of the issue.

Dear LORD, search me. Show me the source of my struggle. Show me the source of what is holding me back. Then please, LORD, show me how to uproot that source of my struggle and help me to remove it from my life forever so that nothing can keep me from the life You’ve planned for me. Please wrap me in Your love. Please fill me with Your peace. Please help me to overcome through You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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