Category: Breaking Down Strongholds

Posted on

Hunger For Meat

2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. ~ Proverbs 25:2 NKJV

God has hidden, or has concealed matters, or prophecies pertaining to His people and to His Church, and it is our responsibility to search out those matters. Or surround ourselves with those who can. And those who do. And those who teach such things

The Word of God isn’t for us to write off and say “Well, we’ll never really know.” That’s the response of someone who has been shown the Truth but it contradicts their idea of truth.

And that day, when we all stand before the Great White Throne and we give an account of our lives, including our beliefs. Including how we studied the Bible. How we influenced and taught others. Do you think the LORD will be understanding and overlook you refusing to see the Truth and making excuses for your false beliefs? No.

He has sent us His Holy Spirit. He gives wisdom and understanding freely to anyone who asks. We have no excuse for refusing to believe the Truth the LORD has authored in His Bible. Therefore, lay down your own ideas, feelings, desires, and beliefs at the altar and sacrifice them to the LORD so that He might show ypu the Truth. So that you might grow in wisdom and understanding.

Don’t allow pride to keep you from growing in your faith. We aren’t intended to remain on one level of knowledge and understanding. We are to go from milk to meat. If we refuse to seek out and accept the Truth, we will never taste meat.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Hunger For Meat.

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Decide Which Treasure You Want

[19]  Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, [20] but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. [21] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ~ Matthew 6:19-21

Recently saw an interview with an older gentleman who explained that back in the day, when he would get a paycheck, he’d pay rent 6 or more months in advance. Why? Just in case if he couldn’t book the same amount of jobs, and his money was low, he at least had a place to sleep. He wasn’t looking to spend his money on frivolous things, but on the essentials. He was looking ahead in life, making sure he always had a place to stay.

We are told to live like this man. To live with our eyes focused on storing up treasure in heaven so that we might have a home for us in eternity. Jesus tells us that how we spend our time on this earth will determine where we spend eternity. If we spend our lives storing up pointless treasures on this earth that we cannot take with us, then we will miss out on eternity with Christ. But when we spend our lives on this earth building up treasure in heaven, then we will spend eternity with Christ.

It’s about our heart. It’s about our desires and what is important to us. When our focus is eternity, we build the Kingdom of God. We win souls. We disciple souls. We make sure our loved ones know about Christ, that they’re ready. We spend time with Christ. We worship. We pray. We read our Bibles. We change. We become more Christ-like and put the things of God above the things of this world.

The Egyptians buried their Pharaohs with their treasures, even mummifying their animals in hopes of them being able to take it their earthly treasures with them to the afterlife. But here’s the thing, these temporary treasures will never last. This world and this earth will pass away. If our main goal is money, we will perish with our money. If our main goal is Christ, we will live with Him forever and ever.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Decide Which Treasure You Want.

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Don’t Be Deceived By Man

Matthew 24:27-31,

[27] For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. [28] Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. [29]  “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. [30] Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. [31] And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Today the Rapture is supposed to take place. Israel has officially blown the trumpet and Yom Teruah has begun. People are quitting their jobs, giving away their homes, cars, emptying their bank accounts all in preparation of the Rapture. They’re making videos on tips and tricks of how to go up in the Rapture, such as not holding on to anything or not looking down. It’s become more than just a few people, but thousands upon thousands of people believing this. Why? Because we no longer read our Bibles. We no longer know what the Word of God says.

Yes, we won’t know the day nor the hour of Christ’s return, but He said we will know when to look up because we will know His return is near.

28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

Luke 21:28

We’ve traded in the signs of Christ’s return for the ideologies of man. We’ve refused to even give ear to what the Word of God says that contradicts our beliefs. Why? Pride? Arrogance? The fear of being wrong? The fear of facing the Truth? I don’t believe one size fits all, but I do believe these are some reasons. When we refuse to even hear what the other side has to say, then it’s not them that has the issue, but us. It means that we not only don’t believe our beliefs can’t hold up to scrutiny, but we know that the other’s beliefs will only prove to be true. And if that is the case, why continue to believe what cannot be found in Scripture?

Never allow pride, arrogance, or fear keep you from the Truth of God. Never give the excuse that “Well, we’ll never truly know,” or “Well, one day we’ll see” because you don’t want to see the Truth now. Tomorrow is promised to no man. If we can’t put aside our pride, arrogance, or fear for something that isn’t a life or death situation can we believe God will trust us to put those things aside for something more important?

Don’t put your trust in man. Put your trust in God. In His Word. In His promises. In His prophecies. That is the only way we will truly see His face and see His promises fulfilled.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Be Deceived By Man.

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Begin To Uproot It

Matthew 5:43-48,

[43]  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ [44] But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, [45] so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. [46] For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? [47] And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? [48] You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Hatred is a dangerous root. It blinds you from the Truth, allows you to stumble over obstacles, holds you back, and eventually, hatred consumes you. See, hatred doesn’t always come in a form we expect. Sometimes, it’s subtle. A slight annoyance whenever someone’s name is mentioned or you see them. Overly harsh towards them. Falsely accusing them and refusing to acknowledge evidence.

We, as Christians, are held to a higher standard. It’s not always easy. In fact, most of the time it’s hard. It’s an uphill battle. It’s having overcome the world while you also have to fight your flesh. See, the enemy will subtly plant seeds of hatred within you by sending you excuses that don’t sound and at all. He’ll tell you, “You don’t hate them. You just don’t like them.” “Even God hated Esau.” When we begin to make excuses and try to justify our hate, roots of anger, bitterness, rage, defensiveness, and pride begin to dig into us.

So, what are we to do? Start with the determination to change. The determination to love my brother and my enemy. To love all people. And remind oneself that we are to be Christ to the world. That we are now the light of the world.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Begin To Uproot It.

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Show Mercy

7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. ~ Matthew 5:7

Jesus made it very simple … To receive, you must first give … This goes hand in hand with forgiveness. Because mercy is compassion in action, forgiveness is grace in action … With both, we receive something that we do not deserve, and both are born of love … God’s love. Mercy isn’t just feeling sorry for someone—it’s choosing to act with kindness even when you could respond with judgment.

Forgiveness is one of the clearest expressions of mercy, because it means releasing someone from the debt they owe you, whether that debt is:

  • Emotional
  • Relational
  • Physical
  • Or even financial
  • Mercy/forgiveness cancels the debt

If we put it another way, mercy is love’s open hand in place of hatred’s clenched fist. It is undeserved kindness—exactly what God has shown us through His Son, Jesus Christ. And again, if we want to receive mercy, we must give mercy. Mercy not only heals relationships; it reflects the very heart of God to a watching world.

The world is watching us even though we may not even realize it. The world is judging us even if they claim they don’t believe in judging others. We are being watched. Our actions are being weighed. Therefore, we must make sure to always imitate our Father in Heaven and walk in the footsteps of Christ our LORD.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Show Mercy.

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Find True Joy

Psalms 16:11 NIV

[11] You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

I started selling on a new site and I’ve been pretty successful on it, so far. My first weekend I had 17 or so packages to go out. Now, this is the most packages I’ve ever had to send out at once. It was pretty cool. The mail lady was like “Wait. What?” Made me feel pretty proud of myself. But I never had that many again. The next pick up was only 5. The mail lady noticed and said something along the lines of “Huh… thought it’d be more…” Now I’ve noticed a bit of a look when I bring out my packages and it started to get to me.

See, that first weekend had a lot of packages but there wasn’t as many sales as the smaller packages. Those items were too large to pack together so they each needed individual boxes. I didn’t even make money on those several large boxes of items I lost money on them. But because it looked good on the outside it seemed like I was going backwards. But it was quite the opposite.

I ended up selling out of all of my inventory in just 5 days. The items were small so several items could fit in one box. My box count went down but my sales and profits both skyrocketed. The crazy part is that the subtle looks that I was getting actually started to discourage me. Then it hit me. My pride was hurt.

I was getting a good amount of sales both online and local pickups, but because the box count went down I was feeling defeated.

When we focus on what boosts our pride instead of how much we’ve been blessed by God, we begin to lose our joy. The LORD is our source of joy not random encounters with strangers, not how much we make, not how well we’re doing financially. God is our one and only source of joy. The moment we allow anything but God to be our source of joy is the moment we lose joy all together and trade it in for happiness.

Happiness is based on our emotions, feelings, surroundings, environment, other people, but joy that is based on the LORD. That isn’t shaken when it’s rooted in Him. That isn’t shaken when we build on the Rock.

When little things that are truly insignificant in the grand scheme of things bring you down, ask yourself “in whom or in what do I find my joy?”

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Find True Joy.

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Fight To Be Humble

Luke 18:9-14 NIV

[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.”

A proud heart won’t pray sincerely. But the poor in spirit pray like the tax collector in Luke 18:13: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” That man, Jesus said, went home justified. Why? Because humility always gets heaven’s attention.

God always elevates the humble, but he humbles the proud. When God elevates us, it isn’t always physically in front of others so that they can see. Sometimes it’s spiritually. Sometimes it’s not in this life. God however, is always faithful. God doesn’t forget us.

Therefore, don’t think more of yourself than you ought. Never think yourself better than others. In this world pride will try to keep us from what God has in store for us, but if we remain humble, completely and entirely submitting ourselves to Him, then He is faithful to reward us with greater things than we could ever hope or imagine.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Fight To Be Humble. 

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Live Poor In Spirit

Matthew 5:3 NIV

[3]  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus promised the Kingdom of Heaven to the poor in Spirit. How does one become poor in spirit? By praying, fasting, and seeking God’s kingdom with a heart that’s fully surrendered—referred to as “crucifying” selfish desires, as Paul says in Galatians 5:24—those who are “poor in spirit” are promised a life connected to God now and forever.

This means living daily with the humility to admit our need for Jesus, who died and rose again to forgive our sins, and trusting Him as our LORD and Savior.

Those who live this way, seeking God’s kingdom with a sincere and repentant heart, receive the promise of the “kingdom of heaven,” a life filled with God’s presence now, along with all the privileges that it comes with, as well as the hope of eternity with Him in a perfect, future world.

Peace.  Love. Go Forth and Live Poor In Spirit. 

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Check Your Temperament

Colossians 1:15-20 ESV

[15]  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. [16] For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. [17] And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. [18] And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. [19] For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, [20] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Bees are a hive mentality system. The queen runs everything and the workers follow the queen. She is the head of the colony. She is so influential in the colony that her personality dictates the personality of the entire hive. If a hive is hostile and aggressive, the only way to fix that is to remove the queen. Whether the queen is hostile or aggressive will determine whether the hive is hostile or aggressive.

Once the queen is removed, the beekeepers will introduce a better-tempered queen. They will then wait and watch the temperament of the bees to see if they change. Sometimes the queen’s influence is too strong and the colony is passed the point of saving and must be killed.

We, the Church, are meant to be much like a bee hive. The LORD Jesus Christ is the head of the Church. We are to bear fruit in line with Jesus. Fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Yet, many in the Church don’t have the qualities of our KING. Why? Because their head is not Jesus. They’ve allowed grief, fear, anger, unforgiveness, lust, perversion, etc. to be their head instead of Christ Jesus.

If you truly evaluate yourself honestly, would you find that your temperament matches the temperament of The KING or of a king of this world?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Check Your Temperament.

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Seek True Friendship

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

[9] Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. [10] For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! [11] Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? [12] And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Trusting other people is one of the hardest things for me. Why? Because people will always let you down. It’s in our human nature. We’re not perfect so we often fail ourselves and others. This causes me to not want to let others in. I’ve tried to have close friends I can depend on but things always end negatively. It’s exhausting. The Devil knows this, so he whispers “You’re better off alone.”

If the enemy can isolate you from the rest of the Church, then he can better keep you from reaching your full potential. So, he uses people around you in order to hurt you. To convince you that you are meant to be alone, but don’t believe it. Don’t give in.

Even though people will let you down and they will hurt you, you can’t separate yourself from the Church or the world. We are the light of the world and the salt of the world. We are called to be in the world but not of it and one with the Church, as we are one body in Christ. Therefore, guard your heart, strengthen your discernment, and pray for relationships.

Pray the LORD will send good, loving, loyal people into your lives that can grow with you. People that will build you up and that you build up. People who will rejoice in your victories and you can rejoice in theirs. People who don’t want to cause you stress or anxiety but want to be a shoulder you can lean on and a hand you can hold in, and vice versa.

The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy but God sends people into your life that can help you and you can help.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek True Friendship.

Like and Share This:
Proudly powered by WordPress