Category: Breaking Down Strongholds

³ In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. ⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. ~ Galatians 4:3-7

The whole human race was enslaved to the principles of this world. In other words, we were slaves to sin. When the right time had come, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be born into this world with the goal of overcoming this world in order to set us free from this world. Now we are no longer slaves to sin and to this world, but now we are sons and daughters of the LORD God Most High.

We have been liberated from the world and from our sins. In other words, we have been liberated. We are free to serve the LORD God in all of His glory. It is our Independence Day, for now, the Spirit of Jesus lives in our hearts and gives us not only the ability but the authority to cry Abba Father, which would be the English equivalent of saying, Daddy.

God is now our daddy, and we are His children, free to worship. Free to praise. Free to choose whatever we feel to choose. Happy Independence Day week.

Father, thank you for Your love and Your concern for me. So much so that you died on the cross to free me from sin and from the grasp of this world. Help me not to take advantage of Your love and take Your grace for granted. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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¹³ For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ~ Galatians 5:13

Paul writes, “you were called to freedom.” My question is, why are we choosing bondage? Do you not know? Do you not understand that the one you serve is your master? If you serve the sin and the forces of darkness, you are a slave to the darkness. But if you choose Jesus and serve Him, He will break the chains and liberate you.

All you have to do is to ask, and Jesus will free you whatever is binding you or holding you from your freedom. This Independence Day, let us think about real freedom. Consider what it really means to be free and choose the free life.

Father, please help us to understand true freedom and to choose and live in that freedom. Open our spiritual eyes to see and understand. In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.

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¹ Now the Angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And He said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you,’” ~ Judges 2:1^ESV

The Angel of the LORD (Jesus) went before the people of Israel and brought them out of the land of Egypt. He brought them out of the house of slavery and into a land He had promised them. He led them to a land that He would cleanse on their behalf so that they might be free, but the people became complacent in their own sin and the sin of the land. They became comfortable in the darkness and no longer sought the light. Today, we are no different.

Jesus brought us out of the house of slavery and freed us from all sin, yet we choose to dwell in certain strongholds. And just like the Israelites of old, the strongholds pull us back into spiritual, mental, and emotional slavery. Sure whom the Son sets free is free indeed, but whom the Son sets free must not freely return to a yoke of slavery, or he will no longer be free. Don’t allow the strongholds of this world to keep you from the freedom Christ Jesus is offering you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Choose Freedom.

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⁸ And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” ¹⁰ And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” ~ Genesis 3:8-10

A lot of us are like Adam and Eve. The LORD gave us instructions, a plan, and all that we could ever need, and yet we desire that forbidden fruit that leads only to death. When we give into temptation, we give birth to shame and fear that then takes root in our lives. God had no intention for mankind to be plagued with fear or shame. It wasn’t a part of God’s plan, yet because of their disobedience, Adam and Eve welcomed in the spirit of fear. God even assures us, through the Apostle Paul, that He did not give us a spirit of fear.

Just because God has good things planned for you doesn’t mean that you will see those good things. God planned for everlasting life for Adam and Eve, but they never knew what it was like not to die. God never set in His plan for man to die, yet both Adam, his wife, and all of their descendants have/will taste death. Our actions dictate what comes into our lives. Whether we obey or disobey will be the deciding factor for whether or not we will receive blessings or curses. Our lives are literally in our own hands. Each one of us writes our own stories, we can either allow God to guide us or we can forge a path for ourselves. We can either choose life or choose death, so choose wisely.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Watch What You Invite Into Your Life.

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³⁵ And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel. ~ 1 Samuel 15:35

When the LORD rejected Saul after his many sins, Samuel didn’t rejoice that the LORD had brought righteous punishment upon Saul. Samuel instead mourned for Saul. This is how we are to be today. We are supposed to walk in love. It’s so easy for us to see the sins and forget that there is a soul beneath the outer sinner.

It’s easy to pronounce judgment upon someone that we deem worse than ourselves, but if we love people as we love ourselves, then we would show more mercy, grace, and love. God doesn’t rejoice in the punishment of the wicked, and neither should we. God doesn’t desire that any be punished, but all come to repentance, and so should we. As we see the world becoming more and more evil and more people are being led astray, our hearts should melt for them instead of growing cold and hard.

This is the only life each of us is given, so don’t be quick to desire the judgment of others. For one day, we will all stand before the Great White Throne on Judgment Day, and we will be judged by the same level of judgment we have judged others. So, instead of being quick to rejoice in the judgment of the wicked, cling to mercy, grace, and love.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Rejoice in Judgment.

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¹⁸ And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ ¹⁹ Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord?” ²⁰ And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. ~ 1 Samuel 15:18-21

Saul was a people pleaser more than a God pleaser. He always seemed to believe that sacrifice was more important than obedience. He didn’t learn from the last time he sacrificed instead of obeying. It’s like he just didn’t get that God wanted obedience. His need to please the people was stronger than his need to please God. It’s almost like us today when we say God understands.

This is just like Saul when he says, God understands those animals weren’t taken for us, but to offer a sacrifice to Him, so God should be pleased. Like us, Saul tried to justify his disobedience, although he should have known better after all those years of being guided/mentored by Samuel and hearing from God Himself.

Today we have the word of God and the Holy Spirit to guide us, but more often than not, we do everything based on our feelings versus what God says because God understands that we’re mere men and made from dust. These are the lies of the enemy that we believe. These are the lies that keep us in bondage.

LORD, help us to stop making excuses for our disobedience and ask for forgiveness. Help us to lay it on the altar, draw close to You, and put up a fight against our flesh. Encourage us as our flesh weakens the more we walk in obedience to You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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