Category: Breaking Down Strongholds

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Die To Self

14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised. 16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:14-17

I just saw a short of a woman upset that another woman found Christ and stopped dressing in a sexual manner and no longer identified as queer. She went on to explain how she believes “Jesus Glow” is actually just losing yourself and your individuality. She intended this to be an insult, but she’s not wrong in saying this. That is the very definition of following Christ. To lose yourself and become more like Him. To be made into His Image. To literally die to self.

See, our flesh, our desires, they only lead us astray. They only lead to destruction. To death. They may feel good in the moment, but in the end, they leave you without Christ. Christ is peace; without Him, there is only torment. Christ is joy; without Him, there is only depression. Christ is life; without Him, there is only death. Without Christ, there is nothing. We can create our own identity and individuality, but it will never compare to the life the Creator of the Universe has in store for us.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Die To Self.

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The Treatment of Others

10 And He called the people to Him and said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” 12 Then the disciples came and said to Him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” 13 He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. 14 Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 15 But Peter said to Him, “Explain the parable to us.” 16 And He said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.” ~ Matthew 15:10-20

I’ve recently started getting back into selling on WhatNot. WhatNot is a streaming site where you sell items live. One thing that I’ve noticed is that people no longer know how to communicate with the most basic human decency. For instance, if they don’t like a price, instead of simply moving on, they tell you very rude things in the chat. If they ask to see something, and you show them, and they aren’t interested in anything, they simply leave the stream instead of simply saying thank you and then moving on. It’s these simple little things that used to just be common and basic communication. Why do these things matter? Because how you treat people, whether in person or online, matters. It tells the world the kind of person you are.

How you treat others directly defines who you are. If you are someone who feels you don’t need to treat people with basic respect, that becomes like a spark that can cause an internal fire. Your mouth is a great way to test your heart. What you say to people, or even in private, comes directly from your heart. Therefore, if you are quick to anger, that’s going to show up in how you communicate with others. If you are an ungrateful person, that’s going to show up in how you communicate with others. Our words, almost always, go before our actions. They’re not just empty phrases, or meaningless letters put together in a sentence. No, they hold weight. They matter.

Jesus went as far as to say that not only do our words have the power to corrupt us, but they are so important that we will be judged based on what we say.

36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

Matthew 12:36-37

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Watch What You Say.

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Return With Love

Matthew 5:44-48 ESV

[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.

I recently came across a short of a woman insulting the Church, right after playing a video with the caption “First time at a Mega Church Baptism.” The video showed a large pool with a huge crowd watching and performers around the pool. Now, if you actually pay attention to the video, you’ll see this isn’t a baptism or even a church at all. Or even on land for that matter. It’s a cruise ship. A Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship. It’s the Aquadome where they have water performances.

She made comments with other Christ haters about how the Church should be taxed. And how it took her three days to find words. Now, when people pointed out it’s not a church, but it’s one of Royal Caribbean cruise ships, it was just silence. No response. No acknowledgement. Nothing.

Imagine hating someone that you don’t believe even exists so much that you hate the people who do believe. Hate them so much so that you’d go as far as to lie on them for absolutely no reason and feed your 77k followers the lies, as you instigate. That to me is just crazy. Imagine making your entire personality about how you don’t believe someone or something doesn’t actually exist. That right there isn’t unbelief. That is called hatred.

Hatred is something that will consume you from the inside out. It’ll make you lie in order to get others to hate as well. It will blind you from any and everything that could possibly show you the error of your ways. It’s a stronghold that is only able to be broken through one and one alone, Jesus.

When I first saw the video, I’ll be honest my Great-Great Grandmother wanted to come out in me and I immediately thought, “Keep that same energy when you gotta stand before the LORD God Himself on Judgment Day.” That isn’t a Christian response though. It’s just responding to hatred with hatred. Which is easy. It’s what the flesh wants to do. But it’s not what we are called to do. We are called to do more than that.

We’re called to return hatred with love. Evil with good. Curses with blessings. It’s not an easy call. It goes against everything we are. The only way we can do it, is through Christ. We have to be filled with His love. Therefore, cast down every thought and hold them captive to obey Christ because we are called to be more.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Return With Love.

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Have Patience For The Harvest

Exodus 9:31-32

31 (The flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the emmer were not struck down, for they are late in coming up.)

Today is the Feast of Shavuot. As we’ve talked about all week, Shavuot is the Wheat Harvest, unlike Passover which is the Barley Harvest. See, Jesus was here fulfilling the Barley Harvest because He was sent to the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel, the Barley. Barley matured faster, and therefore ripened first, though they (Barley and Wheat) were planted at the same time.

See, all the world came from one man and one woman. Adam. And Eve. We all descended from the same two ancestors. The world was planted at the creation of Adam and Eve, but only the descendants/offspring of Abraham would ripen in time for the Messiah’s coming.

God could’ve left it there. Just save the faithful of His chosen people. He would’ve honored His Word to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but Je didn’t. He didn’t stop there. He waited for the Wheat to mature. He waited for the Wheat to ripen and be ready for harvest.

Shavuot isn’t about harvesting physical grain, but the grain of the world. It’s about souls. The fields are white onto harvest. Finally, the rest of the world was ready. Finally, our hearts had turned from our own desires and sought something more. Finally the Holy Spirit could be poured out on ALL flesh so that the separation between peoples might no longer exist. The barrier destroyed and a harvest of anyone willing, regardless of bloodline, could be achieved.

The patience of the LORD isn’t because He forgot or just didn’t feel like it. His patience is what has given each of us the opportunity to be saved. For salvation would be impossible without Christ ascending and sending His Spirit upon us all.

This Shavuot, think about those around you that are late bloomers. They aren’t Barley, but Wheat. They take longer to mature, grow, and ripen. They’re more easily destroyed by pestilence, weather, soil, etc. They are a hard harvest to reap. The kind that you could just give up on, but if we just have the patience, the harvest is greater than we could have imagined. It just takes a little more patience. The patience of someone who loves that harvest.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Have Patience For The Harvest.

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Start With Your Mind

[28]  I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” [29] (When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, [30] but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.) [31]  “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? [32] They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’ [33]  For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ [34] The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ [35] Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.” ~ Luke 7:28-35

Jesus was called a drunkard and a glutton by the Pharisees. The Pharisees were the teachers of the law. The ones who studied the Scriptures earnestly. The strictest party of the religion. These and the lawyers, those who argued, defended, and held others accountable to the Law. These not just called, but accused the LORD Jesus of being a drunkard and a glutton. Now, whether or not they realized when they said it doesn’t matter, it was said. When they accused Him of these things, they were condemning Him to death. Look at what the law says about drunkards and gluttons.

[18] If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and, though they discipline him, will not listen to them, [19] then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, [20] and they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ [21] Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

Deuteronomy 21:18-20

The Father already audibly declared Jesus His only begotten Son. By accusing Jesus of being a drunkard and a glutton, they were accusing Him of not obeying the voice of His Father. They, the elders, were making a judgment on behalf of that entire generation that Jesus was a rebellious son who does not listen to His Father. Jesus declared that He does nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees His Father doing (John 5:19-29).

We will be judged by our words (Matthew 12:36-37). Not just our actions, but the words let we allow to come out of our mouths. Solomon warned that life and death are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). Jesus said it’s not what goes into a person’s mouth that defiles them, but what they allow to come out of their mouth (Mark 7:14-23). The Pharisees and lawyers knew Solomon’s verses, and now Jesus was calling them out for the words they had been speaking. Words they would be judged for if they did not repent.

Our words aren’t just empty phrases we put together, speak, and then they just vanish into thin air. No. They linger. They stay. They have power. Therefore, we cannot just speak them carelessly. So, what are we to do? Stop them before they come out of our mouths by monitoring and controlling our thoughts. Paul tells us to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5-6).

Peace. Love. Go forth and Start With Your Mind.

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Fill With Him

43 When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation. ~ Matthew 12:43-45

Each one of us is a house. We are each a soul with many rooms. Each room must be filled with the Spirit of God or something else with fill it. See, we have the power through the name of Jesus to cast out unclean spirits, but unless we fill that empty room with the LORD God, the room won’t remain empty. Why? Because we are only made alive through Him. We are only freed from our record of debt, as well as the legal demands that come along with it.

Each unclean spirit taking up residence in our lives has legal right to be there. Whether through doors we have opened or doors our ancestors have. They have the legal right to be there. That is why it is only at the name of Christ that they must leave. And it is only at His presence that they must not return. Look at how Paul puts it in his letter to the Colossians.

13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him.

Colossians 2:13-15

He disarmed the rulers and authorities that had legal demands over different parts of our lives. The only way to overcome, therefore, is through His name. The only way to stay free is to invite Christ into every aspect of our lives. That is the only way to break their legal demands. That is the only way to revoke their right to enter. We must fill ourselves with the one who is above all.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Fill With Him. 

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Bridle And Block

21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. ~ Proverbs 18:21

This is a really weird verse to me. Not the words exactly, but how we react to them. We quote it. We throw it at others. We even throw it at ourselves, but we rarely take it seriously. See, we really only think this verse applies to certain things that are blatant, but not to the majority of what we say. For instance, something I have personally experienced 10/10 times is if I’m having a good time dancing, playing around, etc. and there are older people around, they will tell me something along the lines of enjoy it now because when you get my age or when you get older, you won’t be able do this or you won’t be able to do that. Or if my weight gets brought up, they’ll tell me how I won’t be skinny forever and how much weight I’m gonna gain when I hit a certain age. It happens each and every time.

The way the older generation speaks to the younger generation has drastically changed from the time of the ancient Israelites to us today. The older generation made sure to bless their children before they passed on. The blessing from the father and, later on, the mother was an essential part of their culture. Today, instead of placing blessings on the next generation, we speak curses on them without even thinking about it. From generation to generation, growing old becomes less of a blessing and more of a painful, dare I say, punishment.

I want you to notice how the proverb goes, because I’ve only recently realized I’ve been misquoting it this whole time. The Proverb is that “death and life,” not “life and death,” are in the power of the tongue. That means death is chosen above life by those who eat of its fruit. Just as Adam and Eve could have chosen to eat from the Tree of Life at any point in time, but still chose to eat from the forbidden tree that led to death, so can we choose words of life every day, but often times, most times, we choose words of death instead.

James gives us this warning in his letter:

6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

James 3:6-12

The LORD said that we will be judged by the words of our mouths. Why? Because He has placed before us life and death. Therefore, choose life. And when someone tries to speak death on you, try what I do. I smile, chuckle, and then rebuke their words in the name of Jesus and speak life over myself. Then I thank the LORD for hearing me and begin praising His name. No one has ever taken offense to it. In fact, they usually think I’m joking, but I mean each and every word.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Bridle And Block.

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Identify To Root

25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” 26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.” ~ Mark 9:25-29NKJV

I have really bad allergies. I suffer all year round with no break. From Spring to Winter, allergies. So, I always have allergy tablets with me. In fact, usually, three different kinds at all times. Why? Because one size does not fit all. It all depends on the root of my issues in that moment, whether it’s pollen, some type of grass or plant, trees, or even food. Different root issue, different tablet. It doesn’t matter how many tablets I take; if it’s not the right kind, it will not work. The symptoms might all be very similar or even the same, but the source or root is the key.

See, my symptoms often present as a cold or flu, but again, no matter how many cold and flu tablets I take, my symptoms are not going away because they are never addressing the root or source of the problem. The spiritual realm is exactly the same way. No matter how many times you pray, if you do not fast, that mountain is not going to move. No matter how many times you pray, if you never worship, that harassing spirit is not going to loose you. No matter how many times you go to church, if you never spend time with God, you are not saved. There is no one-size-fits-all. No, one verse for every situation. You need to first identify the issue and then the source or root.

Too often, the Church just blindly says let’s pray about it and nothing else. Or come to church, and Jesus will fix it all. Yes, the Church is intended to be a hospital, but just like a physical hospital, you cannot cure each sickness, each illness, with the same prescription. You have to first identify the issue and then attack its root or its source. You can’t just say a prayer and expect everything to be fixed. Some things take fasting, some worship, others Scripture, others communion, others confession, and all overcoming is rooted in faith, prayer, and a relationship with the LORD Jesus Christ.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Identify To Root.

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Be Rich Towards God

19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” ~ Luke 12:19-21

I saw a video of people finding some ancient jars that were buried underneath a lot of layers of dirt. When they cracked open those large jars, they found ancient coins in them. The coins were filled to the very top. Someone’s entire life savings hidden away and kept safe. Never used. Never spent. Just kept away hidden in a jar. They could not take those coins with them. They died and are forgotten, lost to history, but their money was left here.

We can acquire as much wealth as we want, but we can’t do anything with it once we’re gone. Money doesn’t help us in eternity. It doesn’t help us in the next life. It cannot prolong our lives or cause us to be immortal. Is it necessary to survive? Absolutely. Is it everything? Absolutely not.

I see multiply millionaires and billionaires who have a lust for money. Who take away from their employees, instead of giving them their fair wage. Who would rather use child slaves in other countries, than to pay someone here a fair wage to do the same job. Money is no good to us if it is our love. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.

Don’t let Mammon consume you. Don’t let Mammon control you and your actions. It cannot save you. When your life comes to an end, you cannot take it with you. It will be left here, and others will claim it for themselves. So, yes, make money, there’s nothing wrong with that, but don’t love it. Love the LORD, for He alone can save you when your soul is required of you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Rich Towards God.

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Beware Of The Deep

32 Behind him he leaves a shining wake; one would think the deep to be white-haired. 33 On earth there is not his like, a creature without fear. 34 He sees everything that is high; he is king over all the sons of pride. ~ Job 41:32-34

Leviathan is a creature in Scripture that has become wildly talked about. Some use him go prove dinosaurs existed in the Bible. Others say he was a crocodile. While others claim he was just another example and description of Satan. I, however, don’t agree with any of these statements. In the book of Job, Leviathan is presented by God as a formidable foe none would dare to stand against or even rouse from sleep. But why does God bring him up?

Because God was putting Job in check. He was saying that Job wouldn’t dare rouse Leviathan or try to stand to him, so why would he dare speak against God who created Leviathan. For me, that means Leviathan isn’t just a regular sea creature or a dinosaur, but a supernatural being, like Satan (but not Satan himself).

What really solidifies it for me is that God ends his points on Leviathan by calling him king over all the sons of pride. This is a title for a supernatural being, not a sea creature or dinosaur. This now makes a little more sense why God brought up Leviathan to Job. He was warning Job not to be deceived by Leviathan.

Sometimes, our words are right but our heart is not. God said to Eliphaz that he and his two friends didn’t speak right of Him (God) as His servant Job did. Job 2:8 says Job didn’t sin with his lips. His words weren’t the problem, his heart was.

See, just saying the right things aren’t enough. Lip service isn’t what the LORD wants. Our hearts must also be right before God. When we begin to believe that because we do x, y, and z therefore we deserve x, y, and z we give a foothold to Leviathan. We give room for pride to. Build up in our hearts. See, Leviathan’s way seems right. It seems white-haired (wise) but it leads to enslavement. It leads to death. Therefore, we must watch not just our words but our hearts.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Beware Of The Deep.

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