Tag: Breaking Down Strongholds

³⁸ You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. ⁴⁰ And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. ⁴¹ And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. ⁴² Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. ~ Matthew 5:38-42

Turning the other cheek is one of the hardest teachings in the commands of Jesus. It forces you to completely deny and crucify your flesh. Your flesh wants to defend itself. It wants to get revenge. We can see this from the very beginning. Repaying evil for evil, with no restraint. This was the purpose of the Law of Moses.

God began reigning in the flesh by confining revenge to “an eye for an eye” and “a tooth for a tooth,” so that no one would take a life for an eye without facing punishment again. God was preparing us for His final Law “turn the other cheek.”

See, we are called to be the Light of the World. The World hates us, because it hates Christ whom we represent. Therefore, in order to reach the world, we must not act like the world. The world doesn’t fight fair. It’s manipulative, deceptive, and wicked. If we give into our natural urges to slap back and get revenge the world will respond. It will call us out. It will hold us to a standard it dare not hold itself to.

So, what are we to do? Turn the other cheek. Fight your natural instinct. How? Remind yourself that no revenge can compare to the vengeance of the LORD God Almighty. So, be different. Be Christ to the world.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Turn A Cheek.

²⁷ But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. ²⁹ To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. ³⁰ Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. ³¹ And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. ³² If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. ³⁵ But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. ³⁶ Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. ~ Luke 6:27-36

For the past year I have been selling items on eBay. For the most part it’s been good and I do enjoy doing it, but every now and then I have to deal with a scammer. People, who instead of getting a job and actually working hard try to scam hard working people out of their hard earned money.

It’s so easy to angry and want to wish bad things upon these kinds of people because they deserve it. Then I’m reminded of two things.

1. I deserve Hell just as much as them because I sin constantly. My nature is evil. The only difference between me and them is Jesus Christ has delivered me, sanctified me, and changed my heart so that my conscience will not allow me to continue in my sin blatantly. Instead, when I do slip up, I repent, and strive to not do it again.
2. No matter what evil I could with upon them, nothing can bring forth justice and vengeance like the LORD God, who says that vengeance is His. And He will repay. That says that He will defend us. That says that He is the final Judge whom all the world will have to stand before on that last day and give an account to.

It’s easy to become angry and want an immediate judgment against blatantly wicked people. Why? Because your flesh wants to get even. It wants to see those who have harmed you or tried to harm you put in their place. It’s filled with pride convincing you that the you are better than others, when in reality it’s not that you’re better than others, but that the God dwelling in you and through you is.

Dear LORD, please forgive me for speaking evil against those who are still in their wickedness being used by the devil. Please forgive me for wanting (or speaking) a curse of any kind against someone who has done evil to me. Please forgive me and change my heart. Give me a new heart that is soft and loving. One quick to forgive and understand. One that loves the way You love and is humble before You. I pray that You would renew a right spirit within me so that I might have a conscience guiding me into Your righteousness. I pray that You would have mercy on all whole have wronged me and soften their heart so that they might repent and turn from their evil ways and run to You. Keep me in Your arms and safe in the shadow of Your wings. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

⁶ my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.” ~ Hosea 4:6^NIV

I heard a quote the other day that said, “The ignorance of the church is more dangerous for the culture than the decadence of the world” (Schaffer). God told the people of Hosea’s day that His people were destroyed because of a lack of knowledge. He went on to say that even though the number of priests increased in the land righteousness decreased. The people were engulfed and consumed with wickedness. They had given up the True God for idols of wood carved by their own hands. Today is no different.

The people of God today are consumed with other perversion, unforgiveness, hatred, fear, depression, and even the occult. Why? Apathy. The Church no longer cares about the Truth because if they acknowledge the Truth they’d have to change. They’d have to crucify their flesh. They’d have to I give up their own desires and truly follow the LORD God, so they embrace ignorance and allow apathy to control them. The religion that does not change you, cannot save you. Therefore, forsake your flesh and cling to the word of God.

Dear LORD, please forgive me for every time I’ve allowed my flesh to control me and numb me into apathy. Please be me to sacrifice my own desires for Your good and faithful plan for my life. Give me a desire for Truth, a hunger for knowledge, and a heart set solely on You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. 

²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ~ Galatians 5:24^NIV

Yesterday, I got a massage with the massage gun for the first time in a very long time. As that pulsing gun hit my hamstring, I screamed, spun, pushed it away. I did anything I could to get away from it because it hurt. It was more than just unpleasant. Why? Because the massage guns break up muscle tension and knots. They even break down scar tissue and adhesions. So, when you haven’t felt that kind of pain in a while, it shocks your system and your brain screams “run,” which I did indeed try to obey.

This is much like crucifying the flesh. That first nail in the flesh causes it to scream and try to run away. It tries to convince you that it’s not necessary to do it. It’ll try anything to get you to stop, but just like the massage gun, the more you allow the pain to happen, the less it hurts.

The more we crucify our flesh, the easier it becomes. The more we crucify our flesh and then build up our spirit, the more we walk in the ways of the Spirit. Therefore, don’t stop at the first flinch. Don’t stop at the screams. Keep crucifying the flesh, so that the passions and desires of the flesh can no longer control you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Crucify Crucify.

⁸ Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ And the crowds that went before Him and that followed Him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the LORD! Hosanna in the highest!” ¹⁰ And when He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” ¹¹ And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” ~ Matthew 21:8-11

Picture the scene: Jerusalem is abuzz with the news. Lazarus, a man dead for four days, has been raised to life by the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee. And now He’s on His way to Jerusalem. The crowd that had gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate Passover is electric with excitement. And here He comes, Jesus riding in—not on a flashy stallion like some Roman big shot, but on a borrowed donkey, kicking up dust. The crowd rushes together and, as one man, begins to shout, “Hosanna!”—which means “Save us, please!”—now the whole company of people is joining in the chorus. The noise is so loud that it seems like it is shaking the ground, which catches the attention of the Pharisees who stand aloof, watching.

The crowd rips off their own cloaks and throws them down as others run to cut palm branches, and run back to lay the palm branches down in front of Jesus along with their cloaks, turning the road into a makeshift red carpet as He slowly makes His way up the hill toward the Temple. Those cloaks weren’t just old rags. For many, a cloak was protection from the sun, a blanket at night, a cover from the wind, or maybe it was their one decent piece of clothing. Laying it down was a sacrifice, a way of saying, “Jesus, you’re worth more than my comfort.”

Ask yourself, what’s my cloak? Is it your schedule, packed so tight there’s no room for God? Your reputation, where you’d rather look good than be real? Maybe it’s a grudge you’re wearing like a second skin. Laying it down means trusting Jesus enough to let go, but it might just cost you something. Now consider this for a moment. The crowd that day is all-in, shouting “Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the LORD!” They’re actually calling Jesus the Messiah, the King of Israel, the one they’ve been waiting for. The problem is, they wanted a king to fix their problems their way—kick out the Romans, make life easy, give us self-government. But Jesus isn’t here for their script. He’s on a donkey, not a warhorse, heading toward a cross, not an earthly throne.

How often do we cheer for Jesus when He fits our plans—a better job, healed relationship, smooth sailing—but get shaky when He leads us somewhere uncomfortable? Palm Sunday’s a gut-check: Are we welcoming the real Jesus, or just the version we’ve dressed up in our heads? And then there’s the shadow hanging over the party.

Jesus knows this crowd is fickle. Some of these same voices yelling “Hosanna” will scream “Crucify Him” in five days. He knows that all too well. But it’s not just about them—it’s us, too. We’ve all got moments where we’re loud for God at a worship night or when life’s good, but we go silent when the job’s stressful, the diagnosis hits, or following Jesus means standing out in a way that feels risky.

The cloaks on the road are a beautiful gesture, but Jesus isn’t after our stuff—He’s after our hearts. Not just for a parade, but for the long, messy road to the cross and beyond. So, what does it look like to lay down your cloak not just for a moment, but as a way of life? Maybe it’s choosing to trust Him daily, even when the path feels uncertain. Maybe it’s admitting you don’t have it all together and letting Him meet you there. Palm Sunday is a mix of joy and tension—celebration, surrender, and a hint of what’s coming. It’s Jesus saying, “I’m your King, but I’m doing this My way, for your sake.” And it’s us, invited to join the crowd—not just with our voices, but with our whole lives.

Heavenly Father. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the Cross for us. Thank You for Your obedience to the Father, LORD Jesus. I praise You for all You did, and all You went through for us. Help me to live for You now, and forever. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.