Breaking Down Strongholds Archives

July 3, 2022July 3, 2022

Independence Day

³¹So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, ³²and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” ³³They answered Him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” ~ John 8:31–36

Did you notice their reply to Jesus’ statement about the truth setting them free?

We have never been enslaved to anyone.
John 8:33

I want to remind you that at the time of this saying, the Jews were under Roman occupation. They had a form of self-government, but they were not autonomous. Not only that but their ancestors were enslaved for 400 years in Egypt. The Assyrians had conquered and dispersed them out of the Northern Kingdom, and Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army had conquered and dispersed the Southern Kingdom. They hadn’t had their own king for hundreds of years. Not only that but during the time of the judges, before Israel had a king, they were always being oppressed by some other country because of their idolatry.

But they did not let their past define who they were. They did not let circumstances dictate their self-worth or how they saw themselves. They were free men and had never been enslaved. It was not their past. They would not let it affect their future.

In his song Redemption Song, Bob Marley says:

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds
Redemption Song

So, let us have this mindset about ourselves. We are children of the Most High God, and we have never been enslaved to anyone, not even the devil because once you accept Jesus, you are no longer the same; the old has passed away, and the new has come, and you are now a new creation in Christ.

Therefore, if the old has passed and the new has come, you are not a sinner saved by grace. You are now a saint of the LORD God Most High. You are a child of God. This is your Independence Day so live like it.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Live Free.

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Choose Freedom

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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Watch What You Invite Into Your Life

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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Humbly Present Yourself

¹⁰ On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, ¹¹ to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown, in order to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was lovely to look at. ¹² But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command delivered by the eunuchs. At this the king became enraged, and his anger burned within him. ~ Esther 1:10-12

Queen Vashti was a beautiful woman, so much so that her husband, King Ahasuerus, wanted to show her off to all of his guests, but Queen Vashti refused because of her pride. Many of us look at what Queen Vashti did as something great for women everywhere because King Ahasuerus was being sexist, but what if it wasn’t a positive thing?

See, Queen Vashti could have humbled herself before the king and shown her beauty before his guests, and continued to build a strong relationship with him so that when she brought something to his attention that could possibly hurt her, he would do everything in his power to fix it, as he did with Esther. Instead, Queen Vashti stood rebelliously with pride and lost her position as Queen as well as her opportunity to ever truly change things for women in their culture.

Sometimes standing in pride and refusing to do something we deem to be demeaning can cause us to miss out on so much in life. God says that He elevates the humble and humbles the proud. Just because man tries to demean you and bring you down, that doesn’t mean that God has brought you down. You may not be elevated in this life, but you will be elevated in the next if you humble yourself.

Peace. Love. Go Love Forth and Humbly Present Yourself.

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What’s The Anointing Worth?

¹⁵ A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. ~ Proverbs 15:1

When I was young, my mother would always tell me, “it’s the answer that brings the row (argument).” I suppose it was her way of quoting this proverb. A soft answer turns away wrath. She would tell me that it takes 2 to argue.

You see, it is not the answer but how we answer. The other day a man came into my office, but I was unable to help as he didn’t have the minimum requirements necessary. I tried to explain, but he became irate and began to cuss me out. I simply told him to have a nice and genuinely hoped that his day would get better.

The scene could’ve easily escalated if I had returned railing for railing. Cussing for cussing. But instead, a soft answer turns away wrath.

As Christians, we ought to always strive to live in peace and in harmony with our fellow individuals. Sometimes tempers will rise, and sometimes it may be difficult to keep control. It would probably feel really good to return some of their own medicine, but it’s not worth the anointing. God has called us to live in peace. Therefore, nothing is worth the anointing, not even our own pride.

Father, help us to live in peace and harmony and to take the wrong even when we are not in the wrong. We desire Your anointing. We desire Your presence, and we know that arguments and strife will not cultivate a close relationship with Your Holy Spirit. Thank You, LORD Jesus, for giving us the ability to turn the other cheek. Amen.

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Don’t Rejoice in Judgment

³⁵And 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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Problems of People Pleasing

¹⁸And 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.’ ¹⁹Why 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?” ²⁰And 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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Have Confidence in Christ

¹ There was a wealthy, influential man named Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. He was the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, of the tribe of Benjamin. ²His son Saul was the most handsome man in Israel—head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land.²¹Saul replied, “But I’m only from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel, and my family is the least important of all the families of that tribe! Why are you talking like this to me?” ~ 1 Samuel 9:1-2, 21

Saul was from a great family of influence and wealth. He was more handsome than any other man in Israel, even being head and shoulders taller than them, yet he saw himself as no one. He had no confidence in who he was. This is how a lot of us are today. We are sons and daughters of God Almighty, yet we don’t see our own self-worth. We look at ourselves through tainted eyes that can’t see who God has formed us into and who He is shaping us to become.

So many of us miss out on our potential and our call because we are too busy holding onto rejection from our past or shame of past regrets. When rejection or shame tries to sneak in, we have to remind ourselves who we are in Christ Jesus. We are sons and daughters of the Most High. We have a purpose and call for our lives from the Creator Himself. Our debt has been paid with the precious blood of God Almighty Himself. Don’t let the stronghold of rejection or regret keep you from seeing who you are in Christ Jesus.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Have Confidence in Christ.

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Be Led By The Spirit of Truth

²⁴Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, ²⁵because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. ²⁶For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; ²⁷and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. ²⁸And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. ~ Romans 1:24-28

So many believe that we are to only show a love that doesn’t correct nor discipline, but is this the kind of love God has sent us to show the world? Look at the outcome of mankind suppressing the Truth about God. Their hearts were darkened; they became fools exchanging the glory of the immortal God for images. God then gave them up to their lusts because they exchanged Truth about God for a lie and worshiped the creature instead of the Creator. For this reason, God gave them up to dishonorable passions.

After the dishonorable passions were planted inside of them, they still didn’t see fit to acknowledge God. That root then began to then take root inside of, so God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. That’s when the floodgates of these other evil things seemed to take grow and bear fruits of unrighteousness and evil, for it says,

²⁹They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, ³⁰slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ³²Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Romans 1:29-32

Definitely sounds like the current state of the world that we’re living in. We have people and churches fighting to make these sins normal and acceptable before God, and if you don’t agree with them, then you’re a hater, bigot, and unkind. We’re to take the stance that we don’t want to partake in any of what they’re pushing. We take the stance to honor Him as the only one true God and give thanks to Him and worship Him so that our hearts won’t be darkened and turn to evil, as Paul warns here in this scripture. That’s why the Truth of God sets you free because only the light can shine into the darkness exposing the lies that we believe about who God is or isn’t. These lies that keep us in bondage and trapped in darkness can only be broken with Truth. Not our own deceiving truth that tickles our ears and never sets us free, but the one and only Truth that is the Word of God that shines the light of Jesus Himself into our lives as we are led by the very Spirit of Truth Himself.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Led By The Spirit of Truth.

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Show Love

³³And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on His right and one on His left. ³⁴And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide His garments. ³⁵And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself, if He is the Christ of God, His Chosen One!” ~ Luke 23:33-35

2,000 years ago, Jesus was beaten, unrecognizable, mocked, and ridiculed, a crown of thorns was dug into His head, and then finally, He was crucified. Jesus could’ve easily called for ten legions of angels to come to His rescue. He could have easily slaughtered His enemies where they lie, but He didn’t. Why? Jesus saw the worth where there was none.

We’re just clay. We aren’t gods, or angels, or even demons. We’re low on the totem pole, only above animals, yet the God of gods stepped off of His throne and endured the cross to save us. He didn’t have to die. Jesus could’ve easily said, ‘You made your bed; now lie in it,’ but instead of bringing down judgment, Jesus showed mercy out of His abundant love.

The Church’s love for the souls of this world is draining quicker and quicker. As the world becomes more and more evil, we become less and less loving because revenge and vengeance begin to take root in us. Pride and anger begin to stir in our midst. And as these strongholds begin to take root and grow, we forget that Jesus’ sacrifice was for us as well because we were once sinners who reviled against Him. We were once enemies of God, but we have now been saved by grace through faith in the LORD Jesus Christ, who could have easily brought judgment but chose to show love. If Jesus could forgive those who beat, ridiculed, tormented, mocked and crucified Him, why can’t we?

This Good Friday, don’t just remember what Jesus did. Instead, let’s learn from it and put it into action in our own lives.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Show Love.

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Tag: Breaking Down Strongholds

Independence Day

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Choose Freedom

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