Breaking Down Strongholds Archives

September 30, 2020September 28, 2020

Destroy Strongholds

“³For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. ⁴For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” ~ 2 Corinthians 10:3-4

Pride. Compulsive Lies. Addictions. Greed. Gluttony. Religiosity. Sexual Fetishes. Homosexuality. Trans-Gender/Species. Everything that stops you from fulfilling your calling and living your life one hundred percent to the fullest is a stronghold. You can’t enjoy the blessing of God when you are chained down by strongholds. We often make the excuse that we can’t change. That we were born this way. Or that it’s too hard. But if we look to scripture, God has given us everything we need to successfully break down and destroy strongholds.

God didn’t leave us defenseless. He didn’t leave us weak and unprotected. God gave us His scripture, His Spirit, His Peace, and so much more. We don’t have to live hurt, confused, discouraged. That was never His plan. That was never His desire. God created each and every one of us in His image. Sometimes it takes the miraculous to see that. Do you believe in the miraculous? The miracle you need may not have been recorded in the Scriptures, but I guarantee it is possible. Jesus said that we would do greater things than even He did, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do because I am going to the Father,” John 14:12.

So if Jesus could raise the dead, walk on water, rescue captives out of the center of the Earth, heal the sick, cast out demons, make the blind see, and the deaf hear; what could you do? Don’t allow culture or religious traditions hold you back. God Himself promised you these things; don’t take the word of man over the Word of God. Believe. Have faith, and you will see the miraculous happen.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Destroy Strongholds.

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Be Silent

“Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, and there came a messenger to Job and said, ‘The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.’ While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, ‘The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.’ While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, ‘The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.’ While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, ‘Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.’ Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’ In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.” ~ Job 1:13-22

“So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes. Then his wife said to him, ‘Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.’ But he said to her, ‘You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?’ In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” ~ Job 2:7-10

Job lost everything he had. He lost his earthly possessions and every one of his children. He even lost his health, but in all of this Job did not sin with his lips. See I had this bad habit of speaking out of anger. I would say things I probably wouldn’t mean later on, but yet in the heat of the moment my mouth just started running, and I couldn’t seem to shut it up.

Proverbs 18:21 tells us that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” Matthew 15:11 says “it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” If we allow wickedness, hatred, evil to come out of our mouth, we have to check our spiritual temperature. Luke 6:45 explains it like this, “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Think about it like this, if evil things are coming out of your mouth, then there is a lot of evil in your heart that you have to get rid of. There is a lot of hurt and hatred that you just have to give to the LORD so that while you are in a fit of rage, you won’t sin.

Here’s one of our biggest problems, we don’t have control over our emotions. When one thing goes wrong, everything goes wrong, and our countenance drops. We allow our situations to dictate our attitude, to dictate our lives, to dictate who we are. If Job a man who lost everything he held dear to his heart could keep his mouth shut and not sin with his lips why can’t we do the same? When in the heat of the moment when your really angry quote Proverbs 4:4 “Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.”

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Silent.

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Be Meek

“¹⁷So Isaac departed from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there. ¹⁸And Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of Abraham his father, which the Philistines had stopped after the death of Abraham. And he gave them the names that his father had given them. ¹⁹But when Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of spring water, ²⁰the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, ‘The water is ours.’ So he called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him. ²¹Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that also, so he called its name Sitnah. ²²And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, saying, ‘For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.’” ~ Genesis 26:17-22

It probably felt like every little thing Isaac did the people had a problem with, but he never fought with them over anything they claimed as theirs. Instead, he gave it to them and moved on until God made room for him. I wonder what we would reap at work, at school, even at home with our families if we didn’t argue with people and just gave them what they think belonged to them.

Right after I wrote that I jokingly thought to myself, “We’d be broke is what we’d be,” but that isn’t true… The Bible says “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the Earth.” Isn’t that what Isaac was being, meek? He allowed them to take the wells his father dug that they then filled in and then he just dug it out again. Imagine if we were meek, sure people would think they’re walking over. They would think you’re a real pushover, but what would God think? Would He not bless you like never before? Would He not prepare a place for you at your job, or at your school, or even at home? Isaac reaped 100 fold the same year he sowed, why? Could it be because he was meek? Could it be that he didn’t think too highly of himself, but was humble? In order to be meek, you must first humble yourself or pride will speak for you.

I just wonder what would happen if Christians were meek… would we then inherit the Earth? Now, remember being meek is NOT staying silent when someone is doing something wrong or watching your country destroy itself and do nothing about. Being meek is exactly what Isaac did in these verses, give to the people what they felt was theirs without being annoyed or doing it begrudgingly. But simply saying that’s fine, take it MY GOD will provide for me when He sees fit.

Peace. Love. Go forth and be meek.

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Open The Lock

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” ~ Galatians 5:1

I find this incredibly interesting, we have been set free by Jesus, but we can willingly go back into slavery. So many of us ask for freedom, but we don’t really want it. For some reason, shackles and chains seem safe. Why? Because we’ve been brainwashed to think that once we are one way, we will always be that way. Once an alcoholic always an alcoholic. Once a drug addict always a drug addict. Once a slave always a slave.

Slavery has been abolished for over a hundred years, yet we still hold onto the hurt of those who were slaves. We still force our brain to conform to the beliefs during those times, when we live in a world of freedom. We are so brainwashed into bondage that we have added a 13th step to the 12-step program, relapse. We automatically think that we will relapse. We automatically think that everyone who fits into our category must be in bondage as we are in bondage.

If they are not we think they’re trying to be something they’re not when in reality they are just trying to be more like who they actually are. But we refuse to believe that, why? Because misery loves company. We want others to be in bondage as we are in bondage. We want others to be in pain as we are in pain. We want others to be hurt as we are hurt. We want others to be slaves as we are slaves.

We have our nation brainwashed into thinking that people do not change. When in reality people can change, they just have to open their eyes to the key God put in their hands. The rapper NF said this in his song, ‘Outcast,’ “woke up in cell… door’s locked, but the keys are in my hands…” “I thought you had me in prison this whole time, but I’m the one holdin’ the keys.” See we place ourselves in these prisons, under these yokes, when Jesus has set us free. When He gave us the key to free ourselves, yet we are like a dog that returns to its vomit.

Why? Because we are uncomfortable in freedom. Our soul is not used to it. And because it is uncomfortable, we don’t want any part in it. We don’t want any part in things we don’t understand, but how can we ever understand freedom if we never take part in it? How can we understand Jesus if we never follow Him and build a relationship with Him? We were each given the keys, what will you do with yours?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Open the Lock.

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Flee

“⁷And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, ‘Lie with me.’ ⁸But he refused and said to his master’s wife, ‘Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. ⁹He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?’ ¹⁰And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her. ¹¹But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, ¹²she caught him by his garment, saying, ‘Lie with me.’ But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house.” ~ Genesis 39:7-12

Ain’t that sin for ya, every day constantly whispering sweet nothings in your ear. Trying to seduce you with every trick it has. But the great thing is, just as Joseph had a way to flee, God has given us a way to flee from every temptation and every sin that comes upon us. He doesn’t just leave us there to deal with it ourselves, but instead, He sets up an escape route and tells us to run. Run like you have an open shot straight to the end zone.

Don’t look back wondering if sin and temptation are gonna catch you. Just as that would get you tackled by your opponent in a football game, so would it get you tackled by sin in the race we call life. Don’t look back, just run, run like your life depended on it because it does. Sometimes we don’t understand that running away from sin is the way to save our lives because some think they won’t get caught because it was done in secret, but God sees everything and Joseph understood that.

Maybe Joseph remembered how God warned Cain, maybe that was a saying used often “….sin is crouching at your door, it’s desire is for you, but you must rule over.” And that is exactly what he did, he ruled over it. He took that escape route and fled. Imagine if we all fled from sin, how pure would we be? How much closer to God would we be?

Peace. Love. Go forth and Flee.

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Don’t Be a Pharaoh

“Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also!” ~ Exodus 12:32

Isn’t it kind of peculiar that Pharaoh asked Moses to bless him also when he went to sacrifice to the LORD? Whenever things go wrong who do people go to…? Christians. And what do they ask for…? Pray for me for this, pray for me for that, ask the LORD to bless me at this job interview. Yet they refuse to bow their knee and worship HIM. I find that kind of crazy, you expect someone else to go before God and plead for you, but you don’t believe He’s real, or you don’t believe enough to follow Him and ask Him yourself.

Don’t be like Pharaoh seeing the power and wonders of God, but still refuse to bow your knee. Still refuse to give up false gods and idols that have done nothing for you. Still refuse to give up that relationship. Still refuse to give up that TV show. Still refuse to give up that alcohol. Still refuse to give up that cigarette. Still refuse to give up that drug. Still refuse to give up that sin that keeps pulling you farther and farther away until you can no longer hear the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit. Don’t be Pharaoh refusing to go to the LORD, but desiring prayer and blessings. Instead be as those who followed Moses to the LORD that you might also worship and sacrifice to LORD God and repent, saving your life and your family’s lives.

Tomorrow is promised to no man. Tomorrow is promised to no woman. Tomorrow is promised to no child. Tomorrow is promised to nothing that has breath. At any moment any one of us could lose our lives. Imagine standing before Jesus, and He says to you, “Depart from me, for I never knew you.” Imagine the fear. Imagine the distress. Imagine the sorrow that that would cause.

You see that He is the only way. Deep down you believe He is the only way, but the stronghold of your past keep you down. The strongholds that have kept your family down for generations have continued to hold you down. The strongholds that have kept you from bowing your knee before God Almighty, just as it kept Pharaoh from bowing his knee in submission before God Almighty.

Make the decision today whom you shall serve. Joshua 24:15, “¹⁵And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Make a stance today whom you shall serve, but as for me and my house, we shall serve the LORD.

Peace. Love. Go forth and Don’t Be a Pharaoh.

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Be Like Ishmael

“Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre,” ~ Genesis 25:9

Even though Ishmael and Hagar were sent away, Ishmael came and buried his father with his brother. Even though he was sent away by his father’s wife with his father’s permission, he didn’t allow that to stop him from burying his father. He didn’t allow that to stop him from multiplying and becoming great as his blessing promised. He didn’t allow anything to stop him. Imagine if we had that mindset. Imagine if we forgave and moved on. What would The Church be capable of?

We hold on to the past too much. We allow the past to keep us held up. We allow the past to keep us from our future. Ishmael was sent away by his own father, yet he came back, and he honored his father. He fulfilled his destiny. He did not let hurt and pain hold him back, but instead, he forgave. He let go. He moved forward. He overcame.

If we overcame as Ishmael did, we would see the glory of God in our day as in the day of Jesus. It was promised to us, but how long will it take us to attain this promise? We must break the strongholds of hurt, pain, suffering, anger, rejection, etc. if we ever want to move forward. We must break the strongholds of depression, pessimism, distrust, etc. if we ever want to attain the promise.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Like Ishmael.

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The Spirit of Laziness

“²⁴Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth.” ~ Proverbs 19:24^NLT

We have been given Salvation, but it doesn’t end there. We don’t just accept Salvation and then stop. Our Salvation is like the ocean, and we are like the White Shark. The shark needs water to live, as we need Salvation to spiritually live. The ocean was given to the shark freely as Salvation was freely given to us, but if that shark stops swimming, it will die. We are the same way, if we stop moving in our faith, if we stop studying scripture, if we stop praying, if we stop having quiet time, if we stop worshiping, if we stop swimming, we will spiritually die.

Salvation was given to us freely, just as the ocean was given to the shark freely. Still, if we don’t swim, if we don’t keep moving in our faith, we won’t get anything out of our Salvation, and we will spiritually die. Many of us have become lazy Christians, God gave us His word as our food, yet we are too lazy to even lift it to our mouths. We’re too lazy to read our Bible. We’re too lazy to pray. We’ve become spiritual couch potatoes and don’t even realize it. We’re drowning in our own Salvation, and we don’t even see it.

God gave us everything we need to live; all we have to do is keep moving. We have to remember Paul’s words, ‘don’t grow tired of doing good.’ Why? Because it is our lifeline. That’s how we get oxygen from our Salvation. Faith without works is dead as works without faith is dead. We need both to live.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Just Keep Swimming.

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The Spirit of Apathy

“¹ What sorrow awaits you who lounge in luxury in Jerusalem,and you who feel secure in Samaria! You are famous and popular in Israel, and people go to you for help. ²But go over to Calneh and see what happened there. Then go to the great city of Hamath and down to the Philistine city of Gath. You are no better than they were, and look at how they were destroyed. ³You push away every thought of coming disaster, but your actions only bring the day of judgment closer. ⁴How terrible for you who sprawl on ivory beds and lounge on your couches, eating the meat of tender lambs from the flock and of choice calves fattened in the stall. ⁵You sing trivial songs to the sound of the harp and fancy yourselves to be great musicians like David. ⁶You drink wine by the bowlful and perfume yourselves with fragrant lotions. You care nothing about the ruin of your nation. ⁷Therefore, you will be the first to be led away as captives. Suddenly, all your parties will end.” ~ Amos 6:1-7^NLT

The people of Jerusalem had become apathetic. Israel had fallen into sin, and the LORD warned them, but the people in Jerusalem continued living their lives as if nothing was happening. The rest of Israel looked at them as leaders, yet they didn’t lead by example. They continued living their lives however they wanted. They didn’t care about what was coming but instead only focused about the present. Today, we focus solely on the present. If it isn’t affecting us at that moment, then we don’t care. We aren’t bothered by it. We ignore it and continue living our lives. We allow people who have no reverence for God to run our countries, our states, our cities, and it is not until the day judgment comes that we care.

God told the people of Jerusalem because they didn’t care, they didn’t try to better the land, they didn’t try to lead by example, but continued in their acts of vanity , they would be the first ones led away as captives. When we stop caring about the laws of the land, and we start placing being Politically Correct above being Biblically Correct, we are dooming ourselves and our nation. And as punishment, we will be the first to suffer. It’s the rights of Christians that will be and have been taken away first. Open your eyes and break from your spiritual chains of apathy, because it only leads to one place, captivity.

As the LORD gave Israel time to repent, God has given us time to repent. So, don’t continue your everyday life as if nothing is happening, instead get down on your knees and pray. Pray for your country. Pray for your president that he may follow the will of God. Pray for your senators, your leaders that they may make just laws. Pray for your governors that they may lead their state in the ways of the LORD. Pray for revival in your cities. Don’t just look blindly away from the warning from God. We have been given time to repent and cleanse our land. The question is, will we repeat history, or will we break the chains of The Spirit of Apathy and cleanse our land of sin.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Break The Chains of The Spirit of Apathy.

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Open Your Gift

“Then you will prosper if you are careful to observe the statutes and the rules that the Lord commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Fear not; do not be dismayed.” ~ 1 Chronicles 22:13

How often do we pray for prosperity and nothing happens? How long do we pray for healing, and nothing happens? How long do we pray for a job promotion or even a job, and nothing happens? And so, we begin to doubt the sovereignty of God, but in reality, God has already given these things to us. He already gave us prosperity, that job, that promotion, that healing; all we have to do is unlock it. All we have to do is two things. Observe the statutes & the rules and ask. That’s it if we do that without any doubt, our world will change.

But what if I’m already obeying all the rules and asking, but it’s not happening? I guarantee there is a stronghold in your life causing you not to receive, whether it’s an idol you never acknowledged as so, whether it’s a grudge you never let go, whether it’s pouring faith in false teachings instead of God, false judgment, whether it’s an addiction (it doesn’t have to be drugs it could be something as simple as coffee, TV, video games, even music). When you have something in your life that takes precedence over God, it can cause you to lose out on the prosperity He has already given you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Open Your Gift of Prosperity.

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Tag: Breaking Down Strongholds

Destroy Strongholds

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