Breaking Down Strongholds Archives

June 8, 2024July 10, 2024

Crucified With The Christ

²⁰I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. ~ Galatians 2:20-21

Righteousness is not through the law, but through Jesus. Paul explained that if he continued to seek righteousness through keeping the law, then he would nullify, or render void, the grace of God. But instead, he says, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”

What he is saying here is, he no longer lives for himself, the things he now does is not for his own self benefit, but he is totally and completely led by the Holy Spirit. He lives his life as a sacrifice to Jesus so that others may benefit and see his good deeds and glorify the Father who is in heaven. Paul realizes the greatness of the love of Jesus, and because of that love, he confidently puts his trust and hope in Jesus, the Son of God.

As for us, whenever we become angry when someone insults us, or say some manner of evil against us, we are not living a crucified life. Road rage is not of God, it is not characteristic of being crucified with Christ. Whenever we want to return lashing for lashing, hit for hit, and insult for insult, we have not been crucified with Christ. When we are crucified with Christ, we do not live to fulfill our own lusts, or greeds, but rather we live to please Jesus.

Let us turn our lives over to Jesus, and live a Crucified life with Him, so that when the trials of this life comes they do not knock us off track, or blow us off course.

Dear Heavenly Father, please help me to live a crucified life and not try to fulfill my own selfish desires, in Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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It Takes Love

³²Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. ~Ephesians 4:32

This is a very tall order when you couple that command, be kind and tenderhearted to one another, with forgiving them just like God forgave us. We have to remember that after those Roman soldiers nailed Jesus’ hands and feet, and after the Jews turned on Him and asked for a murdering thief to be set free and for Jesus to be crucified for literally nothing that He had done wrong, He had done only good, He cried out, “Father forgive them…” And that is what we are asked to do. That is what we are expected to do.

Sometimes, it is hard to overlook someone who has hurt us deeply with just words, much less with physical abuse or who has sexually abused us. Now, we are being commanded to be kind and tenderhearted to each other, even to those who have abused us, and not only that but to forgive each other our faults and trespasses. It doesn’t say that they have to change, feel remorse, or repay our jester; we must be kind, tenderhearted, and forgive even though we have been hurt so deeply. It doesn’t sound fair, but it will be worth your while in eternity. There is so much stored up for us in eternity that this now big thing will seem like a little thing.

I know that it is hard now, but not impossible. Once you have the love of God in your spirit, it will be easier. Stephen, the first recorded martyr of the Church, was being stoned to death, and just before he died, he cried out to God to please forgive those who were stoning him. It takes the love of God in you to do something like that. Because all of our God-given primal instincts scream the opposite, they scream, “Survival at all cost.” But again, it takes love to overlook, to put someone else first, and to forgive those who have deeply hurt us. It takes love to be kind to those who hate you for no good reason. It takes love to be tenderhearted to those who are closed-fisted toward you and others. It takes love to forgive those who have grievously caused you harm.

I read a story about a mother whose only son was killed by another young man. She visited him in prison and forgave him. She began to pray for him and when he got out of prison, she got him an apartment right next to hers. In essence, he became her son. That is true forgiveness. That is what we are asked to do here, be kind, be tenderhearted, and forgive. And because of her forgiveness, the young man’s life was radically changed. He is now serving the LORD. A soul saved is the main goal.

Heavenly Father, please give us the strength to be kind and tenderhearted towards others, even those who are rude and unkind to us. To forgive those who have deeply hurt us. It is not easy, but with You all things are possible. Thank you, LORD, in Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Keep Marching On

¹⁷And as they [the two angels] brought them [Lot and his family] out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.” ~ Genesis 19:17

Do Not Look Back! Do Not Stop! Under no circumstances were they to look back. Under no circumstances were they to stop! They had their marching orders, so to speak.

I mean, I understand that the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah; therefore, there was probably a whole lot of noise, possible explosions, and even a shaking of the ground. It had to be tempting to look back to see what was going on, but remember, curiosity killed the cat. It is better to obey than … anything else. Our obedience is what God expects.

As the bride of Christ, we are not to look back. We are not to stop! We are not to dwell in our past. We are to keep moving! We are to keep climbing one step higher every hour of every day. It does not matter what we hear behind us. It does not matter how exciting it sounds; we are not to participate in ungodly events. Do not let this world deceive you into lingering.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Keep Marching On.

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Start Abundant Living

³²Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” ³⁴They said to Him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” ³⁵Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. ³⁶But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. ³⁷All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. ³⁸For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of Him who sent me. ³⁹And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that He has given me, but raise it up on the last day. ⁴⁰For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” ~ John 6:32-40

Jesus claims here to be the true bread that came down from heaven. In verse 35, He actually says, “I am the bread of life …”

When Jesus refers to the bread that Moses gave the Israelites in the desert, He is actually talking about the Manna that God fed them with, in the desert after bringing them out of Egypt, the land of slavery. Did you notice that in verse 35, Jesus said, “³³For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world?”

Four times in the passage, that we read, Jesus refers to Himself as bread. And bread in some form is mentioned 97 times in the New Testament. In those times, bread is a metaphorical symbol of spiritual nourishment.

In the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus refers to healing as the Children’s bread (Mark 7:27). Healing and casting out demons are the children’s bread, and Jesus is that bread. He is the Living Water and the Bread of Life.

Jesus didn’t just come down from Heaven to die for our sins; He came to bring life and life more abundantly. Jesus came to give us life with freedom. Freedom from sin, disease, oppression, illness, stress, addiction, psychological issues, etc. He came to free us from any and everything that tries to hold us back.

Therefore, confidently approach the throne of grace through the precious blood of Jesus and give it to God. Jesus paid for your healing with His own flesh. He paid for your peace with His own chastisement. Jesus purchased us not so that we could remain oppressed by the enemy and the cares of this world but so that we might be free in Him. So that we might live life more abundantly. So, take every stronghold in your life and begin to tear them down in the name of Jesus because it is through Him that we overcome because He first overcame.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Start Abundant Living.

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Remove The Illusion

¹⁷ The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles. ¹⁸ The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit. ¹⁹ One who is righteous has many adversities, but the Lord rescues him from them all. ~ Psalms 34:17-19^CSB

All of us have experienced losing a loved one. We’ve all suffered some form of loss. Many of us, when we lose someone we love, we lose part of ourselves, but we try to hide it. We try to convert it up by wearing a mask that we’re all okay. That everything’s fine. Our outside is okay, but inside, we’re falling apart.

It makes me think of a scene from one of the marvelous movies when Thor and Loki’s mother dies. Thor goes to speak to Loki in prison, and Loki is fine. He’s relaxing. Enjoying reading a book in his cell, but Thor knows better. He forces Loki to remove the illusion he’s created so that Thor can see his true self. And he does. He shows his brother how distraught and broken he is over his mother’s death. His cell isn’t neat, and neither is he. Books are destroyed. His hair is disheveled. His soul is aching.

Many of us hide our hurt deep down within us, refusing to show it to anyone. Maybe it’s because we don’t feel we have anyone to go to. But even if we have no one to go to in this physical world, we have someone to go to. Jesus told us to lay our burdens on Him. We can go to God. We don’t have to figure it out on our own. We don’t have to hide it from God because He already knows. He isn’t angry at our hurt or our pain. It doesn’t make Him uncomfortable or want distance from us. He embraces us in our filth when we come to Him, so how much more would He embrace us because of our hurt if we go to Him?

God’s arms are wide open. He’s waiting for you. Cry in His arms. Mourn in His presence. Give Him your burdens, and He will take them from you. He will comfort you. He will give you peace. It may not happen overnight, but it will happen if you remain faithful.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Remove The Illusion.

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Be Unleavened

⁷Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. ⁸Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. ~ 1 Corinthians 5:7-8

Paul tells us to clean out the old leaven so that we might be a new lump because that is who we really are. So often, we allow our past sins and/or sins we struggle with to label us and define who we are and who we will always be. Paul tells us to clean out the old leaven (fight and overcome our sins) because that leaven, that sin, isn’t who we are. We are a new creation in Christ Jesus.

Our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed, and the Holy Spirit now dwells inside of us. We no longer have to be slaves to our sin. We can be transformed by the renewal of our mind and the blood of the lamb.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Unleavened.

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Deep Within Me

¹² Who perceives his unintentional sins? Cleanse me from my hidden faults. ¹³ Moreover, keep your servant from willful sins; do not let them rule me. Then I will be blameless and cleansed from blatant rebellion. ¹⁴ May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. ~ Psalms 19:12-14^CSB

David, though he was a man after God’s own heart, prayed to the LORD about his heart. David didn’t just pray about sins he knew he struggled with; he prayed specifically about sins within him that he didn’t even know about. Secret sins hiding within his heart.

David didn’t just look at the speck in his brother’s eye and ignore the log in his. He sought God desperately to show him the log in his own eye. The log that was blinding to him.

Each and every one of us has sin in us. We each have sin that we’re battling that we are well aware of, but we also have hidden sin that we don’t even recognize.

David yearned to be cleansed by God. He yearned to be close to God. So what did David do? He watched his mouth and his heart. In other words, David didn’t allow filth to flow out of his lips. To ensure that he didn’t meditate on or continuously think about filth. He did his best to control his thoughts, for the mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart.

Dear LORD, thank You for making a way for me to approach the Throne of Grace without fear but with confidence. Thank You that even the tongue is the hardest member to control and the heart is the most deceitful, You have given me tools to overcome their faults. You purchased me with Your own blood and washed me clean so that I might be able to overcome the world through You. So that I might be able to hold every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and be transformed by the renewal of my mind. Thank You, LORD, for such a great work You are doing in me and all that You will do in me. Please cleanse my heart from all unrighteousness and open my eyes to the faults within me that I don’t even know are there. Show the log in my own eye so that I might better help my brother. Please continue to pull at my heart that it may always desire You. Let my soul pant for You as a deer pants for the water. Because You, oh God, are the only everlasting water. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Power To Overcome

⁴ Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. ~ 1 John 4:4

John said, “Little children, you are from God …” What does he mean by that anyway, that we are from God? Well, John was explaining that those who do not believe that Jesus has actually come in the flesh are not from God, and those who do believe are. If you do not believe that Christ has come, you have a spirit of Antichrist on you.

The spirit of Antichrist is always trying to convince the world that there is no God. That Jesus did not die for your sins. That Jesus the Messiah has not come into the world as yet. In short, it does not want you to believe that God even exists. But we must overcome that spirit with truth. Truth that Jesus did come and that He suffered and did die and was buried for three days and three nights and rose again to life on the third day, and that He is coming back for us so that where He is, there we shall be also.

We must make a special effort to be a witness for Jesus. To tell of His loving kindness and about His goodness and His grace. The grace that He lavished on us. Mercy that He poured out on all. Jesus is willing to save anyone who will come to Him. He will not turn away one soul with a repentant heart. Because that is the reason He died in the first place. So that He might bring many sons and daughters to the Father.

And finally, we have overcome because we have God living on the inside of us, and there is no power on earth that can match His. Do you need power to overcome? There is power in the blood.

Our Father, help us to forsake the wrong and choose the right. Teach us how to connect with Your power so that we can indeed overcome. For there is forgiveness, healing, peace, and joy in your presence. Help us to receive today. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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The Scars

²⁷ Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Don’t be faithless, but believe.” ~ John 20:27^CSB

Many of us are ashamed of our past. We’re ashamed of all the times that we fell into temptation. We’re ashamed of all of the things of our past, so we try to cover our scars and keep them hidden from the eyes of the world, but why?

Scars don’t mean you lost the battle; scars are proof of your victory. They are your testimony to the world that you endured the temptation and made it out the other side. Never be ashamed of your scars, for these scars are your Testimony. The Word of our Testimony is the second most powerful weapon we have against the enemy, the first being the Blood of the Lamb.

Our scars are our evidence of all that you have overcome. Christ kept His scars and proudly displayed them for Thomas to see and truly believe, so why should we do any other?

Dear LORD, thank You for Your scars and thank You for my scars, for in them is the proof of Your love and faithfulness towards me. Thank You that You’ve remained faithful, even when I haven’t. Thank You that You always make a way for me to return to You. Thank You, LORD, for all that You’ve done for me. Please help me to never be ashamed of my scars. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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In Return

³⁹ Those who passed by were yelling insults at Him, shaking their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!” ~ Matthew 27:39-40 ^CSB

Jesus was hanging on the cross. His body had been flogged and beaten unrecognizable. He was so weak He couldn’t even carry His own cross. A crown of thorns was pushed into His skull and beaten with a staff. Now, He was hanging on the cross struggling to breathe. Each breath is painful. And now those passing by are mocking and ridiculing Him.

They’re not just hurling insults at Him, they’re now taking what He said and twisting it and throwing it back at Him. Imagine it, these are the very people Jesus had come to save that are twisting His words and throwing them back at Him. He could have easily come down off of that cross shown them exactly what He had said that they were twisting, but He didn’t. He stayed on that cross and took every insult. Every lie. And then prayed for them.

Imagine that. Praying for those tormenting you because you love them. You know that if you get down off of that cross or even try to defend yourself, it’s over. So, you remain silent. You take the harsh words and hate. Then when you speak, you pray for them.

Dear LORD, please help me to love the way You loves. Help me to not return anger and hate with more anger and hate. Help me to love. Help me to bless when people curse me. Help me to pray for those who persecute me. Help me to remain silent when attacked. Help me to be more like You and less like me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Tag: Breaking Down Strongholds

Crucified With The Christ

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