Strongholds to overcome are our primary personal “battlefields.” These are the major emotional strongholds that disconnect us from the peace of Christ and all too often hold us captive to stress (as anxiety) or distress (as depression). Jesus is our true stronghold—the Rock that we run to when threatened by sin or danger, our new shield of protection against the enemy’s encroachments. But if we don’t tag up with Him in time…
The enemy creates counterfeit strongholds in our flesh (with our co-operation). These are un-surrendered, un-healed or un-crucified areas of the old nature or self-life. They rise up and resist the Spirit-given life. Self-protectiveness built them and maintains them, aided by the lies and temptations of the enemy. We are to resist them by pulling them down. We don’t need self-protection any longer—we have the Lord to protect us! His grace is all-sufficient!
Ever wonder why it’s so hard to feel God’s delight in you? How can God possibly delight in any of us? Some days it takes a lot of faith just to believe that He can love and forgive us. But that He actually delights in us, rejoices over us, has passionate affections for us, and is constantly devoted to us—this really seems too much to ask! First, let us identity the enemy’s strategy: he and his kingdom have been continuously at…
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What? Substance abuse isn’t due to a chemical hook? You may have heard this all your life, but it isn’t true. There are four excellent reasons why it’s not and the first three of them are already known to most of us. Somehow, the facts don’t register like they should. Even the men in our yearlong recovery program typically come to us programmed (by culture) to believe that the substance itself was all-powerful. They should know better, they need to…
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This world is a dangerous place. Every one of us knows what it is like to be hurt by someone else. Some things are easier to recover from than others. Many things we can readily excuse. But, when we can’t just let it go, when the damage was too great, when the wound seems incurable, what can we do to set our spirit free? Our God has one outstanding answer: Forgive! It is the path He chose for Himself when humanity’s incessant sins against Him were wrecking His own Great Heart..
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What do church-going Christians want? Only a novice at seminary dreams of parishioners calling him or her to expound on books of the Bible, or to interpret the deeper doctrines of the faith. What people actually want to know is what to do about the pain they get from other people, especially people they care about. In a word: offense! In three words: hurt and offense! I certainly know what they are talking about: I get my share of it too. How can you live without…
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Strongholds to overcome are our primary personal “battlefields.” These are the major emotional strongholds that disconnect us from the peace of Christ and all too often hold us captive to stress (as anxiety) or distress (as depression). Jesus is our true stronghold—the Rock that we run to when threatened by sin or danger, our new shield of protection against the enemy’s encroachments. But if we don’t tag up with Him in time…
