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!
Talk about a set up. Generational sin tops the list. While we were still sleeping in the womb, minding our own business, the baleful result of Adam’s sin devastated us. That’s so unfair: We weren’t the ones who ate the apple! Nevertheless, we came into this world as separated from God as Adam became after his fall. We didn’t even know how strange, wrong and unnatural our birth was. Forget for a moment all the other sins we’ve been hit…
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Do you need forgiveness from someone? Sometimes it’s not so easy to get. Sometimes we’ve hurt another person so deeply, or for so many times, that they just can’t let it go. This may not be your need—and I hope it isn’t—but it could come in handy one day. Or, perhaps a friend needs to hear this. Either way, pass it on, or file it for safekeeping. But if it is you, then put it to work! Recently I was talking…
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Sometimes, doing nothing is the hardest thing of all. Derek Prince once said, “Ask a man to climb a mountain and he’s off before you finish talking. Ask him to wait at the foot of it and he can’t be found.” We hate to wait. We “die” if the line next to us moves faster. Let’s get on with it! Have you noticed, though, that waiting is not a small theme in scripture? Maybe we need to slow down and let the Lord catch up with us.Sometimes the thing we absolutely have to do in order to see God move..
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Don’t shy away from the adventure of a lifetime. What adventure? Your own life! The Lord has plans to lead us into a life filled with passion and purpose, but the “keeper at the gate” is almost always a pesky, little demon of fear, making the next step seem too risky. God says that He has not given us “a spirit of fear, but power, love and a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). You can have one side or the…
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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…
