Recently we had someone share with
us a story of their deliverance from lies that they had believed for so many
years that these lies had literally become a stronghold in their life. It was interesting to hear that a
Christian can actually come to a place where they need deliverance from
spiritual oppression. It got me wondering about lies that I know I have let
myself believe. Lies that I’ve let creep in, but they reveal themselves in
subtle ways, so in the moment it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. I know
that something about my thinking isn’t right, but I don’t recognize that it’s
an urgent need to get it out. I don’t want to ever let those things become a
stronghold in my life. I don’t
even want to let them be a foothold! Then I realized that in any area that I have
believed lies I am not walking in the FREEDOM that Christ has given me.. (For
freedom Christ has set me free. Gal.5:1) Struggling with the “works mentality”
isn’t freedom, or even insecurities that I have about who I am to God. When I think that I must strive to do
good for God to love me more that is incorrect. It’s a lie that if I don’t take
captive and put it into obedience to Jesus Christ can and does completely alter
my entire life. It changes the way I pursue God, my focus, my confidence..
EVERYTHING! And the thing is, is that we have a choice. Christ has given us the
choice to walk in absolute freedom! We need to claim it, and to continually be
on guard, and keep watch for the things that “so easily entangle us.”
After that night I asked God to
reveal to me the areas in my life that I’m not walking in freedom. I guess I
was just expecting God to whisper them to me and then I would somehow surrender
them back to Him. As I sat there in silence for a while and heard nothing, I
figured that He would reveal them to me in time. It was weird; because I knew that there were areas that I
wasn’t free, but I couldn’t seem to pin point them for the life of me.
It wasn’t until last night that I
realized God will probably allow me to face them as trials to actually be set
free from them. I must overcome them through Christ! I walked through one last
night.=) It makes me laugh to give you this example, because it is something so
small. But I learned something beautiful from it! One of my teammates asked me
if she could borrow some of my clothes and inside it just pushed my button. I
don’t really like to borrow clothes, and I really don’t like to lend them. So I put on a smile, but inside I was
burning… I was thinking to myself, “Maybe I should just communicate to her that
this is one of my pet peeves, so lets just not go there.” But then in my Spirit
I heard the verse “lend without expecting anything in return.” I cringed inside.
“But I don’t want to…” Cried my flesh! And then I heard Him tell me, “What
part of crucifying your flesh sounds easy? What part of it sounds like it would
feel good? Sometimes that burning inside is the best thing for you, because
it’s a burning of His fire that is refining us and making us look more like Christ.
We are a slave to whatever masters us, and although it was something so small
it totally got to me. God allowing me to walk through this, however, made me
see the freedom in being generous; then when people ask me for something I can
use that as an opportunity to show them Christ’s love instead of allowing it to
be an opportunity for the enemy to steal my joy. Purify me O God, refine me in
that fire!
Those who belong to Christ Jesus
have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Gal. 5:24
If anyone would come after me, he
must DENY himself daily, take up his cross and follow me. Mark 8:34
Blows that wound cleanse away evil;
strokes make clean the innermost parts. Proverbs 20:30 (pain=growth, purity,
intimacy)
