No
Longer Bound The Power to Break Free
Whether we
want to admit it or not, most of us have
received emotional wounds from the
pathways of our past. From the moment of
our birth, the sparks began to fly. We
were born and raised in a cruel,
imperfect world where wounds came
easily. We also have the trial of our
faith, which compounds the pain. We may
have even picked up some addictions or
bondages along the way, which we must
deal with constructively. It’s not God’s
will for us to be in bondage to our
past. We must break free!
No matter
who we are—businessperson, salesperson,
blue collar, construction worker,
computer whiz, student, professional,
homemaker, mother, father, husband, or
wife; life can be ruthless, brutal, and
challenging to cope with at times. On
the outside, we may look good by putting
on a mask to cover the hurt, but the
fact remains: the wound is still there
and festering.
Whether you
require healing or deliverance, the
first step is to believe in God’s desire
and will for you to be whole. He desires
this in every area of your life. God’s
intention in saving us was to heal us,
body, soul, and spirit. The apostle Paul
makes this abundantly clear in his first
epistle to the Thessalonians.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may
the God of peace Himself sanctify you
completely; and may your whole spirit,
soul, and body be preserved blameless at
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Salvation
involves more than saving man's soul; it
means total salvation for spirit, soul,
and body. The Greek words for “saved”
and “salvation” are "Sozo" and
"Soteria," which reveal to us clearly,
God’s desire to save us spirit, soul,
and body.
These words
mean to save, deliver, protect, heal,
preserve, do well, be or make whole, and
rescue or safety.
It may be
that you have been in a state of denial
and have not wanted to face the ugly
wounds of your past. If this is so, you
will need to acknowledge openly and
confess your wounds.
It’s time to
make straight paths for your feet by
facing the wound's ugliness and
receiving the needed healing. The Holy
Spirit desires to shine a light on areas
you have been hiding or hurting from,
but He needs your cooperation.
Luke 8:17 For nothing
is secret that will not be revealed, nor
anything hidden that will not be known
and come to light.
Because we
all tend to excuse ourselves so readily,
it's hard to discern the areas of
oppression in our lives. After all,
these are our thoughts, attitudes, and
perceptions. Moreover, we tend to
justify and defend our opinions with the
same degree of intensity with which we
justify and defend ourselves.
When
identifying your strongholds, survey or
examine the attitudes in your heart.
Every area in your thinking that
glistens with hope in God is an area
that Christ is liberating. But on the
other hand, any system of thought
without hope but feeling hopeless is a
stronghold that needs pulling down.
When we
allow places of darkness to remain,
Satan can operate and wreak havoc in our
lives. These strongholds become his base
of operations from which he launches his
attacks. Ephesians 4:27 tells us not to
give place to the devil. Notice that it
says we are the ones who give him a
place of operation. Are you giving Satan
a base to operate by not surrendering to
God’s authority? The devil flees when we
submit to God.
Are you
committed to tearing down your
strongholds where Satan is still
wreaking havoc? As the following
Scripture shows, God has given you the
authority and power to defeat and drive
Satan’s influence from every area of
your life.
Luke 10:19
"Behold, I give you authority to trample
on serpents and scorpions, and over all
the power of the enemy, and nothing
shall by any means hurt you.
Our
obedience to God’s Word brings us
freedom and deliverance. It puts us in a
position to punish Satan by bringing
every thought into captivity to the
obedience of Christ.
Satan has
nowhere to stand when we apply God’s
truth. We are pulling the rug out from
under his feet, which causes him to be
thrown off balance as he hurls his darts
at us. They miss the mark, which helps
us to break free and continue our
journey without being bogged down by our
past. The weight is lifted, wound is
healed, the bondage is broken, and we
are now ready to pursue our destiny and
purpose without weights holding
us back.
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