All of us struggle with something, and some of us have been struggling with that same thing for a long time. These struggles can be referred to as strongholds that keep us from seeing the true knowledge of God. Some examples of these strongholds are pride, low self-esteem, jealousy, fear, hatred, defeated or ashamed feelings, depressed, hopelessness, worrying, doubt, insecurities, addictions (of any kind), unforgiveness, condemnation, confusion, and unbelief. These are just some examples of how the enemy uses strongholds to manipulate Christians and keep the believer from seeing the truth about God. Strongholds cause a division between God and us.
Paul tells the Corinthian church that his objective, the Christian objective, is to knock down and destroy strongholds ( 2 Cor. 10:3–6). The Message Bible uses the word “barrier” for strongholds, and according to scripture, we are to crush those barriers that keep us from seeing God and being obedient to Him. But how? How do we crush barriers?
• Understand that we’re in a spiritual fight. These barriers (strongholds) are spiritual. We battle in the spirit realm. No, we don’t fight against people. We fight against Satan and his angels. We fight against evil rulers of the unseen world, mighty satanic beings, and great evil darkness who rule this world ( Eph. 6:10–12).
• Know how our enemy attacks. Our faithful foe doesn’t fight fair. So, he will use anything and anyone to get our thoughts off God. The devil loves causing a division between the Creator and creation. That’s been his goal since Genesis. The enemy is an opportunist, who prowls around watching us. He studies us and knows our weaknesses, what we enjoy, and what we struggle with. He knows how to hit us where it hurts. Satan is very clever. So, we must keep our guards up ( 1 Pet. 5:8).
• Use our weapons to crush those barriers. God has given us effective and efficient weapons that we must use to crush those strongholds. We have weapons of mass destruction, which is the Word of God, fasting, prayer, faith, praise, and worship. Every believer has access to these weapons. God has given them to us; however, we have to use them.
As Christians, our battles are spiritual. Therefore, we must give God control. Know our opponent and how he fights. Satan is our opponent, and he fights dirty. So, we have to guard our hearts, and we must use our barrier crushers to fight against him. With God’s help, we can tear down those barriers. My sister, stand against the enemy, using the God-given weapons to crush those strongholds.
Walking in Freedom!
Rhovonda Brown
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At Least Say, “Thank You!”
Rhovonda Brown
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Today’s devotional is drawn from Rhovonda Brown’s Walking in Freedom .
I am humbly grateful for opportunities to stand and speak on God’s behalf. Here are some of topics I speaks on to empower God’s people to walk in freedom:
Accepting the Call
Face Your Giant
Giving Your All
God’s Timing
Limitations
Limitations
Prayer
Promises of God
Spiritual Infirmities
Transition Meets Opposition
Walking in Freedom!
Wanna Be Happy? (Keys to Happiness)
Don’t see a specific topic? No worries. I can create a topic that will go perfectly with your event’s theme. Email me today.
Join Rhovonda on this freedom journey. She speaks at conferences, workshops, seminars, retreats, church events, Bible studies, and youth events, etc. She would be honored to be a part of your next event. To invite Rhovonda to speak at, participate in, or host your next gathering complete the Request Form below.
We look forward to encouraging you on your Christian journey!
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