Devotional Song: Go to this link – to see a video of a poignant song written and sung by Nichole Nordeman, Finally Free, showing us, as Christians, that we can walk in freedom from the strongholds of sin which bind us if we’re willing to surrender to God’s power and use His grace to break the chains and walk free. … And then to this link - to meditate on the powerful D-Day, “See you on the beach,” sequence taken from the movie Saving Private Ryan , … where the Allied forces where trying to take the stronghold established by the Germans.
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Highlight Passage: 2nd Corinthians 10: 3-5 … [When we try to fight fleshly strongholds with fleshly weapons, there will be much carnage. ] … [NLT]
3 We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. 4 We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. 5 We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.
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Highlight Passage: 2nd Corinthians, Chapter 10 … GO TO THIS LINK … [NLT] …
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Reference Passage #1: Ephesians 6: 10-20 … Go to this link … {NLT] ... [Every day we need to use God’s full armor to do battle against the strongholds established by the enemy .]
Reference Passage #2: 2nd Corinthians 12: 1-10 … Go to this link … [NLT] ... [Yielding to God’s grace is the only way to tear down strongholds in our lives.]
My Journal for Today: Well over a decade ago God called this humble soldier to establish a ministry to help wounded Christians walk free from the bondage of habitual sexual sin in their lives [see this link to see Battle Plan Ministry – http://battleplanministries.org ]. These men, whom I now encounter daily, are bound by the chains of their own desires and habits. But when they discover that God’s grace gives them the weapons and the power to break free from their own chains of desire, they walk as the picture attached depicts! And when/if they’re willing to surrender to God’s Spirit in their hearts, they can break those habitual chains and feel the power and freedom which God’s grace can provide. It’s as Nichole Nordeman sings in the song linked above; … we can finally be free!
But how?
Sometimes we have these strong, fleshly embedded strongholds of habitual sin, which seem to have us bound up and weaken our walk with/for the Lord. Addictive sexual sin beachheads are not the only ones which Satan uses to chain us to our selves. Some may have self-abusive drug addictions or maybe some are bound by the drive for power or fame. All of these become idols which have us chained to ourselves. And we must learn, as the highlight passage above declares, that these strongholds which weaken and bind us cannot be broken by weapons of the flesh (see the passages from 2nd Cor. 10 and Ephesians 6 linked above).
NO!!! … I have an old bit of “Berryology,” which I try to impart to those I’m led to mentor; and it is this: You can’t fight the flesh in the flesh!!!” In other words, to fight the strongholds or beachheads of sin which we’ve allowed Satan to establish in our lives, we can’t do what is depicted in that D-day sequence (linked above) from the movie, Saving Private Ryan. Going against strongholds of sin, using weapons of the flesh, will produce what you see in that D-day movie clip, … utter carnage.
SO, … how do WE do battle? How do we break the chains of habitual sin and walk free as depicted in the attached photo? … Well Paul, who wrote the wonderful full-armor, stand-and-fight, sequence in Ephesians 6: 10-20 or the deal-with-pain passage in 2nd Cor. 12: 1-10 [both linked above for your study], certainly knew about intense fleshly struggles and painful spiritual warfare. In fact, he was imprisoned when he wrote many of the break-free letters which we now have in the New Testament.
And Paul wrote to various groups of Christians with the overarching battle-field instructions that the only way to stand against a sin stronghold or to break free from the beachheads which we’ve allowed Satan to have in our lives, is to surrender to, receive, and use God’s weapons of grace. Christ, by His death on the cross and His resurrection power, has given any Christian the power to break the chains and to walk free from the prisons of self-induced sin. BUT [and it’s a BIG “BUT”] … we’ve got to be willing to receive and use that resurrection power, which our Lord gives freely to anyone who’s willing to surrender and use it to overcome those strongholds in our lives.
So, my friend, let’s strap on God’s full armor, take up His sword of the Spirit, and march to His high ground of prayer today. And let’s do battle in Christ’s Name to break free from the chains which bind us.
My Prayer for Today … Lord, I’m dressed and ready for battle. Be with me today as I walk in Your freedom. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online blog entitled Today God Is First [TGIF], authored by Os Hillman. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you’ll find a link to read Hillman’s TGIF blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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