Welcome to part two of your ticket to freedom! Yesterday, we explored three areas of our lives in which Satan often attacks in order to block us from the abundant life Christ came to give us. Know that he is relentless. When we seek victory in one area, we can be sure he is planning his attack on another area of our lives. However, we need not fear.
This message is not simply to reveal the enemy’s schemes, but more importantly to reveal to you the victory and freedom you have through the Holy Spirit and through the Word of God. I want to help you gain an understanding of what may be hindering your life, but I also want to encourage you apply the remedy from God’s Word. I promise that when you read and apply His Word, you WILL experience victory!
Relationships
In the beginning, God created man and saw that it was not good for him to be alone. God made a companion for him, but He also created the plan for all of us to have various kinds of relationships with each other on this earth, including friendships and eventually the body of believers.
It is not good for us to be lonely, but we draw strength from each other. We were not created to exist in isolation, but rather to thrive in community. We learn more about the qualities of God as we develop deeper relationships with His children. That is why we are exhorted not to neglect each other, but rather to love and serve each other in the Lord. As a matter of fact…
“The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” Galatians 5:14
God’s plan for relationships is described in many Scriptures, but this one is very clear concerning the church body:
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing but let us encourage one another – all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24
Relationships are intended to be helpful in our walk with the Lord, but unfortunately, not all relationships are ideal. Some leave us feeling empty, disappointed, hurt, afraid, and alone. Too often people find themselves trapped in a relationship that is abusive or controlling. Some are caught up with big bullies who push others around to assert their need for dominance.
Some people live in stifling situations where they are constantly the target of hurtful and damaging words rooted in out-of-control anger and rage. As the saying goes, “Hurting people hurt people.” Some are so caught up in their own dysfunction that they do not know how to nurture someone else’s feelings. They can rip a person’s heart apart like it is nothing.
Have you ever felt the sting of betrayal? I have, and it is not an easy thing to forgive or forget. This will strain or even sever relationships.
As The Carpenters sang back in my childhood days, “We go on hurting each other, breaking each other’s hearts, making each other cry, tearing each other apart.” Why is that? Why do we treat each other so badly sometimes? For some, the hurt is beyond description, and it has caused the heart to harden in defense.
If you are in a dysfunctional relationship currently, I urge you to seek professional help. Do not settle for this kind of life. If you are able, my advice is to love and respect yourself enough to set healthy boundaries. It is not unChristlike to draw a firm line in the sand, but it must be done in a spirit of love and reconciliation, bathed with much prayer. It may take some tough love to see change take place, but you do not have to endure abuse of any kind. That is not God’s way or His plan for you.
If you are in an unsatisfying relationship, do not fret, and do not settle. Rather, invest in that relationship. Pray, communicate, serve, and love. Research and learn all you can do to improve how you interact with that person.
I cannot address relationship issues without also recommending that we choose our friends carefully. Follow the best example, and that is Jesus. He had two circles of relationships. In the outer circle, He was friendly and showed love to everyone. No one was excluded from that circle. As with us, there is a dark world that needs to see the light of Jesus through us, and we must be willing to take that light where it is needed most.
However, Jesus chose His inner circle of friends very carefully. He was selective when he decided on the twelve men who would share intimately in His ministry. Similarly, our inner circles must also be closed to poor influences. We must be mindful of who has access to our lives by taking the same care Jesus did when choosing our closest friends. We can easily be swayed into a lukewarm relationship with our Lord by giving in to pressure from ungodly influences. Never allow another person to extinguish your fire for God.
“Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for ‘bad company corrupts good character.’” 1 Corinthians 15:33 NLT
Hurts
This is an extension of the category of relationships, but hurts often lead to anger, resentment, unforgiveness, brokenness, and bitterness. When we feel we have been treated unfairly or disgraced, we can be rendered virtually paralyzed by these emotions.
Have you been hurt? Do you carry secrets of abuse or pain deep in your heart? Have you been wounded by words or rejection that have left you broken? Has someone given you the impression that you are unlovable, or that there is something wrong with you?
You are not alone in your emotional pain. When Jesus lived on this earth in bodily form, He experienced every kind of hurt, rejection, and abuse you can imagine. He truly understands how we feel. When He sees us hurt, He hurts with us. However, He also offers complete healing and restoration so that we no longer have to bear the burden of bitterness.
Psalms 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Go ahead; take your hurts to Jesus. Don’t bear them any longer. Receive His comfort and healing. Let His presence be a healing balm for your heart, and then you will be in the position to comfort someone with their pain.
“He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” 2 Corinthians 1:4 NLT
The remedy for a bitter heart is to love above all things, and to forgive as Christ has forgiven us.
Let it go!
You may ask, “How can I forgive what that person has done to me?” Understand that forgiving does not mean that you are saying that what they did was all right or that they have permission to do it again. It does not mean that you have no right to set boundaries or to protect yourself from future occurrences. It is simply saying that you are letting it go and moving on, that you are not going to let the poison of bitterness take root in your heart any longer. You are leaving it in God’s hands and trust that He will take care of it in His perfect way. You are allowing yourself to have peace.
“Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
‘I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,’
says the Lord.” Romans 12:17-19 NLT
I will pay them back,’
says the Lord.” Romans 12:17-19 NLT
Forgiveness is such an important topic to Jesus that He instructed us that if we have something wrong in a relationship, we are to go and make it right before we bring our gifts to the altar. (Matthew 5:23-24) As a matter of fact, if we refuse to forgive others, our own sins will not be forgiven. (Matthew 6:14-15) If God can forgive us for all we have done, we can also forgive others.
Forgive and be free!
The flesh
Yes, I am going there! What can keep us bound more than our out-of-control flesh?
Proverbs 25:28 says, “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.”
When we allow the Holy Spirit to live through us, one of the fruits we bear is self-control. However, when we do not use it, we become defenseless like a city without walls, and are vulnerable to defeat from our out of control appetites.
When we sow seeds of the flesh, we reap death. The Bible says that those who are controlled by the sinful nature cannot even please God. However, when we live by the Spirit, we “will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” When we belong to Christ, our sinful nature has been crucified. So, why do we continue to follow after the cravings of our old nature? When we walk after the Spirit, we walk in freedom and newness of life. And the very same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives inside of us!
Read Galatians5:16-25 and Romans8:1-17 for in-depth study of walking in the Spirit as opposed to walking after the flesh. I guarantee that if you read and apply these Scriptures, you will be set free!
With fear and reverence of God, let us walk in obedience, not in a legalistic adherence to the law, but according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit that leads us into life and Godliness. Let us take a very careful inventory and allow the Holy Spirit to purge these things from our lives so that we can walk in the freedom and victory that belong to us.
- Sin – Repent and get it out of your life. We must not allow it hold us in its chains any longer. When God looks at our hearts, He sees the robe of righteousness with which Jesus covers us. When we are in Christ, there is no condemnation, only grace. However, when we have disobedience in our lives, it keeps us from living in freedom. We cannot live the life God intended for us if we continue to hold on to sin. It is so much better to live within God’s boundaries!
- Idols – What are the things in our lives that we have allowed to give us the comfort and pleasure we seek rather than turning to God? Why do we continue to try to meet our needs in places that may offer temporary pleasure but can never really satisfy?
“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” Jeremiah 2:13
Why do we do this? Why do we turn to:
- Food?
- Alcohol?
- Porn?
- TV, Facebook, cell phones, other electronics?
- Spending?
- Habits – Our daily habits and routines directly affect the quality and destiny of our lives. This can include everything from getting up early, to the way we dress, speak, or think, our work ethic, and our health practices.
Negative habits can cause such a stronghold in us that keep us from being all God created us to be. It is ironic that discipline and self-control are the very tools to help us be free. They are not restrictions, but they are navigational beacons that protect us and guide us into the path of freedom. We must discipline ourselves, by the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, to develop positive habits that bring glory to God and success to our lives.
If you struggle with any of these areas of captivity, you are missing out on the full and blessed life God has planned for you. But, there is hope!
God CAN set you free!
God WANTS to set you free!
God WILL set you free, if you will allow Him!
