Allow Christ to Remove the Shackles & Release your Heart
Counsel on Overcoming Sin
What do you do when you love the Lord and yet you are under the control of a stronghold of sin in your life?
Let’s talk about it… For I have good news…His love has made it possible to be loosed from those chains that bind you.
Jesus came to set the captives free, those who were held under bondage of sin. To those who received Him as Lord He gave the power over sin. Yet this power or ability to overcome sin is not just a gift nor an extension of power…It is the very nature of God Himself.
Look at II Peter 1:3-4. Does it not say, we are partakers of his divine nature?
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
1 Corinthians 6:17 says:
“But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.”
Believers, we were joined in union with the Spirit of Christ.
It is the ability of Christ in us that enables us to overcome.
Colossians 2:10 states that ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power…
In Romans 7 Paul cries out “Who will deliver me from this state of captivity to sin? ” …And exclaims to us the answer: “Thanks be to Jesus Christ!”
We need to realize that “We can do all things through Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:13) This, first of all, refers to His ability to help us overcome the flesh nature that seems to have us bound.
The wonderful thing that God did for us was not to have us contend with the flesh, and then, when we were righteous enough, fill us with His Spirit; Rather, He took the penalty for sin and its consequences and paid them in full so that sin has no claim upon us. Romans 5:19b tells us: “through the obedience of the one shall the many be made righteous.” This refers to Jesus’s obedience to go to the cross to die for the salvation of man. God made believers righteous because we now stand on the righteousness of Jesus.
Being made righteous in Christ, He then put the Spirit of Christ in union with us. We, as a new creature have been reconciled to God through Christ. (II Cor 5:17-18a). A union of our spirit with Christ has taken place. (I Cor 6:17)
We can then work together to overcome the flesh from within. The flesh is no longer a problem once we acknowledge the Spirit of Christ within us, for His intent is to make us holy, one step at a time.
We can only be Holy through Him…
And remain Holy through Him working within us.
We grow in holiness even as we grow in our relationship with Him. Where I am weak, He is my strength, and His grace is sufficient.
Let’s look at II Cor 12:9…
“And He hath said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
As we take our shortcomings to Him and ask for His help, He engages the problem with us. Regardless of how many times we fail, He does not condemn us; Rather, He is there to join us time and time again until we have victory over the problem. He brings us to the next problem and deals with it until we conquer it, and then to the next problem, and the next. We are his workmanship (Eph 2:10), and He will be faithful to give us victory over all sin.
If you have already read my chapter Bad News and Good News, this is the reality of my song! Did I not title it, Time and Time again?
A stronghold can be overcome by the same method:
It is only a stronghold because we have given it authority in our lives… and it, therefore, resists our weak efforts to refuse it place. It has become exercised by use and grown strong by exercise and must be brought low by giving it into the hands of the Greater One Who Indwells Us. He met this problem (and all others) on the cross and stripped it of its power. Confronted by Christ it will quickly bend its knee to its Lord.
Freely submitting it to Christ is not to give up your need to fight by His side. You have your part to play. You need to come to understand why the problem has been readily attached to you, and why it is so difficult to get rid of.
If you had not had “a need”, you would never have endorsed “the problem” as a solution to your need.
Let me explain:
When one is lonely for a mate, he has a need within himself that he desires to fulfill. It is easy to substitute Lust for a need To Be Loved. The problem with this substitute is that it opens the door to a spirit of lust, which can constantly present thoughts to your mind throughout the day. You opened the door to lust “as a substitute” to meet a deeper longing, a need, within your soul. A substitute may meet a need for a season, but it cannot fulfill the need. You need, therefore, more and more of the substitute to take your mind off “your real need” which isn’t being met. Soon the soul becomes addicted to the substitute, and the substitute becomes a stronghold. This can apply to a woman lonely for a mate too, for I speak from experience in my example.
By turning to Christ, who can meet all your needs, you begin to receive what your soul really needs. As the need gets met, bit by ever-increasing bit, the hold of the substitute becomes weaker and ever weaker until it is no longer a stronghold, but merely a constant temptation. As your relationship grows in Christ, even the temptation then loses its appeal. Soon you are free! Hallelujah!
The Love for God grows within you as your relationship with Christ grows within. Jesus says in John 14 that if we love Him, we will keep his commandments and that the Spirit aids us, and the Father will love and abide in us.
An increasing love for Christ gives you the fulfillment necessary to deny the substitute because you no longer need it. It has lost its appeal to you. The spirit of lust which you readily listened to has lost its ability to influence you; And, apart from you opening the door for it, it has no power and certainly no authority of its own to force you to listen.
I have heard testimony of people who have been “instantly delivered” from their strongholds, for yes, the Lord does do this; but more often than not, a stronghold will leave as your relationship to Christ deepens, as I mentioned. Otherwise, if a house is swept clean, and nothing is in its place… meaning you haven’t allowed the Lord to replaced “the substitute”, the demonic or sinful hold, with himself… then demons can bring in more, and an even greater stronghold can become present in one’s life. Be very mindful of this.
Let me explain further from Luke 11:
Luke 11: 21-22, describes in scripture, that which happens, when the substitute is replaced with the Lord:
“When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.”
The strong man armed that keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace, refers to Satan’s comfortable “stronghold” in your life. He thinks He has you, my friend. BUT “a stronger than he”, which is the Spirit of Christ, now working within the believer, IS STRONGER THAN HE, and he shall come upon him and OVERCOME HIM, stripping Satan’s armour away, and dividing his spoils!
Notice the words of “internal warfare”!! Yes, we can feel it! And thereby we can “cooperate” with God when we recognize what is happening! God is bringing freedom to you one stronghold-down at a time, or all at once! Depends on how much place you are giving Him! Are we giving more attention to the Lord, or to sin, in our lives? The Spirit is telling me that this verse has been a mystery to many until now. So, grab hold of its meaning!
Let’s look at what happens in “deliverance”, which is mentioned in the very next verses:
Luke 11: 23-26 tells us:
“He that is not with me, is against me: And he that gathereth not with me, scattereth. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and fining none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”
That first part of the verse, between vs 22 and vs 24 appears, at first glance, to be non-related, but it is THE KEY! Friend, you are being told that if a stronghold departed, as a result of “a deliverance”… you’d better be “with him” and “gathering” from then on… for he is going to view you as against him and scattering. IF you haven’t replaced the area sin or a demonic hold “held in your life” with THE LORD, then guess what? You are warned that “you are in a dangerous place”… so repent… because if that spirit, brings with him other spirits, and find your house (life) swept clean… meaning the Lord is not “occupying those places” with himself… then more wicked spirits will come back in and the state you’re in now, will get worse.
Satan has led many believers – to believing – that God didn’t “really deliver them”… but He Did! It was they, who didn’t replace the place that was “left empty” with “going after God”, so this enabled even more strongholds. Do you see it? Oh, I pray that I you do.
It is never too late, to come back to God through Christ, and begin to “cooperate” with the Spirit of God and become totally free! You have hope, now that you understand, right? (smile)
I feel I should give some practical help now, to take your newly acquired knowledge a step further, toward your victory:
I hear the question:
How does a Believer enter into a relationship with the Spirit of Christ who indwells them? Simply by acknowledging His presence. All the crying for mercy and begging for forgiveness, all the fasting and praying, all the altar calls and the laying on of hands can not do what acknowledging the presence of Christ in you will do. For once you “know” His presence within you, you will begin to grow in faith that He will never leave nor forsake you. He will never give up on you. You’re one in spirit, if you’re a Believer.
Whatever the weakness or lack that made way for whatever substitute you embraced, He can begin to fill that need, and be the strength in place of that weakness.
He brings you to the place wherein you embrace Him in love… He then removes the substitute from you, and He takes its place. Once He takes its place, it cannot return until He has been removed.
You may stumble and fall, but He is ready to forgive and strengthen you, again and again, enabling you to walk more perfect day by day.
The day will indeed come when you are more than a conqueror! You become able to minister the salvation you experienced to another, and in doing so, you become a deliverer… not The Deliverer, but a deliverer in His Name!
You become able to display and share that love that made you an overcomer to another… sowing the seed of victory into their life!… Certainly, giving them hope!
Now, some more insight:
You can simply acknowledge Christ’s indwelling you by sitting quiet and thinking of His presence in you. You quiet your thoughts and just acknowledge Him. You do not have to praise Him nor address Him in any way. Simply acknowledge His presence. Allow Him to address your quieted mind and bear witness to Himself. You may not be able to quiet your mind for more than a minute at a time at first, but eventually, you will be able to grow in time and in His presence. I usually start by reading and pondering the written Word of God first, or playing a worship song at my piano, and as the Spirit of Christ begins to minister to me, I then quiet myself for the Spirit to continue to communicate with me, at a deeper level of intimacy. When you “practice His Presence”, over the years, soon you can be anywhere, doing anything, being busy or quieted, and know how to “tune in” and hear his counsel within clearly. But for newbies to this spiritual discipline, try to go alone and quiet yourself, for you he will teach you personally how to hear his voice. I promise. I often write out my prayers, as a way “to focus”, and then I journal what he speaks to my spirit. In the reading back over what I’ve journaled, even some time later, I am given greater clarity. I realize that He speaks in different ways to each of us. My husband hears in a different way, than I… but he still has to “tune in” to God, to hear. We all do.
He will make Himself known to you. He will bear witness to Himself. He will establish Himself by addressing the foundation of the Word that you know. In time, He will ever increase that foundation of the Word through a personal revelation of the Word to you in your quiet time. He will establish the Word, line upon line, precept upon precept. The Spirit of Christ will begin to connect passages, concepts, chapters, verses, until you see his tapestry of truth clearer and clearer in your spirit.
By acknowledging His presence and abiding in his word, you open the door for Him to abide in you. By being quiet you give Him the place to address you through the thoughts of your spirit. He will speak to you through your spirit, and He will speak so clearly at times that you will hear it as if He spoke to you audibly.
Be persistent and your diligence will be rewarded.
Remember He has already made you righteous and acceptable to Him. He is waiting for you to invite Him into your daily life and into your thoughts.
The scripture, Rev 3:20-21, is your invitation:
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”
This is a standing invitation for you to fellowship with Christ, and He “will knock” when He wants to speak to you. When you feel that tug within your spirit, quiet yourself. It’s important. He has something for you.
From this passage is an awareness, also, that the “dining with him”… i.e. your fellowship together… leads to your overcoming. This Revelation scripture connects fellowship with Christ with overcoming, doesn’t it.
Once you begin to experience the Lord in your life, you will find that the power of the world’s influence will begin to fade. Sin will lose its deceitfulness, for you will know The Truth, Christ’s voice within.
He desires to utterly consume you, to the point you can know the reality of Galatians 2:20:
“I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me.”
This was the whole point of the gospel: “Christ in you, The Hope of Glory!” Let me share the exact scripture Colossians 1:27 which declares:
“To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
The glory is the manifested presence of Christ in your life. Hallelujah!
It is not difficult. In all things you acknowledge Him.
When you are lonely, turn to Him for comfort. It may not seem to meet the need of the soul immediately, but it will give The Life that the soul craves. The Soul must learn to adjust… over a period of time …to receive from the Spirit of Life that which is lacking. As that Life begins to quicken your soul, it becomes more-and-more ready to turn to the Spirit for its needs. It becomes more “spirit dependent” than “flesh dependent”, to the point that it is ready to be led by the spirit and not the desires of the flesh.
Think of all I just taught you and now look at Galatians 5:16 in new light. It gives you the key in a sentence:
“This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
Let this scripture become a reality for you.
It is a process that you put into motion. And it is a process that you “cooperate” with God in. God has done all that He can do on your behalf until you begin to acknowledge what Christ has done and begin to walk in it. As you begin to walk in it, the Spirit of Christ will then begin working anew in your life in a very personal way.
You and He are meant to walk through this life “together”.
Seriously, you and I “can’t” go it alone…
Satan HAS to BE OVERCOME by the Spirit of God and Christ!
Satan will always reign over that which is not submitted to God… whether we refer to individual lives or that which is going on in the world.
In closing, I want to share a song that I recently recorded, just with my voice, so emphasis could be on the words. This song was actually written in 1529 by Martin Luther, a father of the faith. Clearly, as you listen and view the message of this old hymn, you discern that Luther walked with God, and was acquainted with the war between Satan and God, good and evil. To think that we in modern day can benefit from what he wrote centuries ago boggles my mind! Oh, the workings of the Holy Spirit! He never ceases to amaze!
The Spirit of God knew we’d need to hear its message, in these end times, so the song existed and “remained alive”. As I had sung at my piano in worship, from an old hymnal I had bought at a yard sale, the song ministered to my own spirit in a profound way, and then I felt prompted by The Spirit to record it… to bring its truth TO YOU!… to modern day! If it, in turn, ministers to you, please share its link, via the share button, with your friends. Help me “communicate” what God desires communicated.
Here is the link. Just press the play button: