Monthly Archives: October 2015

Tearing Down Strongholds


“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 KJV

The most critical battles we face on this earth are spiritual ones. Our battle is spiritual and our weapons to fight the battle are spiritual. The strongholds that keep people in bondage are not up somewhere in the heavens, but right down here in their heads! People are held captive by their thoughts, fears, beliefs and imaginations. Your mind is either yielded to the Spirit of God or it is yielded to the devil. If you follow after the lust and desires of your flesh—your carnal nature—you are submitting your mind and thoughts to the devil. Only the preaching of the Gospel and the anointing of the Holy Spirit can break through and destroy these strongholds.

Proverbs 23:7 says that as a man thinks in his heart—so is he.

Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever]. 7 [That is] because the mind of the flesh [with its carnal thoughts and purposes] is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God’s Law; indeed it cannot. Romans 8:6-7 AMP

Your victory, or defeat, starts and ends in your mind. A mind submitted to the flesh is hostile to God—it cannot and will not submit to God or His laws. Jesus came to destroy the work of the devil; to destroy yokes of bondage and carnal strongholds. In order to live free in your mind and destroy the strongholds, one must be submitted to Jesus and His word.

And you [He made alive], when you were dead (slain) by [your] trespasses and sins. 2 In which at one time you walked [habitually]. You were following the course and fashion of this world [were under the sway of the tendency of this present age], following the prince of the power of the air. [You were obedient to and under the control of] the [demon] spirit that still constantly works in the sons of disobedience [the careless, the rebellious, and the unbelieving, who go against the purposes of God]. 3 Among these we as well as you once lived and conducted ourselves in the passions of our flesh [our behavior governed by our corrupt and sensual nature], obeying the impulses of the flesh and the thoughts of the mind [our cravings dictated by our senses and our dark imaginings]. We were then by nature children of [God’s] wrath and heirs of [His] indignation, like the rest of mankind. Ephesians 2:1-3 AMP

When you follow the dictates of your flesh, because of the strongholds in your mind; when you follow the course and fashion of the current generation; you may think that you are making your own choices, but in reality, you are under the influence of demonic spirits and obedient to their whims. If you ever want to be free, you must begin to take hold of your thought life, your imagination and your feelings and submit them to God.

So this I say and solemnly testify in [the name of] the Lord [as in His presence], that you must no longer live as the heathen (the Gentiles) do in their perverseness [in the folly, vanity, and emptiness of their souls and the futility] of their minds. 18 Their moral understanding is darkened and their reasoning is beclouded. [They are] alienated (estranged, self-banished) from the life of God [with no share in it; this is] because of the ignorance (the want of knowledge and perception, the willful blindness) that is deep-seated in them, due to their hardness of heart [to the insensitiveness of their moral nature]. 19 In their spiritual apathy they have become callous and past feeling and reckless and have abandoned themselves [a prey] to unbridled sensuality, eager and greedy to indulge in every form of impurity [that their depraved desires may suggest and demand]. 20 But you did not so learn Christ! 21 Assuming that you have really heard Him and been taught by Him, as [all] Truth is in Jesus [embodied and personified in Him], 22 Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion; 23 And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude], 24 And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:17-24 AMP

If you want to truly walk in freedom, you have to make a concerted effort to renew your mind with the Word of God. You cannot do it by yourself or by your own willpower. You need to fill yourself up with the Word of God. The Word of God will transform your mind and heart, tear down the strongholds the enemy built in your mind, and protect your mind and heart from the onslaught of the enemy for the rest of your life, as long as you continue to abide in God’s word.

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:7 KJV

Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].

Romans 12:2 AMP

PERSECUTION FROM OLD FRIENDS

“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

So, since Christ suffered in the flesh for us, for you, arm yourselves with the same thought and purpose [patiently to suffer rather than fail to please God]. For whoever has suffered in the flesh [having the mind of Christ] is done with [intentional] sin [has stopped pleasing himself and the world, and pleases God], 2 So that he can no longer spend the rest of his natural life living by [his] human appetites and desires, but [he lives] for what God wills. 3 For the time that is past already suffices for doing what the Gentiles like to do—living [as you have done] in shameless, insolent wantonness, in lustful desires, drunkenness, reveling, drinking bouts and abominable, lawless idolatries. 4 They are astonished and think it very queer that you do not now run hand in hand with them in the same excesses of dissipation, and they abuse [you]. 5 But they will have to give an account to Him Who is ready to judge and pass sentence on the living and the dead.  1 Peter 4:1-5 AMP

Verse 1:
So, since Christ suffered in the flesh for us, for you, arm yourselves with the same thought and purpose [patiently to suffer rather than fail to please God]. For whoever has suffered in the flesh [having the mind of Christ] is done with [intentional] sin [has stopped pleasing himself and the world, and pleases God],

The sufferings of Christ make the strongest and best arguments against sin. Jesus Christ suffered in His flesh all for you and me—He died to destroy sin and its power over us. He cheerfully submitted to the worst sufferings, but never once did He yield to the least bit of sin. It was this suffering and bloodshed that purchased our freedom from sin. Since we know that He suffered so greatly in His quest to save you and me from our sins, should we not also strive with all our might to walk free from sin and walk in His ways from now on? Should we not also cease pleasing ourselves and our carnal nature and strive to rather please God?

Verse 2:
So that he can no longer spend the rest of his natural life living by [his] human appetites and desires, but [he lives] for what God wills.

If man was not already corrupt, temptations would not prevail. James 1:13-15 ERV says, “Whenever you feel tempted to do something bad, you should not say, “God is tempting me.” Evil cannot tempt God, and God himself does not tempt anyone. 14 You are tempted by the evil things you want. Your own desire leads you away and traps you. 15 Your desire grows inside you until it results in sin. Then the sin grows bigger and bigger and finally ends in death.”  True Christians make God’s will the rule for their lives and their actions—not their own lust or desires. When someone is truly born-again there is a wonderful, corresponding change that takes place in their heart and behavior! This change is seen in their attitude, their judgment, their conversation and their choices. The truly converted person is grieved over their past sin. He or she does not look back on his or her past life with any pride, joy or longing. As far as they are concerned, that was the old man who is now dead and their new man is now following hard after God alone.

Verse 3&4:
For the time that is past already suffices for doing what the Gentiles like to do—living [as you have done] in shameless, insolent wantonness, in lustful desires, drunkenness, reveling, drinking bouts and abominable, lawless idolatries. They are astonished and think it very queer that you do not now run hand in hand with them in the same excesses of dissipation, and they abuse [you].

Before you gave your life to Jesus, you lived a certain way—you lived an ungodly life. You may have thought of yourself as a basically “good” person, who just did a few small things wrong or you may truthfully acknowledge that you and your friends embraced sin fully and went all out to “enjoy” yourself and accommodate your flesh. Either way, you were all still sinners. Some of us have friends who also give their lives to the Lord around the time we do. Perhaps they find Jesus first and tell us the good news; sometimes we are the ones who lead them to the Lord. Many times though, you receive Jesus, but your friends think you are crazy. They think it’s weird that you don’t still hang out with them and do the things you do. They might tease you or mock you or even get angry with you and abuse you verbally or even physically.

You need to realize that they really don’t understand what has happened to you—their eyes have not yet been opened to the grace of God like yours have. You need to work to keep your heart right. Don’t be angry or offended at them and don’t allow the peer pressure to suck you back into your old, ungodly life-style. Just allow the love of God to rise up in you and know that you will come through this. If you don’t fight back and you show them love and forgiveness, you have a chance to win them for Jesus Christ.

Verse 5:
But they will have to give an account to Him Who is ready to judge and pass sentence on the living and the dead.

Always keep in mind that every person will need to give an account to Jesus Christ on the Day of Judgment. Do not try to fight your own battles. Trust the Lord to protect and vindicate you. If you do it God’s way and walk in the love of God, He will take care of your friends. Pray for them and trust the Holy Spirit to work a work in their hearts and lives!

 

OUR GIVING OF THANKS

“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

Just as we Americans have a Day of Thanksgiving in which we, and our families, pause to think about our blessings and give thanks to God for bringing us to this land and making us a nation, so Israel also had a Day of Thanksgiving. In Deuteronomy 26:1-19*, God gave them instructions, through Moses, on what they were to do and how they were to go about giving thanks to God.

1. God promised them their own land and they were to bring the first fruits of that land, as an offering, to where the presence of the Lord was:

Verses 1-2: When you have come into the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance and possess it and live in it, 2 You shall take some of the first of all the produce of the soil which you harvest from the land the Lord your God gives you and put it in a basket, and go to the place [the sanctuary] which the Lord your God has chosen as the abiding place for His Name [and His Presence].

2. They were to bring these first fruits and present it to the priest and make a confession to him of all that the Lord had done for them, their fathers, and their nation:

Verses 3-9: And you shall go to the priest who is in office in those days, and say to him, I give thanks this day to the Lord your God that I have come to the land which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us. 4 And the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God. 5 And you shall say before the Lord your God, A wandering and lost Aramean ready to perish was my father [Jacob], and he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and he became there a nation, great, mighty, and numerous. 6 And the Egyptians treated us very badly and afflicted us and laid upon us hard bondage. 7 And when we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, the Lord heard our voice and looked on our affliction and our labor and our [cruel] oppression; 8 And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm, and with great (awesome) power and with signs and with wonders; 9 And He brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.

3. They were to worship the Lord with their offering and rejoice in all the good which God had given them:

Verses 10-11: And now, behold, I bring the firstfruits of the ground which You, O Lord, have given me. And you shall set it down before the Lord your God and worship before the Lord your God; 11 And you and the Levite and the stranger and the sojourner among you shall rejoice in all the good which the Lord your God has given you and your household.

They brought the first fruits of all their crops and animals to God as evidence of their gratitude to Him. These offerings were used for Israel’s great feasts so that everyone could share and partake of the Lord’s goodness together.

4. The seventh year was a special Sabbath year and every third year of the six years between these years was a special year of tithing that went to help the poor, the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. The Israelites brought it before the Lord and made a confession of the integrity of this tithe:

Verses 12-14: When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce the third year, which is the year of tithing, and have given it to the Levite, the stranger and the sojourner, the fatherless, and to the widow, that they may eat within your towns and be filled, 13 Then you shall say before the Lord your God, I have brought the hallowed things (the tithe) out of my house and moreover have given them to the Levite, to the stranger and the sojourner, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed any of Your commandments, neither have I forgotten them. 14 I have not eaten of the tithe in my mourning [making the tithe unclean], nor have I handled any of it when I was unclean, nor given any of it to the dead. I have hearkened to the voice of the Lord my God; I have done according to all that You have commanded me.

5. Then they asked for God’s continued blessing – they asked Him to look down from Heaven and bless them and the land He had given them:

Verse 15: Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the land which You have given us as You swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.

6. The Israelites made a public declaration that they would continue to serve and obey the Lord their God:

Verses 16-17: This day the Lord your God has commanded you to do these statutes and ordinances. Therefore you shall keep and do them with all your [mind and] heart and with all your being. 17 You have [openly] declared the Lord this day to be your God, [pledging] to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes and His commandments and His precepts, and to hearken to His voice.

7. The Lord openly declared again to them His promise to always bless and keep them:

Verses 18-19: And the Lord has declared this day that you are His peculiar people as He promised you, and you are to keep all His commandments; 19 And He will make you high above all nations which He has made, in praise and in fame and in honor, and that you shall be a holy people to the Lord your God, as He has spoken.

In the same way, we should remember God’s goodness toward us by bringing our tithes and offerings. We should not bring it mindlessly, but we should remind ourselves of how good He has been to us, reiterate our commitment to Him, and remind ourselves of His promise to always bless and preserve us as well, so that He may continue to bless us and keep His promises to us.

*Amplified Bible