Three years ago, I stepped into the office of my counselor. Nervous and excited (but mostly nervous) I was there to discuss my past relationships with men. I was there to figure out how to forgive myself for the sins of my past. I was there to talk about my ex-boyfriends and the issues in our relationships. Boy, was I surprised when my counselor threw me a curve ball. We spent the majority of the time talking about the messages, rather the lies, I had come to believe about myself, about forgiveness, about relationships, and about God.
Our wounds produce the messages we believe.
These messages are exactly what the enemy wants us to believe, defend, and keep alive. As we defend these messages daily through our actions and thoughts, we give the enemy victory. But here’s the truth: the only power Satan has over us is the power that we give him.
I don’t know your story, I don’t know how you’ve been hurt in the past, and I don’t know how you may even be hurt in the future. But God does. God has messages for you to hear, too. He’s waiting for you to trade in those evil messages that try to control you. He wants to exchange those messages for His messages of affirmation, love, beauty, strength, boldness, self-worth, and perfection in Him.
Paul defines our methods of war against the enemy and his lies in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to DEMOLISH STRONGHOLDS <aka the messages, the lies>. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
So these weapons with which we fight…what are they? They are the spiritual armor of God found in Ephesians 6:14-17: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.
So how do we gear up? I believe before we try to pile on all of the armor, we have to get rid of the stinky, smelly, worn-out rags we’ve been wearing until now. They stink! I encourage you to spend time today taking off those rags, removing those messages or lies that you’ve come to believe. Some of the strongholds in your life may be apparent and some you may not know. Ask God to reveal them to you. Ask Him to remove the rags, to cleanse you, and prepare you for the future battles waged in your mind and in your heart. David writes in Psalm 34:4, “I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” He will deliver you, too. All you must do is surrender your strongholds to Him, and let Him heal your heart.
Praise Him,
Carissa
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Let’s Pray
Heavenly Father, we praise You for the power You have and the power You’ve given to us through Your son, Jesus. Father, the enemy’s lies are all around us; reveal those lies to us. Help us to denounce each and every one of the strongholds in our lives, surrendering them to You. Take them, Lord, they are Yours. Cleanse our hearts and renew our minds as You have promised. In your precious Name, Amen.
Your Assignment
Sit with God today and ask Him to reveal the messages you may have come to believe. Denounce and surrender those messages to Him.
What are the things you have come to believe about yourself through hurts you experienced as a little girl?
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If you are interested in joining this Online Singles Bible Study, click HERE. Once we receive your registration, we will email you further details.
If you would like to send Carissa a private email in regards to this blog post, you may email her at: Carissa@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com
