Posted on

Loose Yourself

Isaiah 52:2 (MEV) Shake yourself from the dust; arise, O captive Jerusalem. Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

We have a black Labrador mix in our back yard. We rescued her from some woods many years ago. In a large fenced in yard, with lots of places to run and climb (she likes to climb trees), chase the squirrels, a wonderful source of water and fed daily. Yes, she still pushes the fence to find the weak points. Do you know where she goes when she gets out? To my front door. She does not want in the house, she just sits. She will get up and roam the neighborhood and then sit back at the door. The thing is we live within the city limits. We will get a fine for letting her go around without a leash. So, we have had to put her on a line with a collar, and a zip tie to keep it closed (she figured out how to remove it).

Unlike our domestic animals, that we responsibly keep within boundaries, we have been set free. However, the enemy has set a choke collar around our necks to keep us bound. When we try to speak our way into freedom, he uses the images of our past and our insecurities to stop our voices. Jesus took the keys from Satan (Revelation 1:18). He has set the captives free, that is us, when we accept His Lordship (Luke 4:18-19, also prophesied in Isaiah 61:1-2).

Matthew 16:19 (AMP) I will give you the keys (authority) of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth will have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth will have [already] been loosed in heaven.

As kingdom citizens we have keys. So loose yourself from the bondage that is keeping you from your full freedom. The enemy has no right to any area of your life, unless you allow him. Remember, he is only like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). We have to loose ourselves from all the hurt, deep hurt, pain, sadness, grief, anger, hatred, rage, bitterness, fear, and bound and blocked emotions. We do not do it alone. We have the keys, we have the authority, it is His powers that empowers us.

1 Peter 5:6-7 (AMP) Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time, casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]. 

I have taken a prayer from John Eckhardt’s “Prayers that Break Curses” and adapted it for us today:

Father, In Jesus’ name, I loose all members of my body, including my mind, memory, eyes, ears, tongue, hands and feet. I loose myself from the effects of bad memories, painful memories, and memories of the past that would hinder me in the present or future. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, by the authority given to me to bind and loose, I loose my emotions from every evil spirit that has come in as a result of experiences of the past. I command these spirits to come out, and I decree freedom to my emotions in the name of Jesus. I loose my mind from all spirits of mind control, confusion, mental bondage, insanity, madness, fantasy, passivity, intellectualism, knowledge block, ignorance, mind binding, lust, and evil thinking. I loose myself from all guilt, shame, condemnation, and legalism. I loose my will from all control, domination, and manipulation form Satan, his demons, and other people. I loose my will from all lust, rebellion, stubborness, pride, self-will, selfishness, and antisubmissive spirits that block and hinder my will. I break and loose myself from all chains around my will, and I submit to the will of God. In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

Posted on

Thorns bring us out of comfort

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (AMP) Blessed [gratefully praised and adored] be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts and encourages us in every trouble so that we will be able to comfort and encourage those who are in any kind of trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

The true function of comfort is to propel us to go on. You will not find permission to comfort yourself. The devil wants us to run for comfort and cover to places outside of our calling. To keep us comfortable (in dysfunction, in busyness, in hiding, etc.) so you will never see our destinies come to pass.

Comfort can be dysfunctional when it comes from the wrong places. He is the God of my comfort. When we think of comfort we want to be taken out of suffering, but He comes along side of us to comfort us during the trial. Not after! Could it be our search for comfort be keeping us from our calling? God I want you, but I don’t want to be uncomfortable.

When I told God that I had a desire for more, I invited Him to take me out of the dysfunction of seeking comfort. I invited Him to make me uncomfortable. Reading this entire letter, in 2 Corinthians, you can tell Paul was uncomfortable. How?

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (AMP)  Because of the surpassing greatness and extraordinary nature of the revelations [which I received from God], for this reason, to keep me from thinking of myself as important, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan, to torment and harass me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me; but He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me.  So I am well pleased with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, and with difficulties, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak [in human strength], then I am strong [truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God’s strength].

I don’t know about you, but a thorn is painful. A thorn is small. A thorn can be a minor irritation or a big one depending on if you focus on it. Since walking into my calling, I have discovered a thorn. It did not show up right away. Everything was going great and then the thorn was revealed. I have prayed at different times for God to remove it, but instead He removed what I loved. He is telling me my grace is sufficient. He is telling me that I need to grow in grace where my thorn is concerned. His power is perfected when I am uncomfortable, because it is Him doing the change and not me.

I have changed my prayer. I am praising God for that thorn. That thorn is helping me grow in grace and mercy. That thorn is helping me seek His perspective above mine. That thorn is helping me focus on Jesus. That thorn reminds me to think on whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute (Philippians 4:8). That thorn makes me look to Him for my comfort. When that thorn starts to torment me, seek Him more. That thorn helps in desiring for more of Him!

Remember Jesus wore a crown of thorns…we may have just one! Kind of puts a different perspective on “Jesus had you on His mind while He was on the cross.”