The Cry for Spiritual Reality

What kinds of strongholds are in your life? What is it that has been prevailing over you? You may think, this is just the way my family is, it’s my heritage or my culture, or it’s in my genes. The good news is this – Jesus came to set us free, free to not to be like the world, or even to be like our families, we are to be like Him! He desires us to be uniquely ourselves. While there may be cultural attitudes involved, we do not have to be bound by them. The Lord has made an avenue of escape and victory. For those bound by anger, there is a wonderful releasing into Jesus’ peace and patience. For those bound by lusts, there is a release into the glorious freedom of purity in Christ. Whatever the form of bondage, these are not the real believer’s true identity any longer, For if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature, the old things are passed away and the new has come. 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 These bondages come from the old nature. It is the old man, the old way of thinking and doing things before we became Christians. Simply then, it is the old man in manifestation. This manifestation is often with demonic influence hindering and holding the believer in shame, guilt and condemnation. What happens is very subtle. The new man longs to be like Christ and he is crying out, “Would You please change me? Would You please make me what You want me to be? I am longing to change. I want to change.” If the believer is living and growing in Christ, he will naturally tune into the things of God and change will transpire, though it may be very subtle. But if the believer falls into the trap of trying to reform the old man, he will remain frustrated and confused. Of course, the old man cannot be reformed since he is past reforming. The only solution for the old man is death and burial. I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ who lives in me! GALATIANS 2:20 Once you are found in Christ, you will never be more righteous! The trip to heaven won’t make the Christian any more righteous than they are right after having received the Lord Jesus Christ! When you were born again – you received the whole package – albeit without the fullness of manifestation! What believer hasn’t had to deal with strongholds of some type? And there are plenty to “choose from.” Whether you must face fear or greed, selfishness or bigotry, gossip or anger, lust or covetousness, when these strongholds rise up against us, their intent is to dominate and prevail over the Christian. All such soulish and fleshly acts rob the believer’s confidence before God. His mind is then filled with torment. Questions begin to further flood our thinking, “Am I saved?” “How could God love someone like me?” As worship or prayer begins, often the mind will be filled with distractions. Relationships may greatly suffer as words spoken from our own weaknesses maim and wound others, when just moments before there was no thought of purposely hurting friends or loved ones. In such a state of confusion and angst, strongholds and iniquities are found prevailing over the believer. Rendered helpless, the believer has become dominated not by the Holy Spirit, but rather by insecurities, inabilities, unbelief, fears, or by unforgiveness. But, fear not! Whatever the stronghold or iniquity, the very same Spirit of God has an answer for us if we will only choose to listen to His still small voice and to the Word of God. We must stop listening to and yielding to the thoughts and fears we have so grown accustomed to hearing. God intends to swallow up the death that has been at work within us by His overwhelming life – we must choose to allow Him to that just that! There is One Who Always Prevails! And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders said unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. REVELATION 5:4,5 That is where many find themselves today. You may have said, “I have wept and prayed so much and yet I am still in torment.” Iniquities continue to prevail over you. Temper has prevailed over you. Every lust imaginable – lusts for food, alcohol, sex, power, or control – may have prevailed over you. It might be laziness, slothfulness, or stinginess. What is the thing that has gripped you and is prevailing over you? “I wept much,” said the Apostle John. And one of the elders said to him, “Weep not.” We can boldly say today, “Weep not, saint of God! For behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David hath prevailed! Jesus has prevailed! Even if you have not prevailed, even if you have fallen every time, even if you have totally failed, Jesus has prevailed! Jesus is the Prevailing One. He has no need of prevailing for Himself. He has prevailed for you! Once a revelation of Jesus’ victory comes into your heart, it will forever change your thinking. It will change your life and change your very destiny. When a revelation of this magnitude dawns upon the believer, it will produce that which no amount of study or service ever will. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David has prevailed. If you have been bound, you can be freed. For the Lion of the Tribe of Judah has prevailed. He has conquered. Over anger He has prevailed. Over unforgiveness He has prevailed. Over bitterness of heart, He has prevailed. Over unbelief He has prevailed. Over sickness and disease He has prevailed. Over discouragement and depression He has prevailed. Over bigotry and hatred He has prevailed. Over every manner of sin He has prevailed. Lack and poverty fade before Him for He has prevailed. He has prevailed even over death.