THE STRONGHOLD OF HOPELESSNESS

[Albert Finch]

Jesus' friends will draw close to His chest to hear His very heart beat. The lifestyle of the believer that is marked with an intimate life with Christ is available to you.
Jesus is looking for new recruits who will hear the passionate sound of His love beating through their beings.
Do you want to lean your ear His way?

Due to circumstances and worldly interaction we develop hiding places behind defensive mindsets that block us from the revelatory voice of God. Obstructions to fellowship and intimacy with the Lover of our souls effectively shield us from God's approaching presence.

These obstructions consist of barriers we hide behind which are:

THE DITCH OF GUILTY FEELINGS

The hiding place of guilt is the breeding ground for condemnation, accusation and other ugly attitudes. But all these can be avoided through old-fashioned confession of sin and cleansing by the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." - John 10:10

THERE ARE VARIOUS CATEGORIES OF GUILT:

Real guilt due to real sin;
Exaggerated guilt due to the combination of real sin and,
The work of "the accuser of our brethren" (Revelation 12:10); and,
False guilt as a result of the voice of the destroyer, releasing condemning, lying spirits (1 Kings 22:21–23; John 8:44; 10:10).

All these forms of guilt are very real in the realm of our emotions.

The cure is simple and direct. First John 1:7 gives us the remedy: "If we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the Blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin." Step into the light. That is where we find cleansing. So we climb out of the ditch and run to the light of God's Word. "The truth will make you free" (John 8:32). Forgiveness, cleansing and healing love are waiting for us there.

THE MASQUERADE OF HURTS FROM THE PAST

Deep-seated hurts from the past hides us from the love of God and keeps us from intimacy with Him. Religious people wear masks quite well, pretending all is well with their souls while holding the Lord, the very Lover of their lives, at arm's length. We become pretenders, masquerading in the parade of hypocritical "churchianity".

But the real Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted and set at liberty those who are bruised (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18–19). Jesus is our Healer.

We must take off our masks and let Him dig deep at times, touching the very source of our pain.
Let Him probe and even pierce through the festering wounds to allow the light of His unchanging love to penetrate our being.
Expose it to the light -- Surrender -- Forgive -- Sow blessings to others instead.

This is the way out of the masquerade – remaining open-faced before God, releasing mercy and forgiveness for hurts from the past and letting Him do the same.

THE ONLOOKER'S BENCH OF FEAR

At times our woundedness – made more raw by the taunts of the enemy – keeps us on the bench looking on while others are enjoying being in the middle of the game. We become cautious observers afraid to run onto the playing field.

What will I look like if I do this?
What will others think of me?
How well will I perform?

But if we allow ourselves to be held back by the fear of rejection or the fear of authority or the opinions of others, eventually we will become people-pleasers, strangled by the anticipation of their opinions.

Fear can paralyze us while authentic faith propels us forward. So trade in those fears and exchange them at the Cross (Isaiah 8:12–13). Be bold like a lion for Jesus' sake. Jump off the bench, tread on those spirits of intimidation (Luke 10:19), and be more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37).

Truly, the remedy is our Father's great love. Bask in the light of His unfathomable devotion – what the King James Version calls lovingkindness.
Soak in the reality that "if God is for us, who is against us?" (Romans 8:31). We were created in His image and for His pleasure (Revelation 4:11). We are the object of His consuming love.

THE STRONGHOLD OF IMPOSED LIMITATIONS

In this stage we start believing the ridiculous lies of the devil about ourselves, and those lies become negative strongholds of the mind (2 Corinthians 10:4–6). Words not in alignment with the will and Word of God are transmitted from the enemy's camp to attack our minds. Their effect is to confine us in spaces with low ceilings and false expectations. As we believe those evil reports or actual word curses spoken against us as "the way it will always be," we are shut into cramped, dark boxes.

A spiritual stronghold is a mindset impregnated with hopelessness that causes us to accept as unchangeable situations that we know are contrary to the will of God.

As we acknowledge as hopeless what God declares is changeable, we have come into alignment, at least in part, with the devil's thought processes and plans for us -- we go way past the realms of guilt, woundedness, fear, and criticism. We no longer want to step out into the light. We doubt that He accepts us, loves us or has any plan for us; not even a Plan B.

We need to know that there are times we will have to wage war with the name and Blood of Jesus to break out of our box of imposed limitations. But there is a way out. The gateway is the finished work of the Cross of our lovely Lord Jesus!

TIME ALONE WITH JESUS

God is asking us to RESTORE the altar of devotion as an inward response to His glory. The outward manifestation of such devotion will be fruit that will last for all eternity.

The most profound experiences we have, take place in the inner sanctum of our hearts, where the Lord creates moments of holy intimacy with us in which we are forever changed.
Jesus longs to hold each one of us in a personal face-to-face encounter. When we behold His face, we are enabled and motivated to become His hands reaching out to a hurting world. The birthing of multitudes is born out of the secret place. The secret place of Christ, the Bridegroom King, is where His inner gaze captivates our hearts and makes us lovesick, causing us to overflow from His love. Face-to-face is a place where we are enabled to trust God fully and to rely completely on His love.

Time alone with Christ enables us to surrender in adoration to God's will. Seeking the heart of God is a precursor to the revelation of the living DESTINY He has prepared for us on earth and seeing His power manifest in our lives.

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY