Category: Breaking Down Strongholds

¹⁷ The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles. ¹⁸ The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit. ¹⁹ One who is righteous has many adversities, but the Lord rescues him from them all. ~ Psalms 34:17-19^CSB

All of us have experienced losing a loved one. We’ve all suffered some form of loss. Many of us, when we lose someone we love, we lose part of ourselves, but we try to hide it. We try to convert it up by wearing a mask that we’re all okay. That everything’s fine. Our outside is okay, but inside, we’re falling apart.

It makes me think of a scene from one of the marvelous movies when Thor and Loki’s mother dies. Thor goes to speak to Loki in prison, and Loki is fine. He’s relaxing. Enjoying reading a book in his cell, but Thor knows better. He forces Loki to remove the illusion he’s created so that Thor can see his true self. And he does. He shows his brother how distraught and broken he is over his mother’s death. His cell isn’t neat, and neither is he. Books are destroyed. His hair is disheveled. His soul is aching.

Many of us hide our hurt deep down within us, refusing to show it to anyone. Maybe it’s because we don’t feel we have anyone to go to. But even if we have no one to go to in this physical world, we have someone to go to. Jesus told us to lay our burdens on Him. We can go to God. We don’t have to figure it out on our own. We don’t have to hide it from God because He already knows. He isn’t angry at our hurt or our pain. It doesn’t make Him uncomfortable or want distance from us. He embraces us in our filth when we come to Him, so how much more would He embrace us because of our hurt if we go to Him?

God’s arms are wide open. He’s waiting for you. Cry in His arms. Mourn in His presence. Give Him your burdens, and He will take them from you. He will comfort you. He will give you peace. It may not happen overnight, but it will happen if you remain faithful.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Remove The Illusion.

Back to Cleansing?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

²⁷ Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Don’t be faithless, but believe.” ~ John 20:27^CSB

Many of us are ashamed of our past. We’re ashamed of all the times that we fell into temptation. We’re ashamed of all of the things of our past, so we try to cover our scars and keep them hidden from the eyes of the world, but why?

Scars don’t mean you lost the battle; scars are proof of your victory. They are your testimony to the world that you endured the temptation and made it out the other side. Never be ashamed of your scars, for these scars are your Testimony. The Word of our Testimony is the second most powerful weapon we have against the enemy, the first being the Blood of the Lamb.

Our scars are our evidence of all that you have overcome. Christ kept His scars and proudly displayed them for Thomas to see and truly believe, so why should we do any other?

Dear LORD, thank You for Your scars and thank You for my scars, for in them is the proof of Your love and faithfulness towards me. Thank You that You’ve remained faithful, even when I haven’t. Thank You that You always make a way for me to return to You. Thank You, LORD, for all that You’ve done for me. Please help me to never be ashamed of my scars. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Back to Cleansing?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

³⁹ Those who passed by were yelling insults at Him, shaking their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”  ~ Matthew 27:39-40 ^CSB

Jesus was hanging on the cross. His body had been flogged and beaten unrecognizable. He was so weak He couldn’t even carry His own cross. A crown of thorns was pushed into His skull and beaten with a staff. Now, He was hanging on the cross struggling to breathe. Each breath is painful. And now those passing by are mocking and ridiculing Him.

They’re not just hurling insults at Him, they’re now taking what He said and twisting it and throwing it back at Him. Imagine it, these are the very people Jesus had come to save that are twisting His words and throwing them back at Him. He could have easily come down off of that cross shown them exactly what He had said that they were twisting, but He didn’t. He stayed on that cross and took every insult. Every lie. And then prayed for them.

Imagine that. Praying for those tormenting you because you love them. You know that if you get down off of that cross or even try to defend yourself, it’s over. So, you remain silent. You take the harsh words and hate. Then when you speak, you pray for them.

Dear LORD, please help me to love the way You loves. Help me to not return anger and hate with more anger and hate. Help me to love. Help me to bless when people curse me. Help me to pray for those who persecute me. Help me to remain silent when attacked. Help me to be more like You and less like me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Back to Strongholds?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

¹³ But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. ¹⁴ For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁵ For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another with these words. ~ 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

One of the most cliché verses to quote when someone dies is from Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians. He told us that we don’t grieve the way that the rest of the world grieves because we know that one day, we will see them again. The problem is that though these words should comfort us, the majority of the time, they don’t. At least it doesn’t comfort me. When you lose a loved one that you’re close to, it almost feels like you lose part of yourself as well.

These words should be very encouraging and comforting to us, but they’re not because our focus isn’t fully on eternity but on the temporary. We don’t know how short this life is. We don’t realize that these few days on this earth without those loved ones who’ve gone on ahead of us will feel like a blink of an eye compared to the joyous eternity we will spend with them.

Dear LORD, please help me to focus my eyes on the joy of eternity instead of the grief that tries to consume me. Please fill me with Your everlasting peace and love. Please comfort us and teach us to encourage ourselves in You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Back to Strongholds?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

^9b …if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ~ Romans 10:9

Words aren’t empty. Every time we speak, we’re charging the air. Our words are either life or death. With our words, we confess and receive our forgiveness. With our words, we pray and draw close to the LORD. Words are the most versatile armament known to man. For with it:

• We can bless or curse
• We can build up or tear down
• We can create or destroy
• We can heal or kill
• We can encourage or discourage

Therefore, we must be very careful how we wield our weapon of words because we can wield that same weapon against ourselves. This is why we watch our thoughts. This is why we bite our tongues. This is why we lay our burdens at the feet of Jesus so that when we speak, it’s only life.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Watch How You Charge.

Back to Strongholds?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

¹² Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” ~ Matthew 15:12

Have you ever heard the maxim, “Throw a stone in the pigpen, and the one that squeals is the one the stone hit?” When you speak truth, and someone is offended, that means that the person offended knows that they aren’t living their lives in accordance with the Word of God. If you tell someone that you disagree with a certain action or lifestyle and they are offended, then they, in some way, are connected to that action or lifestyle, and they know deep down that you are right.

The only reason someone is offended is if they are the one who was hit by the stone that was thrown. You may say, oh, but brother Kenny, maybe they are sympathetic to the cause. If you identify with the cause, you are a partaker in the cause; thus, you suffer or celebrate as the cause suffers or celebrates. Which means, “You’re one with the cause; the cause is with you.”

Truth should never offend; it should only set free. Facts should never offend; they should only educate. If you are an easily offended person, then you should examine yourself and ask yourself why you’re offended so easily. Is it because you have a spirit of rejection? Is it because you’re prideful? Is it because you’re living in sin, and you know that it’s wrong?

The Truth can only stop being offensive when you accept it, believe it, and let it set you free.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Be The One Hit.

Back to Strongholds?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content