Do It AnywayNäide

BREAK EVERY CHAIN

Years ago, in the midst of ministering to others, I found myself in a deep depression. For two or three days after a time of leading worship, I stayed inside the house, under the covers, with the curtains closed.

I often heard the Enemy’s lies spilling into my head: "Nobody really wants you". I didn’t want anybody to see how much I was suffering. But God saw me.

As I began to meet with a therapist, I understood that my depression was tied to my desire to be perfect and my fear of rejection. One day, I made a promise to God that I was going to walk this thing out. I went to the mirror and said out loud: “I curse the spirit of rejection, and I receive the spirit of adoption.” I repeated those words every single day.

As time went on, I felt God breaking those chains. The lies of the Enemy began to disappear the more I fed my spirit with God’s promises.

I was exercising a spiritual principle found in Proverbs 18:21: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Before I could move forward with God’s plans for me, I needed to deal with my deep wounds. Maybe He is telling you the same thing He told me: If I allow you to walk through the doors that are about to open without facing this stronghold, you could face major setbacks.

The Enemy wants us to focus on the darkness instead of fix­ing our eyes on Jesus. That’s why every day, you have to take authority over your thoughts. That is what Scripture refers to as “the re­newing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). I love the in­structions given in Philippians 4:8 to fill our minds with things “true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.”

We all have chains that bind us. The only way to hear them fall is to allow God to break them.

Does the darkness sometimes feel overwhelming? If you carry a heavy weight around with you, always remem­ber that Jesus is there to break those chains. Trust that God will make a masterpiece out of your mess. Even when your faith seems fragile, don’t let the pain of right now force you to forfeit the miracle God has in store for you.