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THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM (MODULE 2)

I will never forget the day that I picked up my first-ever pair of prescription glasses. As I put the glasses on, it was like seeing in HD. All of a sudden, I could see the hair on my arms, the leaves on a tree, and the gravel on the road. Every detail was sharper, every color was crisper; as Aladdin would say, it was a WHOLE NEW WORLD. The truth is the world hadn't changed; I was just looking at life through a different lens.

In the same way, we ought to look at our lives through a different lens. A spiritual lens. Once you apply a spiritual filter to your life, you quickly realize that there is more to your life than what you currently see. Whether you realize it or not, there is a spiritual battle that wages over you every single day. Unfortunately, most believers are either unaware or unbelieving of the spiritual world that surrounds us, and this spiritual blindness stops us from accessing the spiritual keys we need to live a life of freedom.

THE FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE
The first thing to understand is that there is a FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE. The kingdom of God against the kingdom of darkness. Heaven against Hell. Spirit against flesh. Life against Death. And the main prize is you. John 10:10 reminds us that there is an enemy who is constantly trying to pull you away from your purpose. His main goal is to trap you into a life of sin to steal your joy, kill your spirit and destroy your destiny. However, Jesus came to bring life. To give you freedom today, to give you hope and to give you a future. This scripture reminds us of the very real and very spiritual battle over your life.

Ephesians 6:12 tells us that ‘our struggle is not against flesh and blood but principalities and powers’. Where we go wrong is we try to fight our spiritual battles with natural weapons. We think we need more willpower, more medication or more information to fix our lives. And these always fail because, at the end of the day, the thing we desperately NEED is a touch from God.

Now a little disclaimer: sometimes Christians can over-spiritualize things, to the point that everything bad in our life can be labelled as a ‘demon’. When sometimes the bad thing you are experiencing in your life is just a consequence of some bad decisions you made. We often give the devil too much credit for the messes in our lives when we really should be taking responsibility and ownership of our decisions. The truth is, there is a healthy balance between the practical and the spiritual. We are all for common sense, professional help, and better choices. The goal is to do everything you can, both practically and spiritually, to see freedom in your life.

THE WEAPONS OF THE DEVIL
DOUBT – This is where we doubt the spiritual realm and doubt the reality and truth of God. From the beginning of time, ‘doubt’ was the first weapon that the devil used. All the way back in the garden of Eden God gives clear instructions to Adam and Eve to not eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Yet the first thing out of the devil’s mouth is ‘Did God really say that?’. It was doubt that introduced sin into the world and caused man to fall. The devil’s objective is to make sure that you don’t trust God or believe His word because it’s your belief that is the starting point of faith, and if he can squash your faith, he will kill your spirit.

ACCEPTANCE – This is where we start to believe the lies of the enemy. We start to believe that our addictions are too big for us, that we will never conquer this sin in our lives, and that we are too far gone for God. But none of this is true. We only find what is true in the scripture. The scripture says that we are more than conquerors, that nothing can separate us from God’s love, and that by His power, we are set free. The moment we accept the devil's lies; we reject the truth of God.

COMPROMISE – This is where we start to compromise our faith. Where we make little decisions here and there that compromise our convictions and give into our flesh. For many Christians, this is the main issue. Overall, we aren’t bad people. We go to church. We tithe. We serve. But the reality is that in private we can live a hidden life that is riddled with sin and compromise. Pride causes us to live one way in public and another way in private. This compromise slowly eats away at our faith until it is no more.

THE TOOLS OF THE KINGDOM
SCRIPTURE – One of the greatest tools we have been given is the Word of God. There are scriptures, that when applied, work as spiritual keys that unlock the promises of God toward us. And that’s the point, scripture needs to be applied. We shouldn’t just read the Word; we need to live the Word. The reality is that the devil can take the exact same scripture we claim to read, and he can use it against us. If we continue to live our lives in disobedience to God and in opposition to God’s Word, we give the devil a legal right to attack and influence our lives and he will use scripture to justify his assault. What we need to do is learn how to use the Word of God as a sword against the enemy to not just protect our lives, but to see victory in it as well.

REPENTANCE – Another tool we receive from heaven is repentance. Repentance simply means to turn back to God. It is when we change our minds, our hearts, and our directions. Where we stop living one way and choose to live His way. The beautiful thing about repentance is that it has no limit. It does not matter what you have done, what you are doing, and what you will do. God has no threshold for His forgiveness. He cannot run out of love. And His mercy is never-ending. Repentance is for everyone.

PRAYER – Prayer is one of the most powerful tools we have been given. Yesterday we learnt that confession is critical, and when coupled with prayer can bring healing into our lives. Prayer has the power to cut through the natural and tap into the spiritual. Prayer is the gateway to heaven, and when we pray, we access the fullness of heaven, the authority of Jesus and the power of God. Over the next few days, we will use the power of scripture, repentance and prayer, to break free of the hold of the enemy in our lives. These simple tools are available to us at all times, and every time we access them, we are one step closer to living a life of freedom.