Today I want to talk about an area that kept me in bondage for such a long time, strongholds. The interesting part about reading the Bible is you begin to know the truth, pieces of the puzzle in your life start to fall into place, you begin to see the connection of your past with your present.

The reason why we have difficulty in believing and trusting God is because we have been deeply rooted into the ways and cultures of the world. We have experienced hardships in one way or another because we have been born into fallen world.

The situations and circumstances we find ourselves in have made us think and believe that they are the ultimate truth. But we are living in a fallen world, the arena of the enemy.

Rev 12:9 “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

Rev 12:12 “Therefore rejoice, O you heavens, and you that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” (KJV)

We have been wrongly influenced by music, the movies we watch, the company we keep, maybe our parents or teachers said we would never amount to anything in life. Maybe we have gone through horrific ordeals, maybe we were molested or assaulted. Maybe we have been born into a family of drug addicts and have been introduced to prostitution & pornography at a young age.

Maybe our parents died when we were young so we never got the opportunity to experience the love of a parent, or have a role model to emulate, teach us, encourage us or influence in a godly way; so, we turned to the world. Maybe we were bullied in school. Maybe we have experienced ridicule from other people because we have visible flaws. Maybe we have been abandoned by our loved ones and have been rejected by the society.

All these automatically lead us to carry resentment and anger in our hearts and when somebody comes and tells us about God we are so bitter and ask, “If God is so good, why did this and that happen to me?”

I can’t explain why things happen the way they do. Bad things happen to really good people, while the people who are causing others to suffer seem to be enjoying their lives.

This kind of understanding is beyond me, but I know that God can make beauty out of ashes, if only we let Him. Don’t try to hide the pain or pretend it does not exist. Take it to God. He is the Healer.

The minute you know the truth, you are made free.

John 8:32 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (KJV)

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