St. Peter's Church and World Outreach Center

When you think about a stronghold of the mind, what image do you see?  Envision for a moment that a demon of brute strength forcefully has his grip around your mind.  His fingers are so large that they block anything from entering or escaping.  You’re bound by his menacing grip; oppressed by the thoughts he’s given you of fear, doubt, unbelief and all the other lies he’s told you over the years against God, His Word, and His promises through the Lord Jesus Christ.  Because of the hold he has on your mind, you reason against, argue and disagree with, resist and reject God and anything contrary to the grip this demonic brute has on you.  You’ve actually become haughty and high-minded to the things of God because you’ve been trained to think only the way the stronghold has conditioned you.

In today’s fast paced society, filled with all sorts of technological toys, we’ve lost track of the valuable art of waiting.  Why have a one on one, telephone conversation – and dare I say a sit down, face to face conversation – when you can send a text? Why wait on the “snail mail” when you can send an email?  Rather than sitting down at a restaurant, we order “to go” from that same restaurant.  Rather than waiting for love to develop through courtship, we want to pick out “the one” and “believe God” to have them immediately fall in love with us and then drag them over the altar.  Who wants to wait for anything or anyone?  Is not everything available through the drive through or in a microwave minute? Well, there’s one thing that our technological toys and fast-paced life cannot and will not change, and that’s learning to wait on the Spirit of God to move in our lives.

For many, being able to identify with someone or some organization that is famous, wealthy or powerful is one of their greatest achievements.  They often boast in who they are because of it and also who they know as a result of it. They use this identity to open doors that would otherwise be closed to them; therefore, garnering them unmerited opportunities, power and success.  It lines up with the age old cliché of “it’s not what you know, but who you know that’s important in life.”  That’s also true for the Body of Christ.  We have a far greater identity in Christ than any earthly identity, but few take advantage of it or even dare to know anything about it.

Any great nation, team, corporation or military force is most powerful when they have a clear understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses, as well as those of their greatest enemy.  The same is true of victorious believers.  Have you taken the time to study God’s Word and understand the strength you possess through the Lord Jesus Christ?  Do you know your greatest enemy and what tactics he uses against you?  As Christians, it is important to know your enemy and how to defeat him.  God’s instructions in His Word are to " Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour…" 1 Peter 5:8.

As new creations representing God in the earth, we have been given “spiritual dominion” through Christ Jesus to reign and rule as priests and kings.  When we operate in the spirit realm, we keep ourselves in a position to defeat our enemy and live victoriously.  However, when we operate in the realm of the natural/flesh, we open the door to the enemy’s arsenal of tricks, lies and deceptions and limit our spiritual dominion.

NOW is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). NOW is come salvation, and strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ (Revelation 12:10). All of creation is waiting for the manifestations of the sons of God (Romans 8:19). We must trust God’s Word and yield our hearts, minds, and bodies to the power of the Holy Spirit within us so that we can be known as even greater epistles than those of old.

God is looking for a people that He can reveal Himself in and through.  How will He do it…through greater manifestations of His glory.  You see, the glory of God is His nature on full display.  It is His love, His wisdom, His creativity, His anointing, His power, and His wealth…the sum total of all that He is.  All of His creation was designed to manifest His glory.  He declared in Isaiah 40:5 that His glory would be revealed and that all flesh would see it together.  The heavens declare it (Psalm 19:1); Jesus was the brightness and expressed image of it (Hebrews 1:3); and we are being changed into the very same imageof it through the Holy Spirit from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). However, you cannot manifest the fullness of God's glory without a relationship with the Holy Spirit.

God wants us to live in a place of undisturbed rest and peace no matter what the situations and circumstances around us may be, and this place can only be found in God Himself. He has promised us that He would never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), and that He would not allow us to go through any more than we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). He has promised to keep us in perfect peace as we continue to keep our minds stayed on Him and trust in Him (Isaiah 26:3). Furthermore, He has promised to give us peace beyond all understanding (Philippians 4:7). Therefore we must maintain the attitude that anything we're going through is only for a season and that God is with us, and will see us through it.

Do you find yourself wondering why you're here on earth at this time?  Do you know what you were created to do or for what purpose you were specifically designed?  What problem were you created to answer?  What dream are you called to fulfill?  These are age old questions that many ask, but few are willing to dig deep enough to answer.  In God's eyes there aren't any "nobodies" and everybody is a "somebody".  He has lovingly created each and every one of us in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:27) and called us according to His good purpose (Romans 8:28). Each individual has value and greatness beyond their comprehension to fulfill a specific purpose, but if we don't know it, we'll settle in for mere existence rather than fulfillment of our purpose.

Beloved, what do you really think of Christ?  Whose Son do you really believe He is (Matthew 22:41 – 42)?  What do you really think about the work that He did on the Cross and all that He accomplished for you?  Before you answer these questions, I want you to determine if what you say you think about Him actually lines up with your actions towards Him and your trust in Him, especially in times of trouble.