LIVING FREE by Beth Moore
On what are you most focused?
A) My quest for perfection
B) My sins and inadequacies
C) God?
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)
INTRODUCTION
If we achieved the impossible goal of human perfection, would we please God? _________
Can we please God by focusing on our sins and inadequacies? ____________________
The only focus that will change our lives is a steady gaze Godward. The more we see Him, the less we will see ourselves. So, how do we develop a Godward focus for our lives?
1. The life God desires for His children.
2. There exists a connection between God's word, prayer, and a changed life.
LESSON 1: DEMOLISHING STRONGHOLDS
WHAT IS A STRONGHOLD?
What is another word that means stronghold? ____________________
Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. (Judges 6:2)
David stayed in the desert strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands. (1 Samuel 23:14)
The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalms 27:1)
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. (2 Samuel 22:2)
What is another word that means stronghold? ______________________
What problems do you have that are too strong for God? _________________
In this study, we will confront satanic strongholds. They are lies. Only the Lord God is the truth, our greatest stronghold. His sheltering hand is always present, even when He takes us through difficult circumstances.
FALSE STRONGHOLDS
In scripture we see the word stronghold applied both to substitutes for God and the bondage they produce. A stronghold is anything that exalts itself in our minds, pretending to be bigger or more powerful than our God. It steals our focus and causes us to feel overpowered. Controlled. Mastered.
What might be some examples? __________________________________
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
Strongholds come from false ideas. They are only lies and deceptions.
THE PRIMARY BATTLEFIELD
Where/what is the primary battlefield? ________________________________
The most effective way to influence behavior is...__________________________
DISARMING POWER
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:13-15)
Satan is a defeated foe. Unfortunately...________________________________
Nothing is bigger or more powerful than God! Absolutely nothing!
Not even..._____________________________________________________
DEMOLISHING POWER
How can we tear down lies and false arguments? _______________________
If the issue is truth versus lies, where is the battlefield?
A) Actions/behavior
B) Emotions/feelings
C) Thoughts/beliefs
We must choose truth to tear down Satan's lies.
If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)
Read the following words of a struggling believer and comment on the incorrect thinking..."I can't come to God with this sin. It's huge. I have to get out of this situation first. How could God love me when I am like this?"
Incorrect thinking? _____________________________________
WHAT'S WRONG WITH HUMAN EFFORT
God wants us to come into His presence in the middle of our times of defeat.
GOD'S WAYS ARE DIFFERENT
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8)
Human intuition points us to...______________________________
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate. Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand a miraculous sign and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. (1 Corinthians 1:19-25)
RECREATING THE CREATOR
How do we try to re-create or re-make our Creator? ____________________
God loves us completely apart from our actions.
How might you help yourself when circumstances tempt you to question God's love? ______
How did Jesus show us the full extent of His love? _________________
We must abandon our belief in human effort. We can never please God by how hard we try. We can never work hard enough to break free from the death grip of sin.
THE WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE
Look back at 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 and identify four vital details about the weapons of our warfare:
1. They are not the weapons of the world
2. They have divine power
3. They are associated with the knowledge of God
4. Their purpose in warfare is to take our thoughts captive
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In additon to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:13-18)
Only one piece of the armor of God is actually a weapon...________________
However, in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 the word "weapons" is used. Is there other primary offensive weapons? _______________________________________
Look back at Ephesians 6...__________________
The two major weapons with divine power in our warfare are the Word of God and Spirit-empowered prayer.
Virtually nothing we come against has more power than a satanic stronghold. Strongholds can't be swept away with a spiritual broom. We can't fuss at them and make them flee. We can't ignore them until they disappear. Strongholds are broken one way only. Look back at 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 for the answer. __________________________
Prayer keeps us in constant communion with God, which is the goal of our entire believing lives. Prayerless lives are powerless lives. The ultimate goal God has for us is not power but personal intimacy with Him. It is never the will of God for warfare to become our focus. The fastest way to lose our balance in warfare is to rebuke the devil more than we relate to God. The primary strength we have in warfare is godliness, which is achieved only through intimacy with God.
We take our thoughts captive, making them obedient to Christ every time we choose to think Christ's thoughts about any situation or stronghold instead of Satan's or our own. The Word of God reveals Christ's thoughts to us.
KEEP YOUR FOCUS
Complet the following ironic statements:
If our focus is on our needs, we become...________________________________
If our focus is on the harm others have done to us, we become..._______________
If our focus is on material things, we become...____________________________
If our focus is on Christ, we become...__________________________________
We become like the focus of our focus.
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)
Think about Jesus.
LOSING OUR FOCUS ON JESUS
We can easily drift from our focus on Jesus by...
-Focusing on my problems or the problems of others
-Focus on Satan himself
Can I instantly be set free from strongholds? ___________
God is more interested in our relationship with the Deliverer than our being delivered. The renewing of our minds takes time. We demolish strongholds when we make our minds captive to Christ. If God is getting our full cooperation, the length of the process or the intensity of the struggle is really up to Him. Some strongholds are broken in an instant. Others may contest their defeat and demand a rematch every day. Either way, God has equipped us to overcome.
A) My quest for perfection
B) My sins and inadequacies
C) God?
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)
INTRODUCTION
If we achieved the impossible goal of human perfection, would we please God? _________
Can we please God by focusing on our sins and inadequacies? ____________________
The only focus that will change our lives is a steady gaze Godward. The more we see Him, the less we will see ourselves. So, how do we develop a Godward focus for our lives?
1. The life God desires for His children.
2. There exists a connection between God's word, prayer, and a changed life.
LESSON 1: DEMOLISHING STRONGHOLDS
WHAT IS A STRONGHOLD?
What is another word that means stronghold? ____________________
Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. (Judges 6:2)
David stayed in the desert strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands. (1 Samuel 23:14)
The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalms 27:1)
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. (2 Samuel 22:2)
What is another word that means stronghold? ______________________
What problems do you have that are too strong for God? _________________
In this study, we will confront satanic strongholds. They are lies. Only the Lord God is the truth, our greatest stronghold. His sheltering hand is always present, even when He takes us through difficult circumstances.
FALSE STRONGHOLDS
In scripture we see the word stronghold applied both to substitutes for God and the bondage they produce. A stronghold is anything that exalts itself in our minds, pretending to be bigger or more powerful than our God. It steals our focus and causes us to feel overpowered. Controlled. Mastered.
What might be some examples? __________________________________
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
Strongholds come from false ideas. They are only lies and deceptions.
THE PRIMARY BATTLEFIELD
Where/what is the primary battlefield? ________________________________
The most effective way to influence behavior is...__________________________
DISARMING POWER
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:13-15)
Satan is a defeated foe. Unfortunately...________________________________
Nothing is bigger or more powerful than God! Absolutely nothing!
Not even..._____________________________________________________
DEMOLISHING POWER
How can we tear down lies and false arguments? _______________________
If the issue is truth versus lies, where is the battlefield?
A) Actions/behavior
B) Emotions/feelings
C) Thoughts/beliefs
We must choose truth to tear down Satan's lies.
If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)
Read the following words of a struggling believer and comment on the incorrect thinking..."I can't come to God with this sin. It's huge. I have to get out of this situation first. How could God love me when I am like this?"
Incorrect thinking? _____________________________________
WHAT'S WRONG WITH HUMAN EFFORT
God wants us to come into His presence in the middle of our times of defeat.
GOD'S WAYS ARE DIFFERENT
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8)
Human intuition points us to...______________________________
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate. Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand a miraculous sign and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. (1 Corinthians 1:19-25)
RECREATING THE CREATOR
How do we try to re-create or re-make our Creator? ____________________
God loves us completely apart from our actions.
How might you help yourself when circumstances tempt you to question God's love? ______
How did Jesus show us the full extent of His love? _________________
We must abandon our belief in human effort. We can never please God by how hard we try. We can never work hard enough to break free from the death grip of sin.
THE WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE
Look back at 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 and identify four vital details about the weapons of our warfare:
1. They are not the weapons of the world
2. They have divine power
3. They are associated with the knowledge of God
4. Their purpose in warfare is to take our thoughts captive
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In additon to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:13-18)
Only one piece of the armor of God is actually a weapon...________________
However, in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 the word "weapons" is used. Is there other primary offensive weapons? _______________________________________
Look back at Ephesians 6...__________________
The two major weapons with divine power in our warfare are the Word of God and Spirit-empowered prayer.
Virtually nothing we come against has more power than a satanic stronghold. Strongholds can't be swept away with a spiritual broom. We can't fuss at them and make them flee. We can't ignore them until they disappear. Strongholds are broken one way only. Look back at 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 for the answer. __________________________
Prayer keeps us in constant communion with God, which is the goal of our entire believing lives. Prayerless lives are powerless lives. The ultimate goal God has for us is not power but personal intimacy with Him. It is never the will of God for warfare to become our focus. The fastest way to lose our balance in warfare is to rebuke the devil more than we relate to God. The primary strength we have in warfare is godliness, which is achieved only through intimacy with God.
We take our thoughts captive, making them obedient to Christ every time we choose to think Christ's thoughts about any situation or stronghold instead of Satan's or our own. The Word of God reveals Christ's thoughts to us.
KEEP YOUR FOCUS
Complet the following ironic statements:
If our focus is on our needs, we become...________________________________
If our focus is on the harm others have done to us, we become..._______________
If our focus is on material things, we become...____________________________
If our focus is on Christ, we become...__________________________________
We become like the focus of our focus.
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)
Think about Jesus.
LOSING OUR FOCUS ON JESUS
We can easily drift from our focus on Jesus by...
-Focusing on my problems or the problems of others
-Focus on Satan himself
Can I instantly be set free from strongholds? ___________
God is more interested in our relationship with the Deliverer than our being delivered. The renewing of our minds takes time. We demolish strongholds when we make our minds captive to Christ. If God is getting our full cooperation, the length of the process or the intensity of the struggle is really up to Him. Some strongholds are broken in an instant. Others may contest their defeat and demand a rematch every day. Either way, God has equipped us to overcome.
posted by Andrew Brown at 9:11 PM
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