Counselor's Corner: Resitance to Your Spiritual Freedom

Perhaps you have decided to get closer to God, or maybe you are in the midst of overcoming an area of sin in your life and you have been met with spiritual resistance.

A definition of resistance is the act or power of opposing or withstanding.

You may feel pressed on every side and may even want to quit, but before you do let’s uncover some truths about resistance.

The enemy will ATTEMPT to oppose and resist your efforts to gain ground for the Kingdom of Christ.

Some sure signs to know the enemy is resisting you becoming free:

1.      Intimidation and fear at every level.

2.      Your past is dredged up and you begin to lose your confidence.

3.      Attacks with your physical health and in your mind.

4.      Distractions and “little” annoyances.

5.      Feel strongly that you will not be able to change and that things will remain the same.

When the enemy senses an increased anointing coming into a person’s life, he gets terrified because of the damage that will be done to his kingdom.

In the Bible, David in 2 Samuel had been anointed king but the Philistines set themselves up against him. As the enemy came against David because of his anointing, God fought on his behalf and delivered the enemy into his hands.

The enemy is persistent. In 2 Samuel 5:22, we see the enemy came back a second time to resist David. The Lord God gave David instruction in versus 23-24 to defeat the Philistines and he did again!

If you are facing resistance from the enemy it will be imperative to get alone before the Lord to receive instruction how to conquer your enemies. You will need to become more persistent than the enemy, this will take time and effort but don’t back down when the enemy regroups to take you down. You must determine in your heart and mind you will be more persistent than the enemy.

Persistence is the key to overcoming resistance from the enemy.

Become determined you will wear the enemy out by your continual prayer, intercession, worship, praise and thanksgiving, and staying in the presence of the Almighty.

Push back the resistance that that has come your way and you will experience breakthrough. Breakthroughs are a product of pressing. The enemy is always actively at work trying to hinder the plans of God. The enemy is sensitive to the anointing and callings of God. The enemy will use anyone or anything to keep you from fulfilling your purpose in God.

Word of Encouragement: Counselor’s Corner: Have you truly experienced Christ’s freedom?

What does God’s freedom look like?

 If you are free in Christ you are not bound by people’s opinion or approval of you; you follow Christ not man’s desires for you; you are not bound by guilt and condemnation; and you are not bound by religion.

You have been free to have a personal, intimate walk with Christ. You are able to say, “No” to others easily if you feel God is leading you elsewhere or you don’t have peace in a situation. God may be calling you to rest and be renewed with Him instead of going to that church function or get-together with friends or family. You have appropriate boundaries with others, including your family. You don’t feel you should be, ought to be, or could be doing anything. Instead, you are led by the Spirit of God to direct you to do something. You are less concerned about people pleasing and more concerned about pleasing God. You no longer try and fulfill the needs and expectations of others, but instead focus on fulfilling God’s plans for your life.

Not everyone will be happy or pleased when you begin walking in freedom. Some people will try and hold on to controlling, manipulating and guiling you in to their plans. When you begin to flow in the Holy Spirit’s will for  life, don’t be surprised if people in your life get upset that you are not doing what they want. People, situations, and circumstances will try and keep you bound, but who can contain the work and flow of the Holy Spirit? The Spirit goes and does what it wants.

If you are a follower of Christ and not people, you will have to let some people down. That may difficult for you if you are accustomed to people pleasing and needing the approval of man. Whose approval are you really needing anyways? Hopefully, your answer is God.

You will have an abundance of peace and joy when you begin to live in freedom. You are no longer bound to religious duties and dead-religion, but you are transformed by the living God. You walk in God’s flow and in His ways. You are no longer looking to pleasing man or fulfilling religious duties, but you look to Jesus who leads and guides you.

Break out of your old ways and be completely transformed to live a life of true freedom. If you are free in Christ, you are free to love, to worship and to serve Him. Freedom means you are no longer bound by people approval and addiction; religion not relationship with Christ; guilt and condemnation; fear of disapproval; and fear of man. You are free to be who Christ made you to be, free to follow Christ and His desires and plans for your life. Freedom does not mean we can do anything we so desire, but it means we can follow Christ and what He wants from us. If we follow man, we surely will be misled. Don’t follow man, and don’t follow religion. There is no freedom in being bound by religion. Religion follows after a set of rules, duties and regulations but following after Christ brings life. In our Western culture, we have many religions and many different sects of Christianity, all can be confusing. We don’t have to be confused, let’s keep it simple, follow Christ not religion or man. Even if your family is from a certain religion or sect of Christianity that follows rules and duties, you can be free and follow just Christ. What freedom that brings.

Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you. I am empathetic about this. The moment any one of you submits to a circumcision or any other rule-keeping system, at that same moment Christ’s hard-won gift of freedom is squandered. I repeat my warning: The person who accepts the ways of circumcision trades all the advantages of the free life in Christ for the obligation of the slave life of the law.

Galatians 5:1-3, the Message Bible

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

Galatians, 5:13, NIV

Freedom in Christ

Take some time and sit with Jesus and ask Him how your life would be if:

How would you feel if you did not carry false guilt (what if, should be, or could be doing)?

How would you feel if you did not worry about your family and other nagging issues?

What if you did not need a substance or chemical to feel alive and to have pleasure?

What would your life be like if you did not compare your life to anyone else’s life? Simply content with your lot in life.

What would your life be like if you no longer cared so much what people thought of you? It’s great if others like you, but if they do not-you are okay!

How would you feel if you no longer condemned yourself or beat yourself up for your shortcomings, mistakes, and weaknesses? What if you accepted yourself completely, shortcomings and all?

What if you began to see yourself as worthy and with value? What if you believed you have purpose and your life does matter?

What would your life be like if you did not try and figure out the outcomes and instead rested and trusted God for the outcomes?

How would your life be if you totally and radically trusted Jesus? Even if your prayers “seemingly” go unanswered and you stand by and watch other people get the very blessings that you want.

What would your life be like if you loved people the way Christ wants you to, not how other people want you to love them?

How would your life be if you did not get easily offended and did not speak judgmentally and critically of other people?

What would your life be like if you focused on the good and not the negative, and your words magnified the good instead of all your problems?

What would your life be like if you did not live in a constant state of panic and stress? What if you adopted the mindset, “Take life as it comes?”

What if you are okay with being misunderstood by people because you choose to follow and serve Christ?

What if you could truly enjoy life without feeling guilty that others don’t have what you have?

What if you could be led by the Holy Spirit and not what man wants from you?

What if you lived knowing that you are a child of God, adopted into His family and are no longer an orphan? What if you knew that Jesus does love you even if you don’t get everything that you want?

What if you loved God with all your heart, soul, and strength and placed no “idols” before Him (including family, work or ministry)?

What if you truly let go of all the expectations that you have of people, if they choose to be a benefit and blessing to you-that’s great, but if they choose to do things that cause you pain, you can release and forgive them.

What if you did not let anyone disappoint you with their actions?

What if you did not live bitter because of your life’s circumstances and was truly happy when others got exactly what you have been praying for.

What if you could experience FREEDOM? Jesus wants us FREE in ALL these areas so that we can experience life in abundance and enjoy life to the fullest (John 10:10).

Having this type of FREEDOM will require some basic steps for you:

1)      Love God FIRST-He must get first place in every area of your life. Place nothing before Him. Focus on things above, not on things on Earth-become eternity focused.

2)      Push away the distractions that will come to steal your time with God and to steal your peace and joy. Distractions can come through people, phone calls and texts, the internet, and nuisances.

3)      Care more about what God thinks about you than what others think about you. People will have an opinion about you but if you know whose you are and what He has called you to do you can rise above people’s opinions.

4)      Live in the present, the moment-not projecting the future. Don’t plan too far ahead and hold your plans loosely in case Jesus wants to interrupt your plans.

5)      Never compare yourself to anyone. Jesus has a unique plan for each of us. If you try and conform to the world and what the world is doing, you will feel very lost.

FREEDOM in Christ means More joy, More peace, More love, More contentment, and More enjoyment of your life. You can have FREEDOM in Christ by following Jesus not the ways of the world. Jesus said He came to Earth to “proclaim freedom,” and He said “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). Jesus was not saying free to do whatever we wanted, but free to be the kind of people He created us to be. We are all under the power of the natural tendency to sin, and sin has brought a penalty. But we have the freedom to choose life over sin and death, and that comes from accepting Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for our sins on the cross and accepting and believing that. We are no longer under sin’s grasp-we have been freed. Like a prisoner, the cell doors have been unlocked for all of us to get out by Jesus Christ. As we submit to Christ and His ways, sin loses its grip on us. When we choose to trust and follow Christ our sin habits and bad attitudes lose their control over our lives. True freedom is not doing whatever pleases your flesh, because that will lead you back into the prison without a way out.

The way out of your prison (sin) and to freedom is: obeying and trusting Jesus.

Have you truly experienced Christ’s freedom?

You might say, “What does God’s freedom look like?’ If you are free in Christ you are not bound by people’s opinion or approval of you; you follow Christ not man’s desires for you; you are not bound by guilt and condemnation; and you are not bound by religion.

You have been free to have a personal, intimate walk with Christ. You are able to say, “No” to others easily if you feel God is leading you elsewhere or you don’t have peace in a situation. God may be calling you to rest and be renewed with Him instead of going to that church function or get-together with friends or family. You have appropriate boundaries with others, including your family. You don’t feel you should be, ought to be, or could be doing anything. Instead, you are led by the Spirit of God to direct you to do something. You are less concerned about people pleasing and more concerned about pleasing God. You no longer try and fulfill the needs and expectations of others, but instead focus on fulfilling God’s plans for your life.

Not everyone will be happy or pleased when you begin walking in freedom. Some people will try and hold on to controlling, manipulating and guiling you in to their plans. When you begin to flow in the Holy Spirit’s will for  life, don’t be surprised if people in your life get upset that you are not doing what they want. People, situations, and circumstances will try and keep you bound, but who can contain the work and flow of the Holy Spirit? The Spirit goes and does what it wants. If you are a follower of Christ and not people, you will have to let some people down. That may difficult for you if you are accustomed to people pleasing and needing the approval of man. Whose approval are you really needing anyways? Hopefully, your answer is God.

You will have an abundance of peace and joy when you begin to live in freedom. You are no longer bound to religious duties and dead-religion, but you are transformed by the living God. You walk in God’s flow and in His ways. You are no longer looking to pleasing man or fulfilling religious duties, but you look to Jesus who leads and guides you.

Break out of your old ways and be completely transformed to live a life of true freedom. If you are free in Christ, you are free to love, to worship and to serve Him. Freedom means you are no longer bound by people approval and addiction; religion not relationship with Christ; guilt and condemnation; fear of disapproval; and fear of man. You are free to be who Christ made you to be, free to follow Christ and His desires and plans for your life. Freedom does not mean we can do anything we so desire, but it means we can follow Christ and what He wants from us. If we follow man, we surely will be misled. Don’t follow man, and don’t follow religion. There is no freedom in being bound by religion. Religion follows after a set of rules, duties and regulations but following after Christ brings life. In our Western culture, we have many religions and many different sects of Christianity, all can be confusing. We don’t have to be confused, let’s keep it simple, follow Christ not religion or man. Even if your family is from a certain religion or sect of Christianity that follows rules and duties, you can be free and follow just Christ. What freedom that brings.

Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.

I am empathetic about this. The moment any one of you submits to a circumcision or any other rule-keeping system, at that same moment Christ’s hard-won gift of freedom is squandered. I repeat my warning: The person who accepts the ways of circumcision trades all the advantages of the free life in Christ for the obligation of the slave life of the law.

Galatians 5:1-3, the Message Bible

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

Galatians, 5:13, NIV

What Does Freedom in Jesus Look Like?

 Have you truly experienced the Lord’s freedom for your life?
 

If you are free in Christ:

 You are not bound by people’s approval or opinions. 

 You are able to say, “No” to others without guilt and condemnation.

            You follow what Christ wants for you-not man.

            You don’t adhere to legalism or religion.

            You have appropriate boundaries with others.

            You don’t feel you should have, ought to or could have done.

            You don’t try and fulfill the needs and expectations of others.

            You don’t fear man and what they may think of you.

            You are led by the Holy Spirit concerning all things.

Being free in Christ means you can have a personal and intimate walk with Jesus, not conformed to be like someone else. We are all unique, one-of-kind creations.

Not everyone will be happy or pleased when you begin walking in freedom. Some people will try and hold on with control, manipulation or guilt. When you begin to flow in the Holy Spirit’s will for your life, don’t be surprised if the people in your life get upset. People, situations, and circumstances will try and keep you bound, but who can contain the work of the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit goes and does what it wants. Be tuned-in to the Holy Spirit, not other’s expectations for you.

If you are to be a follower of Christ and not people, you will have to let some people down. That may be difficult if you are accustomed to people pleasing, but you can have an abundance of joy and peace when you begin to walk in freedom.

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve on another in love. Galatians 5:13, NIV

Are you free in Christ?

Have you truly experienced Christ’s freedom? You might say, “what does God’s freedom look like?’ If you are free in Christ you are not bound by people’s opinion or approval of you; you follow Christ not man’s desires for you; you are not bound by guilt and condemnation; and you are not bound by religion.

You have been free to have a personal, intimate walk with Christ. You are able to say, “No” to others easily if you feel God is leading you elsewhere or you don’t have peace in a situation. God may be calling you to rest and be renewed with Him instead of going to that church function or get-together with friends or family. You have appropriate boundaries with others, including your family. You don’t feel you should be, ought to be, or could be doing anything. Instead, you are led by the Spirit of God to direct you to do something. You are less concerned about people pleasing and more concerned about pleasing God. You no longer try and fulfill the needs and expectations of others, but instead focus on fulfilling God’s plans for your life.

Not everyone will be happy or pleased when you begin walking in freedom. Some people will try and hold on to controlling, manipulating and guiling you in to their plans. When you begin to flow in the Holy Spirit’s will for  life, don’t be surprised if people in your life get upset that you are not doing what they want. People, situations, and circumstances will try and keep you bound, but who can contain the work and flow of the Holy Spirit? The Spirit goes and does what it wants. If you are a follower of Christ and not people, you will have to let some people down. That may difficult for you if you are accustomed to people pleasing and needing the approval of man. Whose approval are you really needing anyways? Hopefully, your answer is God.

You will have an abundance of peace and joy when you begin to live in freedom. You are no longer bound to religious duties and dead-religion, but you are transformed by the living God. You walk in God’s flow and in His ways. You are no longer looking to pleasing man or fulfilling religious duties, but you look to Jesus who leads and guides you.

Break out of your old ways and be completely transformed to live a life of true freedom. If you are free in Christ, you are free to love, to worship and to serve Him. Freedom means you are no longer bound by people approval and addiction; religion not relationship with Christ; guilt and condemnation; fear of disapproval; and fear of man. You are free to be who Christ made you to be, free to follow Christ and His desires and plans for your life. Freedom does not mean we can do anything we so desire, but it means we can follow Christ and what He wants from us. If we follow man, we surely will be misled. Don’t follow man, and don’t follow religion. There is no freedom in being bound by religion. Religion follows after a set of rules, duties and regulations but following after Christ brings life. In our Western culture, we have many religions and many different sects of Christianity, all can be confusing. We don’t have to be confused, let’s keep it simple, follow Christ not religion or man. Even if your family is from a certain religion or sect of Christianity that follows rules and duties, you can be free and follow just Christ. What freedom that brings.

Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.

I am empathetic about this. The moment any one of you submits to a circumcision or any other rule-keeping system, at that same moment Christ’s hard-won gift of freedom is squandered. I repeat my warning: The person who accepts the ways of circumcision trades all the advantages of the free life in Christ for the obligation of the slave life of the law.

Galatians 5:1-3, the Message Bible

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

Galatians, 5:13, NIV

To purchase author’s book, Wilderness Mentality, Stop your Stinkin’ Thinkin’ go to link @ www.createspace.com/4036785