The Making of a Stronghold

   Yesterday was one of those "ah, ha!!" moments in my Bible reading time.  You know, you see something that you have never seen before in something you have read hundreds of times???

Don't you LOVE those?

I sure do!

Anyway, I was reading Psalm 19, and the following verses struck me with immense power:

"How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?  Cleanse me from these hidden faults ('flaws'), keep your servant from deliberate sins ! Don't let them control me.  Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin."  (Ps 19: 12-14 NLT)

Here is what I wrote in my journal, my observation, my prayer.....

It is scary how easily sin can overtake us!  Ted Haggard and so many others who were exposed of "great sin"....it did not START there.  "Strongholds" of sin in our life and personality start as 1.) "Hidden faults".  These are propensities and predispositions deep down in our hard wiring.  Usually, they are 'family line', passed down generationally.  These 'flaws' are HIDDEN down in us, often waiting like 'time-bombs' to show up in our life. 

BUT....!!!....Thankfully, there is something more powerful than natural genetic flawed predispositions toward particular sins.....the Blood of Christ! As David cried out here, "CLEANSE me from these hidden faults!!"  We share in a HIGHER, GREATER, DIVINE 'bloodline'!!

If we do not allow the Holy Spirit to cleanse us though, the 'stronghold' continues to be built.  We move to 2.) "Deliberate sin". At this point, we no longer fight the urges.  We start PLANNING it out.  We are now controlled by sin, and in great danger. 

We become guilty of 3.) "Great sin". God in His mercy exposes us, much as with Ted Haggard last year.  People were astonished of the MAGNITUDE of what this leader in the Body of Christ was guilty of.  A major 'stronghold' of lust/homosexual urgings had been established and acted upon, planned out, exposed.  May God help us to seek 'cleansing in our inward parts, the hidden places where, as David said, 'sin lurks in our hearts', undetected.

"Lord Jesus, CLEANSE ME in the hidden recesses of my heart!  Please, Master, keep me from deliberate sin.  FREE me from the controlling power of sin.  I choose to live by the Spirit, and thus not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.  I will serve You ALONE, my King!"

Bobby

Comments

[Eric Easley]

So encouraging... that our dysfunctional non-Jesus encoded family lines can be re-created after the Kind of Jesus intended. Oh Lord, let us be available for your open heart surgery to chance that which teh enemy intended for evil.

[Thomas G]

I am amazed at how some things seem to be time released in life and the word of God. You see them....even hear them. One day you uncover the words and read them yet again and KAPOWEEE! and they finally "unpack". Right place...and the right time...right on time too! The older I get the more I see that God has us right where we need to be in that instant, or frame of time.

(right place...right time is what I'm illustrating here)

An example would be my former landlord "Jim" I illustrated this in Craig's blog today too. God chose me. I started going back to fellowship. Jim saw me and how it was changing me. I remember one day I just HAULED OFF AND ASKED.... "Jim...you used to be in church and even had a Sunday School class" "why did you stop going" He could not answer. Time passed....I later got discouraged and quit going for a few weeks. I learned that Jim had finally been going to the church and services I had invited him to 3 months previous. I was overjoyed!

He has since been been promoted to heaven!

I was in the right place... at the right time...RIGHT ON!!!! PRAISE GOD!!!

I love those wonderful words in the Psalms you uncovered! The strong holds must be shattered. They do not belong, nor do they fit in with a Godly walk.

Thanks