Inadequacy

Oh the power of words in our lives!  Recently I have come to recognize that there is a deep root in my life that like ivy keeps springing up when I thought I had ripped it out.  Have you ever tried to get rid of English ivy in your yard?  It is a constant battle against the deep roots that resist death.  I vividly recall such a battle in my first home here in Atlanta.  My tiny backyard was literally covered - ground and fence - with this green stuff.  Thankfully it wasn't kudzu, but definitely a huge challenge.  I tore vine after vine off the fence, pulled them up from the ground, then went behind the fence to clear a barrier of about 2 feet.  However, if I did not continually monitor that space, the vines came creeping back. 

Realistically this is exactly how some of us are in our spiritual walks.  We believe that we have eradicated something from our lives only to discover that the root is still there and consequently new growth starts erupting when we least expect it.  We are currently walking through a powerful teaching at church authored by Mark and Patti Virkler titled Prayers that Heal the Heart.  I highly recommend this for everyone because most of us have yet to fully grasp and obtain the total freedom that Jesus promises us.  There are so many visuals for this scenario to depict our struggle.  In ministering to others, the Lord gave me two that I will share in case it will trigger recognition for some of you.

First picture a cage - like a jail cell if you will.  You are inside that cell holding your heart in your hands.  The bars are the various lies the enemy has used to keep you ensnared.   God beckons to you from outside the cell and tells you to come forward.  Your response, "I can't the cell is locked."  God's response, "No, it isn't.  Go to the door and push."  With trepidation, you move forward and gently push against the cell door.  With great surprise you realize it is moving.  Encouraged you push a little harder and it swings wide open.  Amazed you slowly walk out of the cell, heart still in your hands.  God says, "Come to me, my chosen one, and give me your heart, and by the way, slam that door shut.  You will not be walking back into that again."

Second picture a yard with a stake in the ground and a worn circle around it.  Picture a chain that appears to be attached to the stake and the other end attached to a collar around your neck.  The rut in the circle is deep because of the constant circling around the stake.  There is no grass inside the circle because of the constant dragging of the chain on the ground.  God calls to you to come away from the stake.  Your response, "I can't.  My collar is attached to the stake by this chain."  God's response, "No, it isn't.  Walk away, out of the ruts that you have been traveling all of your life."  You feel the weight of the chain attached to your collar.  Logically you believe that it will yank you back when you try to walk away.  You hesitate.  God speaks again, "Do you trust me?  Do you believe in me?  Do you not know that I love you?  What is holding you back?"  Good question.  What do you have to lose?  Very tentatively you begin to move, anticipating that yank on your neck and the accompanying jolt that will come through your body.  But the love of God is pulling you like a magnet.  So you take a step, then a second.  You climb out of the rut, almost in disbelief.  Just beyond the worn circle is soft, fresh green grass.  The dust and dirt are behind you and you resist the urge to look back.  The glory of God is so strong in front of you that its warmth draws you closer and closer.

Do either of these word pictures resonate with you?  Each of us most likely has some form of imprisonment created by the lies of the enemy.  Whatever it is, God has opened the door to freedom to give each of us the opportunity to walk in complete freedom if we will just seize it.  The challenge for many of us though is that we have begun to walk in freedom and then that master of deception begins his seductive weaving of lies to once again limit us.  John 8:32  "And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."  Freedom is rooted in truth.  Therefore the opposite is true: lies will hold us captive.

One of the roots with which I am dealing is a lie of inadequacy.  The roots are deep born out of generational curses and sins, ungodly soul ties, negative expectations, and more.  This is what I am learning through this study with Mark Virkler.  The powerful truth is that these sources of deception are now being uncovered and I am walking away from them.  How can I truly operate in the full power of Holy Spirit if I allow the enemy access to my soul?  I know that I have come a long way from the beginning point of this journey, but I am not finished yet.  Wisdom tells me that I must guard my heart.  Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.  Because I am a child of God, I am chosen, I am therefore a target of darkness to attempt to thwart all that God has for me.  However, I know and he knows that I know that he is defeated and all power through Holy Spirit through the authority given to me by Christ is mine to use for the achievement of God's purposes for his kingdom.  

I fully recognize that inadequacy is just one area of which I want to be totally free.  I am going to be very deliberate about moving through each area that Holy Spirit reveals to me.  I want my heart to be free of darkness.  All of the "rooms of my heart" will be open with light and fresh "air" (remember what Holy Spirit's Hebrew name means?  In the Tanakh, the word ruach generally means wind, breath, mind, spirit. In a living creature (nephesh chayah), the ruach is the breath, whether of animals (Gen 7:15; Psa 104:25, 29) or mankind (Isa 42:5; Ezek 37:5). God is the creator of ruach: "The ruach of God (from God) is in my nostrils" (Job 27:3)  From the website: www.hebrew4christians.com)

It is a beautiful spring day in Atlanta.  It has been all week long with mild temperatures.  I have opened the windows of our home and allowed wonderful fresh air to flow through the whole house day and night.  How wonderfully symbolic for what God wants to do in my life.  I encourage each of you to discover what rooms of your heart house have been locked and shut.  Fling them open now and enjoy the fullness of all that God has for you!