29 Nov Spiritual Roadblock
“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Luke 9:62, KJV
When a believer like you has locked both their hands to the plough of God’s kingdom, wholeheartedly beginning to advance it, you become a great threat to satan’s kingdom. Because of your determination, you have now become known in hell, and the spirits of darkness are waiting for the slightest crack to show in the door of your heart so they can claw their way into your life. Their mission is to stop any kind of Forward Motion in your life. One of satan’s most powerful tools something called condemnation.
To condemn, as described in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “to declare to be reprehensible, wrong, or evil usually after weighing evidence and without reservation.” The Oxford Dictionary says that condemnation is “the expression of very strong disapproval: censure, criticism, damnation, and the action of condemning someone to a punishment or sentencing.” Strong’s Concordance says it means “to judge against, to sentence, to condemn and to damn.”
As you can see, it is a word you and I do not want anything to do with in the slightest. Yet satan and his demonic forces use condemnation very effectively. What’s even more remarkable is that it is effective both on the saved and on the unsaved; regardless of whether a person is strong in the Lord or not. That’s because satan knows that nothing will cause a person’s life to come to a screeching halt more than condemnation.
Have you ever been driving and in the distance you see police lights, and you begin to wonder, “Hmmm, must be an accident or something”. As you drive closer you realize that it is a police roadblock. Your heart jumps wondering if you’re late for your vehicle inspection, or you left your license at home. The next thought you have is to turn off the road and go a different way – but the police are smarter than you and they’ve positioned themselves where there is no street to turn off onto. The roadblock was cleverly designed this way, and now you’re trapped. You now await the dreaded voice of the officer saying, “Please pull over to the curb.”
Now, even if you have nothing to be worried about, your mind still races to make sure you have dotted the I’s and crossed the T’s of every road law possible. Then a sigh of relief comes to you when you realize, “Great, my car is inspected, I have my license, I have my seatbelt on and I have no warrants out for my arrest.” You open your window, look right into the face of the police officer, smile and offer up a “have a nice day” as he waves you back on your journey. Great feeling, isn’t it?
I recorded a series on Condemnation a few years ago. The CD cover designer put a picture of a dog on it. I was puzzled by the artwork so I called her and asked, “What’s up with the dog on the front?” I loved her response. She said it wasn’t a dog, but rather a hyena. I was intrigued and asked her to explain. She then told me that one of the traits of a hyena, besides their powerful jaws, is they come back repeatedly for a kill. Along with their hideous laugh, they hunt and haunt their prey relentlessly, leading it to give up, thinking it has failed. How similar is that to our experience of condemnation, relentlessly pursued by thoughts of failure, that we are useless to God and that He will never forgive us; and thus we become prey to the hideous laugh of condemnation.
It’s sad to say that condemnation can often be found in some Holy Spirit-filled churches. These are places that everyone should be built up and encouraged in. Condemnation finds its roots embedded in the foundation of religion. It raises up its horns and will thrust it into anyone who doesn’t have the revelation of God’s Grace. It is a roadblock set by satan, and he wants you to believe there is no escape from it, that we can no longer move forward in God and that any spiritual momentum we once had is gone. We send ourselves directly to Condemnation Jail – do not pass Go, do not collect $200! I think you get the point.
But the Gospel, which by the way means Good News, says there is a Get Out Of Jail Free card. It is called ‘The Grace of God’ and we can go straight to the judge and get it.
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
Hebrews 4:16, KJV
Grace means “divine influence upon the heart and its reflection in one’s life”. Wow, I like that a lot. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes grace as “unmerited divine assistance”. Preachers and teachers say grace is ‘unmerited favor’. That simply means you didn’t earn it and you could never ever earn it. God simply was gracious towards you when He chose you.
DID YOU FALL TODAY?
You may have sinned today but I want to encourage you with this: it is not the end of the world nor is it the end of your walk with God; rather it is another glorious day that you can experience His grace.
The enemy is probably screaming at you that you are no good and will never amount to anything. Well, be very aware of this truth: the Voice of Condemnation is always lying. That’s because HE IS A LIAR, HE IS THE FATHER OF LIES. (John 8:44)
Now condemnation that is not dealt with can become a stronghold in your life. Allow me to speak for myself here. I was brought up Catholic and I tried to be a very good one. I was taught that when you sin you must confess it to a priest (a man) and he would give absolution and then give you a penance. Now penance is a real eye-opener, for it means ‘voluntary self-punishment inflicted as an outward expression of repentance for having done wrong.’ You might recognize it as saying 3 Hail Marys and 3 Our Fathers.
But Jesus already died for all of our sins on the cross. Jesus died for our sin, PERIOD. All of our sin: past, present and future. ALL!
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9, KJV
Before you read through the next passage I would like to point out the word now. Now is an adverb that means ‘the present time or moment’. So at this present time, at this precise moment, condemnation has no power over you.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”
Romans 8:1-2, NIV
MY CONFESSION
I will not frustrate the grace of God in my life.
PRAYER
Father, in Jesus’ name, I receive the forgiveness that comes with the shed blood at Calvary. By the grace of God I will not allow satan, others, or even myself, to speak the Voice of Condemnation into my heart. In Jesus’ name I remove the spiritual Roadblock of Condemnation so I can begin to move forward in my life. I am saved, sanctified and justified by the blood of Jesus and I will walk, talk and live that way. Because “whom the Son makes free is free indeed.”
Amen
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