Part 1: Frameworks Issue #17: Counterfeit Love - Detox Your Mind
Part 2: Frameworks Issue #18: Counterfeit Love Part 2: Perspective Alignment
This will be the final part of this mini series of Frameworks on that I've been writing the past week. It's one of those layers that many don't even know we're being targeted at to steal what's rightfully ours and destroy whatever is our portion as sons and daughters of God.
For part 3, I'll be focusing on our identity in God, the significance and the value of it and why it's valuable. And because of it's value and the authority that comes with our identity, there are forces at work trying to steal, kill and destroy. DO NOT WORRY because God is on our side. However this post will be focused very much on encouraging you to invoke your God given birthright and challenge you to be aggresive to occupy territory.
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows]. - John 10:10
We have an enemy that has no other purpose but to destroy your life. Let's understand that thieves do not want to steal valueless items. If you've had your house robbed, you'll notice that, if a theif is soundminded, they only come to take what is valuable. I mean.... have you ever heard a theif breaking into a house to steal toilet paper? Hahaha... That's because a thief only steals that which has value.
Christ has come to give you abundant life and life in all it's fullness which is what the enemy is after. He can't actually steal, kill or destroy you but he will by all means try. Because Christ has defeated sin and the consequences of it even death, the devil no longer has authority over ANY area of human life. That authority over life has now come under the gift of righteousness which has been freely given to you.
And since the devil can't really do anything to you coz he doesn't have authority over your life, he tries to deceive you with lies and hopelessness so that it criples you from using your authority. As long as you don't exercise your authority and take occupancy invoking the kingdom of God in areas of life like your job, your family, your circle of influence, your nation, and the heavenly places, other spirits will make it their territory and be the mind moulders of society.
God has called you to co-reign and co-labor with Him. The kingdom of God is at hand!
"Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" is a prayer of the disciples when they asked Jesus how to pray. The answer to "how to pray" has is about us invoking our kingdom authority over the rulers and powers in the heavenly places. WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THE RULERS AND POWERS IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES not evil spirits. Take your seat!
What you as a believer needs to understand is that you have something very valuable that was given to you without your effort and that is, your authority. As much as this authority can't be earned and can only be received, the effects of this authority is activated by will.
*For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing [manifestation] of the sons of God. - Romans 8:19
We the church often pray and wait for God to manifest Himself to solve the problems that plague our life and our world. But what we really need is to get our minds renewed, that the solution for any problem is found within us.
For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you. - Luke 17:21b
3 areas of identity the enemy targets to destroy
I've noticed 1 thing the devil consistently attacks. It's our identity. Why? Because confusion and lies that capitalizes on our hurt, pain and lack cripples us. Remember he ultimately is wanting you to not use your authority. And if you're confused about who you are, you aren't gonna use your authority. Identity is linked to authority.
Here are 3 areas that the forces of darkness are accustomed to go after. The family unit - husband and wife, parents and children, brothers and sisters.
1. Husband and wife (marriage)
Whether we have problems in marriage or not, the devil doesn't care. All he wants is if that disagreement take the place of love. As long as we start to value hurt, pain and differences more than love and relationship, we concede our authority. Hurt and pain now defines us instead of God, instead of Love.
God never punishes us and takes away our authority (Romans 11:29) but whenever we dishonor what is sacred, we automatically hand over our seat to rule in the family mountain. We can't lose our identity, but we can forget about it, and with that lose sight of our authority. Let us not give up our marriage (something sacred and valuable) for pain and hurt (temporal and, I was finding the antonym of the word invaluable but all the came up was the word 'worthless' so we'll go with that).
We can't lose our salvation. We can however forget it. - John Crowder
My wife once said something that gave a lot of restoration to me and life to our marriage. She said, "Hurt ma hurt la. So what? As if this cancels out all of the love we have had".
We have made it our motto as individuals not just for our marriage but every other area of our life that hurt will not get to define us. That our actions will not be defined by our pain. That we will not give hurt and pain influence over our lives. That we will not give any room for the devil to manipulate our emotions or thoughts. That we don't not value our emotions and give it a higher place than God (Love - 1 John 4:8).
Whether you're single or married, I hope you make that decision for you life too, to be in a posture of worship God and his values over what the world has so often fed us, a pathetic excuse for an alternative.
Any area in your life that is hopeless, is under the influence of a lie. - Bill Johnson
2. Parents and children
Another area that the enemy aims to destroy in the family unit is parents and children. Brokenness really seem to envelope this aspect of the family unit a lot.
I think because of pride and ego, parents are against children and children are against parents. A lot of Christians can talk about love and stuff but talk about their parents and you've opened a can of worms. Talk about their children and they have no idea what to do.
Children want parents to give the love they want in the way they want it and parents give the love they have in the way they want whether it communicated love or not to their children. Both are receiving and giving according to the capacity they have but what is really happening is that we're enforcing our lack on each other. And because of unmet expectations of our needs, we are left hurt and disappointed by our parents or children.
We should take a step back from how we are receiving and giving love in our way and from our understanding and be humble to say, maybe we don't know everything about parenting and being a son or daughter. Maybe what we need is to learn how to receive love and give love better. Maybe we can learn to give what they want instead of what we think they would want and when we are shown what isn't necessarily our primary love language we learn how to receive instead.
3. Brothers and sisters (comradery)
There is something very precious about this particular relationship of the family unit. I'm not saying the others aren't but I think a lot of people don't really consider that this is a part of what is sacred as well. So few see the value in this and even less emphasize it.
It's interesting that the 2nd devestating happening recorded in the Bible was of a brother murdering his brother. Rivalries and competition often spring up from having brothers and sisters in the family unit but it's also the first place we learn how to love someone we may not particularly like. With our parents we learn from them about love. But in brotherhood, we learn how to apply what we've learn.
The devil doesn't only attack blood siblings in a family, but in a society, in a church, in whatever has a group of people. Division and differences is what the devil uses to cause strife however God uses division and differences extract love out of us. It tests us whether we sucumb to ungodly way of handling issues or getting transformed to honor and love each other despite our differences.
Religious and self-righteous nutters can really be great partners with the devil on this one. Don't be one!
Related short story
I'm getting a little complacent in writing right about now at around 1600 words so I'll get straight to the point. I always had a problem with my brother since I was young. I never felt like he was anything but an assh*le all the way growing up. Key word, 'felt'.
Even years later after our childhood and we were already married and had our own families, I always alone. I always still got angry at the things that happened in our past as brothers. It was like something subconscious at the back of my mind that even when my brother was doing something nice for me and showing he loved me, I couldn't be happy.
It's so powerless when everything is good and ok but you still feel like shit! You still feel unloved!
What did I do? I met up with my brother, talked about stuff that pissed me off in the past and whatever I felt that was unfair. You know even writing this, I feel it's something so petty that I made a big deal out of. However, what isn't petty is me choosing that I will no longer let these things have power over my life. It's great that my brother is a God-fearing person as well and that he made decisions about being powerful and free in his own life too.
Feeling unloved is a mental illness. Get healed today!
I can testify that there is a power and an authority now over my life and my brother's life in the family unit more than ever before. There is no longer room, not even the slightest for accusations or distrust. We seem to have a greater measure of authority now than before because we simply chose to love one another.
What we have won in our personal life as siblings has given us access to a greater realm of grace and authority over the family mountain. Our personal breakthroughs have become a corporate blessing. I encourage you to walk this path as well.
There are realms of grace only given to those that are in those realms. You can never experience those realms of grace if you are standing on the sidelines as spectators. Because these realms of grace as reserved for those who go deeper.
So I say to you, ask and keep on asking, and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking, and you will find; knock and keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. - Luke 11:9 AMP
Encouragement and Final Thoughts
Choose to honor God above our right to be right in these 3 areas of life. Against popular belief and the suggestion of the world that there are many versions of what marriage and family is, there is only 1 version that authority comes with. Only in what is sacred comes the realm that other versions will never know of or experience.
You know the butterfly feeling and the feelings of falling in love? Let me tell you that in kingdom relationships, in sacred marriages and in the family unit done in love, is there this feeling that's far surperior than romance. It's a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious that cannot be experienced any other way. I call it happiness on steroids.
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is found in what is sacred.
The battle for territory is on the line. The call to occupy the mountains that shape society is at hand. And the enemy is defeated. Go, occupy, expand your courts and rule as Christ has made us kings to rule and reign on earth (Revelations 1:5, Revelations 5:10).
God is calling you not to just know freedom and the abundant life, life in all it's fullness as a theory or a knowledge. He is inviting you to participate in and to truly and fully experience it for yourself in real life. A life totally free from accusations and totally free to love.
-
Go beyond! Plus Ultra! - My Hero Academia
TOPIC FINDER: I always enjoy talking with people on topics they like to converse about so if you have a "How-To" or a question related to life, leave a comment and I'll write my thoughts on it in an upcoming post. Oh and I'll be upvoting comments just for engaging. Bless you!
Previous Frameworks: Frameworks Issue #19: A Generous Spirit
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://danielwong.vornix.blog/2018/09/09/frameworks-issue-20-counterfeit-love-part-3-the-war-against-humanity/