Introduction
At the Set Free! Retreat you set aside an entire weekend to meet with Jesus. At the retreat you learned to deal with hurts, hang-ups and the struggles that we all face on a daily basis. Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, then you really are my disciples and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32, NIV). Often when we read this verse we cling to the freedom that is promised us, but that freedom has a condition to it –we must hold to Jesus’ teaching in order to truly be one if His disciples and be set free. The Set Free! Retreat is one step on your journey of growing in relationship with Jesus. It’s like a snapshot or a photo in the movie of your life with Christ. You must continue to move forward because the movie of your life is still rolling. You will forever have this photo as proof of the work that God has done in you but ahead of you lay many more opportunities to meet with Him, grow in your walk with Him and to continue to work through your hurts, hang-ups and struggles as life goes on. The Set Free! Retreat was an important step but it is not the final destination for you spiritually. This devotional series will help you keep moving forward, it will give you opportunities to work through the Biblical principles that you learned at the retreat and it will help you stay connected to Jesus as you grow and build a relationship with Him. It is best for you to work through one devotional per day over a period of thirty consecutive days and to write out the answers to your questions in a notebook or journal. There are lines on the page but often this is not enough room to write out your reflections. Journaling is also a good habit to get into! If you miss a day or two, just pick up where you left off (don’t skip any devotionals). God is always right there, waiting to spend time with you. He desires to be your friend, to teach you, to mature you, to set you free! This freedom is not a one-time deal but a lifetime of experiencing the joys of walking with Him. Make it your goal to complete these devotionals and to build up an album of snapshots or photos in the movie of your life with Christ!
May God richly bless you as you seek Him,
Church Renewal
Day 1
Strongholds
Ephesians 6:12 (NIV) “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
There is a war going on all round us! Satan is a thief (John 10:10a) and He wants to steal joy, freedom, peace, hope etc. from our lives and destroy our marriages, our kids, basically everything around us. He is clever and has developed cunning strategies. He wants you to disobey God bringing on a curse, discipline or judgement and He wants to build spiritual strongholds in your life. A stronghold is simply an inner condition where Satan has power to control. We would be naïve to believe that we don’t have any strongholds. When we become Christians God does not magically remove every trace of sinfulness from our lives. He also doesn’t magically fix all the wounds that we have experienced at the hands of other people. We must work these things out as part of our journey towards freedom and wholeness, it’s a process! There are different kinds of entry points by which the devil gets a foothold in your life in order to build strongholds of bondage. These entry points are things such as personal sin, generational sin, the things done to us by other people and cultural sins. Many people carry suitcases full of junk in their walk with God. It is important that we go through these suitcases to expose areas that may be strongholds so that we can walk in holiness and live lives of righteousness. All areas of past sin and pain are important to examine as well as current struggles and wounds with your goal being to get to the root of the problem.
PRAYER & MEDITATION
Think back to your Set Free! Retreat – what strongholds did God reveal to you that you worked on overcoming at the Retreat? What sort of junk was in your suitcase that God exposed and you dealt with? Remember to write out your answers in a notebook or journal!
What were some of the ways that God worked in you at the Set Free! Retreat? What sessions impacted you the most?
Spend some time thanking God for the work that He has started in you at the Retreat. Pray that He would continue this work in your life as you go through these devotionals.
Day 2
Strongholds
Numbers 25: 1-3 (NIV) “While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, 2who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate and bowed down before these gods. 3So Israel joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor. And the LORD’s anger burned against them.”
Satan uses various strategies to keep us in bondage. He tempts us to disobey God which brings on a curse, discipline or judgement. We see this in the story of Balaam in Numbers 22-25, 31. The evil King Balak hired the wicked prophet Balaam to curse Israel but every time Balaam opened his mouth to speak He could only prophesy blessing on Israel. King Balak was angered by this so Balaam thought up a plan to defeat the Israelites. Since He couldn’t curse the Israelites he advised the king to send Moabite women to infiltrate Israel’s camp to lure the men into sexual sin and rebellion against God’s statues. He knew that disobedience would bring Israel under a curse and the judgment of God and that’s exactly what happened. The anger of the Lord resulted in a plague that killed 24,000. Our disobedience and sin always opens us and others up to curses, discipline or judgment. Tomorrow we’ll look at entry points the enemy uses in order to get a foothold and put you into bondage. For today, we must begin to see the serious implications of sin. It puts us into bondage and often puts our children and families into bondage too!
PRAYER & MEDITATION
What is the link in today’s Bible story between Israel’s sin and God’s wrath? Did it make a difference that the Israelites were “lured” into sinning?
Ask the Lord to show you a time in your life when your disobedience or sin opened you up or opened up someone else to a curse, discipline or bondage (maybe you were “lured” into sinning). What happened?
What were some of the consequences for this disobedience/sin?
Has this been dealt with spiritually through confession? Spend some time confessing and getting this right with God.
Day 3
Entry points for strongholds
Ephesians 4:26-27 (NIV) "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”
As Christians, our goal is to shut the enemy out of our lives and live holy and righteously. But if we are going to shut the door on the enemy then it would be important for us to make sure that the windows are shut too! That’s why it’s important to deal with all possible entry points that the enemy can use to build strongholds in our lives such as:
Personal Sin – Sin and rebellion opens you up to the demonic realm, it gives the enemy permission to influence and control you. We can see this in the life of King Saul.
Sinful family patterns – The devil doesn’t play fair, he will use anything, even the sins of our ancestors, to create strongholds in our lives. We can see this in the line of King David as his sin greatly affected his children, grand-children and even great-grandchildren.
Other people’s sin – Refusing to forgive others for what they have done to us is another common way the enemy builds a stronghold in our lives. Another is that the enemy can plant lies in our memories that cause great woundedness creating strongholds of worthlessness, inferiority, rejection, abandonment, feeling unloved, etc.
Cultural sins – We have been conditioned to think and react in certain ways by our culture (books, movies, peers, churches, employers, etc.). Once these strongholds are in place our ability to choose and act contrary to that pattern is virtually impossible. Examples: humanism, male dominance, racial prejudices, materialism, sexual immorality, etc.
PRAYER & MEDITATION
Ask the Lord to show you which of the four areas listed above He would like you to pray through today. Write it down.
Now ask the Lord to show you a specific sin in this area that has an effect on you. Spend some time confessing this sin, ask the Lord to forgive you and cleanse you.
Thank the Lord for revealing this to you and pray that He would shut the entry point so that you are not in bondage to this sin anymore.
Day 4
Weapons to Fight the Enemy
2 Corinthians 10:3-4 (NLT) “We are human, but we don’t wage war with human plans and methods. We use God’s mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the devil’s strongholds!”
As cunning and devious as the enemy is, God has not left us unarmed for He has given us very powerful weapons to destroy the enemy’s strongholds in our lives and remove the enemies entry points into our lives. At the Set Free! Retreat you used five important spiritual weapons:
Confession
Deliverance
Listening Prayer (inner healing)
Forgiveness
Breaking Generational bondages
It is important that we continue to use these spiritual weapons on a regular basis. What good is a weapon if it’s left on the shelf? Since our spiritual growth is a process we are not going to go to one Set Free! Retreat and then be fixed up for life. Walking with God is a journey, you will need to use these weapons many times in order to break a stronghold and experience freedom. What God desires most is a relationship with you for the rest of your life and for all eternity. He wants to walk with you as you begin to use your spiritual weapons on a DAILY basis!
PRAYER & MEDITATION
What were the spiritual weapons that you used at the Set Free! Retreat? Did you ever consider these things to be weapons?
Which of the weapons did you find the easiest to use? Which ones do you find harder to use? What sorts of things can you do in order to learn to use your weapons more effectively?
Are you willing to use these weapons on a regular (daily) basis in order to keep growing and experience a deeper level of freedom?
Day 5
Upright Living
Titus 2:11-14 (NIV) “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.”
Christianity is about faith in Jesus, but this faith must work in our hearts to produce upright living. Accepting Jesus, believing in Him and getting saved are all important steps but we must not stop there. The heart of Christianity lies in loving God and obeying Him. To be a Christian is to live according to the teachings of Christ. We are saved through grace by faith yet the essence of Christianity is upright, godly living, living by the Bible. In the Epistles we find repeated teachings on the on the importance of righteousness, godliness, loving others, humility, moral purity, chastity, forgiveness, peacefulness, avoiding argument and strife, etc. They give practical instruction on how to live life, on how God expects us to live. Upright living is using the breastplate of righteousness as His shield of protection over us. We keep allowing ourselves to be open to the enemy’s attacks through our sin. We need to live with integrity in every area of our lives. The first step is to become aware of our areas of weakness, and then we move towards growing. This is a process. We can’t go from living pagan selfish lives to living perfectly holy lives overnight. In fact, we won’t reach complete holiness until eternity. The important thing is that we are striving for full obedience, righteous living and that we are pursuing godly character.
PRAYER & MEDITATION
How is godly living an important part of walking with God?
In what ways does your life exemplify godly living?
In what ways do you need to grow in living according to the teaching of the Bible?
Ask the Lord to help you gain victory over your sin so that it doesn’t control you and open you to the enemy’s strongholds. Ask the Lord to reveal one area of sin that He wants you to work on today. How will you do this?
Day 6
Confession
1 John 1:9 (NIV) “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
Confession was a big part of the Set Free! Retreat. Let’s review a few things about this spiritual weapon. Confession means to “agree with” or admit that we have done something sinful. Making excuses is NOT confession. Confession brings forgiveness, it removes our guilt, it limits discipline and it releases healing. These things set us free! God forgives all sorts of sins but we must confess them as sin to receive this forgiveness. In Psalm 32 David writes, 1Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! 2Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! Confession leads to JOY! Knowing that God has removed your sin along with its burden of guilt and that He covers your shame and cancels your debt is the greatest feeling on earth! Yet confession must come from the heart for there is such a thing as counterfeit confession. The politician confesses “errors were made,” the burglar confesses, “I’m sorry I got caught,” the negotiator confesses, “I’ll say I was wrong if you’ll get off my back,” and here’s another common counterfeit confession, “I’m sorry you took offense,”. Confession is a vital but first you must take complete ownership of your sin. David says, “Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” (Ps 32:5). If you get your sin out in the open, it loses its power and you are able to move on and forget it! This must be done regularly so that we may live victorious Christian lives.
PRAYER & MEDITATION
What is the difference between real confession and counterfeit confession? Have you ever been guilty of counterfeit confession?
Why is true confession, from the heart, so important?
Read David’s prayer of confession in Psalm 32. What are the signs of true confession in this Psalm?
Are there some things in your life where you have been making excuses instead of confessing sin? What are they? Spend a few moments in prayer confessing these things as sin, asking the Lord to forgive you.
Day 7
Repentance
2 Corinthians 7:9-10 (NKJV) “Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”
The word “repentance” is from the Greek word metanoia which means “a change of mind”. Confession of sin is the first step - we must confess sin every time we do something sinful but we can’t stop there. God is not just looking for verbal confession of sin, what He wants is for us to have a heart change that affects how we live. Repentance is more than being sorry for your sin and apologizing for something you have done. Paul said that there is a sorrow that does not bring repentance, but rather death! Not all sorrow is godly. Not all tears are motivated by genuine repentance. In fact, they may be shed without genuine repentance. Many people aren’t really sorry for their sins, they are just sorry that they were caught. Others recognize the unpleasant consequences of their sins and are sorry that their sin has brought these consequences into their life. These are examples of worldly sorrow. When the sorrow focuses on you then its worldly sorrow but when it focuses on God then its godly sorrow. Sorrow of this world is concerned about the consequences that you will experience as a result of your sin (loss of status, wealth, position, reputation etc.), whereas godly sorrow is concerned with how your sin separates you from God. There is a radical distinction between natural regret and God-given repentance. The flesh can feel remorse, acknowledge evil deeds and be ashamed of itself. However this sort of disgust with past actions can be quickly shrugged off and the individual can soon go back to his wicked ways. Confession must lead to repentance – a change in lifestyle in order for the sinner to turn from His ways and walk in righteousness.
PRAYER & MEDITATION
What are some of the differences between worldly sorrow and godly sorrow? Can you think of an example of each of these types of sorrow from your own life?
Ask the Lord to work in your heart to produce godly sorrow for your sin.
Pray that this godly sorrow would produce behavioural change in your life.
Day 8
Confession, Repentance and Two Kings
Psalm 51:10 (ESV) “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
The difference between confession that is merely lip service and godly repentance which leads to a change in lifestyle is illustrated by the life of Saul and the life of David, two Biblical Kings. King Saul was commanded in 1 Samuel 15 to attack Amalek and destroy everything he and his people had. Saul however, took the king alive and spared the best animals. When confronted by Samuel, King Saul responded: I have sinned, yet honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord your God (1 Sam 15:30). Saul acknowledges his sin however he was more concerned about being exposed in front of the elders and people of Israel than being concerned about his sin against God. His response was based on his own reputation and kingdom – his motive was selfish. On the other hand, King David committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband to cover his sin. When he was confronted by the prophet Nathan, David said to Nathan “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Sam 12:13). Both Saul and David confessed their sin, yet David understood who his sin was against and fell on his face in repentance. David was not concerned about what the elders or the men of Israel may think; he only cared what God thought. He knew he had hurt God’s heart. He cried out: “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight…” (Ps 51:4). Today’s verse shows David’s desire to have a clean heart before God and a right spirit – David wanted his heart to change which is a sign of true repentance! Hodge teaches that “Repentance is incomplete unless…it causes us to forsake not merely outward sins, which others notice, but those which lie concealed in the heart; unless it makes us choose the service of God and live not for ourselves but for Him.”
PRAYER & MEDITATION
What was the main difference between Saul and David’s confessions? What was each of their motives in confessing?
Is your desire to have a clean heart before God? Tell Him this and pray that you would grow to be like David who desired a clean heart above anything else!
Read Psalm 51 and turn it into a prayer from your heart to God.
Day 9
From Darkness to Light
Acts 19:19 (NLT) “A number of them who had been practicing magic brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire. The value of the books was several million dollars.”
Occult means “hidden” which is an accurate description of the way Satan tries to operate in this world – secretly, so people are deceived into offering worship to him, sometimes without realizing that he even exists. In offering Satan worship they are saying yes to the demonic, and once occultic demonic power is operating in people’s lives, then Satan has a handle on them that is not easy to remove. Many Christians have been deceived by seemingly harmless things like Ouija boards, tarot cards, astrology charts, contacting the dead, séances, spells, magic etc. Scripture warns that we hurt ourselves when we dabble in things even “just for fun”. If you’re a parent and you tell your child, “don’t play in the street, “and the child says, “well, I don’t see any danger out there,” and walks out into the street and a car hits them – they’re still hurt (or dead), even though they didn’t see the danger. God puts boundaries in place for us and if we’ve stepped over the boundary then we’ve put ourselves in jeopardy as something that is not of God may have entered our lives. In both the Old and New Testaments, God strongly warns us not to have anything to do with the occult, which is part of the “domain of darkness” (Col. 1:13) where demons reign. He calls occult practices “detestable,” which tells us that He is passionate about protecting us.
PRAYER & MEDITATION
Have you ever been exposed to the occult (either intentionally or unintentionally)? Can you think of some subtle ways that people are exposed to the occult in our culture?
Spend some time confessing all exposure to the occult in your life. Pray that God would forgive and remove any residual strongholds that are in your life as a result of this exposure.
Pray that you would have much discernment when choosing media such as movies, books, TV, music, video games, etc. in order to reduce your exposure to the occult. Is there anything you need to throw away?
Pray that God would strengthen your resolve to flee all forms of the occult.
Day 10
Purity
Psalms 101:3 (NIV) “I will set before my eyes no vile thing.”
Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV) “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things…”
Sex and our sexuality were created by God. They are lovely and good and they are a beautiful gift from God to be kept pure and holy. Sexuality is a powerful part of how God has made us, but it often becomes misdirected. Many Christians today wonder why they do not have peace in their lives and in their families yet they allow many vile things into their minds and their home through entertainment and the media. This gives the enemy an opportunity (foothold) to stir up agitation, frustration and unhappiness in us.
With sex and sexuality being huge parts of our Western culture it’s hard to stay pure in today’s world yet Jesus calls us to live pure and holy lives. Lust is one of the top struggles for Christians and it’s not just the men. The law of diminishing returns governs lust – we grow less sensitive to the same level of stimuli over time, and therefore require more stimuli to elicit the same response. Many people have built up a numbness to sexual images that are all over our culture – TV commercials, magazine advertisements, movies etc. which all feed lust. Jesus teaches that “whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt 5:28). Satan slips things into your thoughts like: “But I must be up-to-date on the latest movies and television shows that my co-workers or classmates are watching!” God’s Word makes it clear that we are to be innocent and pure regarding evil (Romans 16:19).
PRAYER & MEDITATION
In what ways are sex and sexuality a huge part of our culture?
In what ways has this culture affected your views on sex and sexuality?
Ask the Lord to speak to you about the media that you are involved in – do you have movies, books, music, video games, etc. that you need to throw in the garbage in order to stay pure? What do you have in place in order to stay pure on the computer or cell phone?
Day 11
Soul Ties
Colossians 1:13-14 (ESV) “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Soul ties can be healthy or unhealthy; they have been designed by God to be a spiritual bond between two people. It is healthy and necessary for a mother to bond with her baby but it is unhealthy for a baby to grow up to be a “mama’s boy”. Unnatural ties to parents, friends, brothers, or sisters are unhealthy. So are ties that have been created due to sinful emotional or physical involvement with a person, including sexual activity. Fantasies about another person, even if there is no contact, can create a soul tie. You may not remember some soul ties, but they are still strongholds in your life. The Holy Spirit can gently remind us of these ties and they can be broken! Praise the Lord! In order to break a soul tie you must deal with it as sin (1 John 1:9). This includes confession – naming the sin and renouncing it and all pleasure gained from it. Just like with other strongholds, it is important to figure out the root of the soul tie – what underlying issue caused you to fall into this trap in the first place? Was it loneliness, curiosity, anger? Sometimes it takes ongoing listening prayer to figure out the root, other times it is important to pray through these things with a trained personal minister. You aren’t alone in figuring these things out; you can always book an appointment by calling the church. It’s important to recognize what we can and cannot manage on our own. If you are feeling overwhelmed and that something in your life is too big to handle it’s OK to seek help. You are not alone!
PRAYER & MEDITATION
What is a soul tie? Why are they important and how can they become negative and put us into bondage?
Ask the Lord to reveal to you if you have any soul ties left to confess that you did not already confess at the Set Free! Retreat, then confess each one just like we did at the retreat.
Ask the Lord to show you what boundaries you can put into your life in order to avoid creating any new soul ties in the future.
Day 12
The Cross
Isaiah 53:5 (NIV) “Yet the Lord laid on him the guilt and sins of us all.”
When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden the consequences affected the whole human race. Spiritual death (separation from God), physical death and a sinful nature are now all inherited by each of their descendants. But that is not the end of the story, Jesus, the Son of God, who is fully God and fully man lived a sinless life and shed His blood for the sins of all people. He was our substitute, paying the price for our sin and reconciling us to God. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross benefits us greatly providing us with the potential for receiving many good things such as:
Salvation from hell
Forgiveness of sin
Removal of guilt
Deliverance from bondages
Healing of inner hurts
Restoration of relationship with God
Restoration of relationship with others
Victory over the devil
Presence of God
These things are available to us but we have to activate them! Whenever a credit card company sends you a credit card it’s only “potential” credit, you cannot actually get any money with that card until you activate it. So it is with Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, until we activate it by applying it to ourselves or it doesn’t do anything for us.
PRAYER & MEDITATION
What benefits of the cross, listed above, do you need in your life today? Write them down in your notebook or journal.
Pray that God would teach you to activate these benefits in your life. Ask the Lord to show how you can do this.
Take some time to mediate on the benefits of the cross, ask the Lord to continue to teach you how to activate these things in your life.
Make a commitment not to take these things lightly but to diligently pursue Him in devotions and prayer.
Day 13
Importance of Godly Attitudes
Philippians 2:5 (NIV) “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”
Our attitudes have the potential to either please or displease God. Often we blame our circumstances for our attitudes but circumstances do not create attitudes instead our attitudes flow from our heart condition. Matthew 15:19 teaches us that “out of the heart come evil thoughts”. God wants our character to imitate the character of Christ so He brings circumstances into our lives in order to shine some light onto the condition of our hearts. God does this because of His goodness, He desires for us to grow into maturity. Listed below are some examples of ungodly attitudes. Take a few moments and ask the Lord to reveal to you any areas that He wants to speak to you about today. Check those things off as you go through the list.
PRAYER & MEDITATION
Spend some time confessing each thing that the Lord showed you today as sin. Don’t make excuses for your sin, admit it and repent of it.
Ask the Lord to change you in these areas, to grow godly attitudes and character inside of these sinful attitudes.
Pray that you would get to the root of any sinful areas that you struggle with regularly and find freedom from these.
Day 14
Dealing with Attitudes
Ephesians 4:30-32 (NIV) “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Uncontrolled anger is a huge problem in our society and when we read today’s verses we can see that God doesn’t give us a lot of wiggle room when it comes to the sin of anger. These verses show us a progression from a resentful inner attitude (bitterness) to its outworking expression in fits of rage, to yelling abusively (brawling). Bitterness develops over time as we nurse our anger and tell ourselves we have good cause to be angry. Rage refers to outbursts of anger, like when someone boils over, whereas anger refers to a more settled attitude, often with the purpose of revenge. Brawling refers to loud, angry words, where people are screaming at each other, basically yelling. Slander refers to speaking evil about someone to someone else who has no need to hear it. Usually we do this to build our case against the person as we play the innocent victim. Often slander is accompanied by falsehood by stretching the truth, exaggerating, or only giving enough information to build our side of the story. Finally, malice is a general term for wickedness or the desire to harm a person either physically or emotionally. Paul commands us to remove all six of these sinful attitudes and actions from our lives. Yet it’s not enough to stop the sinful behaviour, we must begin to practice godly behaviour. In verse 32 Paul teaches us to instead be kind, compassionate and forgiving. How do we do this? Focus on how in Christ, God forgave you!
PRAYER & MEDITATION
What is bitterness? How is bitterness the first step towards anger issues?
What is the difference between rage, anger and brawling?
What is slander? What is malice?
Ask the Lord to reveal to you any struggles you have with any of these six sins. Ask the Lord to show you the root of these struggles in your life through a word, thought or picture. Then ask Him what He wants to say about that root. Pray that you would practice godly behaviour instead.
Day 15
Dealing with Idolatry
Exodus 20:3-5 (ESV) “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me.”
In some parts of the world idol worship is quite popular. In these areas many homes have images of Buddha, Quan Yin, Hanuman or various charms can be found. Yet do we not have idols in our Western Churches today? An idol is simply anything we like, trust, love, adore, desire, worship, hope in, have faith in, give our attention to, and seek more than the Lord. For one person an idol may be a vehicle, an ambition, a hobby, leisure activity or an art. These are all things that are considered to be safe, but also bring comfort to the worshipper. For others, Satan brings drugs, alcohol, gambling or promiscuity. The first step in being set free from idols is asking the Lord to release you from any deception that has blinded you from seeing your idols as evil. Be honest with yourself, are you in bondage to any excessive attachments? One self-check that you can use to determine if something is an idol or not is to consider how much time, energy and money you are spending on it. This is not foolproof but can be a helpful tool. Francis Frangipane teaches, “If we exalt money, status, or sex above the Word of God, we are living in idolatry. Every time we inwardly submit to the strongholds of fear, bitterness, and pride, we are bowing to the rulers of darkness. Each of these idols must be smashed, splintered, and obliterated from the landscape of our hearts.” Idols can be objects, ideas, philosophies, habits, or occupations – whatever is one’s primary concern over loyalty to the Lord.
PRAYER & MEDITATION
What is an idol? What are some common idols in today’s Western world?
What is the first step in being freed from idols? Spend some time in prayer doing this.
Now ask the Lord to reveal to you any idols in your life that you may have been blinded to. Confess as necessary.
Now ask the Lord to show you how to rid yourself of this idol in your life.
Day 16
Community Matters
Ephesians 3:10-11 (NIV) “His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to His eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
It is ridiculous to think of one soldier marching alone into a battlefield, isn’t it? Soldiers train together, not separately. Whether it is climbing steep trails or digging trenches, they are always organized to be part of a group. God’s forces are also organized to enter into battle by groups! Did you see this in today’s verse? That’s why it is so important to get involved in a small group. We need to be in relationship with other believers for our own personal and spiritual growth. It’s necessary to go to a weekend church service but this is not enough because the format of the weekend services is not conducive to personal interaction. It is God’s plan for you to grow in quality relationship with Him and other believers. We all need a place to belong and to work through the issues of life. We need to be loved and to love others and what better place to do that than in a small group. Small are the perfect place for spiritual growth and to learn to understand the Bible and grow in prayer. They are the perfect place to practice the things that you learned at the Set Free! Retreat and have accountability in the areas that you struggle. But it will take work and effort, you will need to give up time but it will be worth the effort. Small are not primarily in existence for social gatherings but rather for spiritual growth. Fear is the biggest reason why people don’t join a small group, for some it’s fear of meeting new people and for others it’s fear of being vulnerable. We must trust that the positives of being involved in a small group will outweigh the initial fears. God is on our side, He will be with us to help each step of the way.
PRAYER & MEDITATION
What are some of the benefits of being part of a small group?
If you are not in a small group are you willing to consider joining one?
If you are in a small group, ask the Lord to show you how it is affecting your walk with God. Are you growing spiritually? Does your small focus on discipleship or is it a social club?
Day 17
Church Life
Hebrews 10:23-25 (NIV) “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
We are greatly blessed to be living in a country where we can gather as a church to worship and praise God corporately. God’s heart is for us to continue coming together in this way and be unified in the Spirit. With freedom comes responsibility and each of us is responsible to choose to grow spiritually. In Matthew 13:1-9 (parable of the seed/soil) we see that all are given the same seed but many things hinder the development of the seed’s growth. We need Christian community in various forms. As good as weekend services are (and they are essential), this is not enough. We need to gather in a setting where we can grow and be challenged personally. A great place to start is a small group. Connect with your home church to see what is available to you.
PRAYER & MEDITATION
Read Matthew 13: 1-9, 18-23. Ask the Lord to show you which soil you represent. How would being involved in a Christian community help you to be the seed that produces the greatest yield?
If you are in a small group, ask the Lord for a practical way that you can encourage your leader.
If you are not in a small group, ask the Lord to show you how you can get involved in joining a one.
Thank the Lord for the privilege of gathering as a church and being able to praise God and meet corporately. Pray for unity within the church.
Day 18
Being Filled With the Spirit
Luke 11:11-13 (NIV) “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
The story is told of a science teacher who asked a student to fill a glass with water right to the top. The teacher then poured a few ounces of sand into the glass and of course, much of the water ran over the sides of the glass. The teacher was demonstrating the law of displacement – that two substances cannot occupy the same space at the same time. The same is true when it comes to being filled with the Holy Spirit. If we are full of disobedience and unbelief then there is little room for the Spirit to reign in us. In order to be filled by the Holy Spirit there must be an emptying. If we have a cynical spirit there is no room for faith. If we have bitterness there is no room for joy. Do you desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit? Then you need to get rid of the sand in your glass. Sin quenches the Holy Spirit which is why confession and repentance are necessary for filling. As Christian’s our goal is to be filled with and ruled by Christ. This does not mean that we are seeking some supernatural sign or wonder but that we are seeking Christ. Being filled with the Spirit is not just a Pentecostal endeavor; it’s not about speaking in tongues or having some strange baptism in the Spirit experience. It’s about being led by the Spirit. It means that we are empowered by Him which is primarily evidenced by who and how we are. The fruit of the Spirit is what we are to strive for. This fruit will change all our relationships as we let Him work in and through us.
PRAYER & MEDITATION
What are some of the things that compete with the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life? Confess these things as sin. How can you go about emptying yourself of these things?
What does it mean to be led by the Spirit? Why should this be the desire of every believer? What is the evidence of this in the believer’s life?
Ask the Lord to help you continue to empty yourself of sin and fill you with His presence. Ask Him to grow good fruit in you!
Day 19
Being Filled with the Spirit
Galatians 5:16-17 (NIV) “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.”
Often Christians experience ups and downs in their walk with God. It’s hard to discover that many of our old habits and attitudes still plague us. It doesn’t have to be this way; there is a solution to this problem. When you prayed to become a child of God you received the Holy Spirit who lives inside all believers. Yet being filled with the Holy Spirit is an ongoing experience. Peter was filled repeatedly (Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31). The promise of the Holy Spirit is for you, don’t doubt – He will give; don’t fear – God desires your very best; don’t feel inadequate – it’s a gift! The Holy Spirit is a Person, He is part of the Trinity and is not someone you need to fear. God wants the Holy Spirit to fill us and control us (Eph. 5:18). The Holy Spirit is an absolute necessity for believers, it’s the way that we do more ministry (John 14:12) which is the same way that Jesus did ministry (Luke 4:18). You have a choice, you can either resist the Spirit (Acts 7:51) by refusing to Him; or you can grieve the Spirit (Eph. 4:30-32) by sinning; or you can quench the Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19) or you can be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18) by having a continuous, a constant flow of His life into yours. It is then that our lives give Him the greatest glory.
PRAYER & MEDITATION
Have you been resisting the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life? Have you been tapping into His power in order to do ministry and conquer areas of sin in your life? How can you keep yourself full of the Holy Spirit?
Ask the Lord to give you a word, thought or picture about what He wants to do in your life over the next few months. Then, ask Him to fill with the Holy Spirit and help you commit fully to Him, obey His Word and grow to love Him more and more.
Day 20
Forgiveness
Mark 11:25-26 (NKJV) “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
Forgiveness is one of the most powerful spiritual weapons of deliverance. Today’s verse teaches us that forgiveness is not an option. As human beings, we are prone to make mistakes, either intentionally or unintentionally. We all have hurt people, and we have all been hurt. Whether because of mistakes we have made or because of things others did to us, we all have pain and hurt but this doesn’t need to lead to resentment. We may suffer betrayal from friends, family, coworkers, and even church members. However, we are called to forgive! We forgive because God has forgiven us. If we do not, the resentment will build and build—like battery acid that slowly eats away a car—until, unless we fix it, it destroys us. Forgiveness is an act of the will; we do not need to feel like forgiving in order to forgive someone. It is also important to recognize the difference between forgiving and trusting. These are not the same, trust must be rebuilt over time but we can always forgive. In order to test your forgiveness, pray a prayer of blessing over the person that hurt you and then demonstrate your love for them. If you find that you cannot forgive, ask God to help make you willing to forgive. Some people need to forgive those who hurt them physically or sexually; others need to forgive churches or church leaders. Still others need to forgive themselves, especially confessing any offense toward God. Forgiveness does not make light of the wrong, nor should it give a license for others to take advantage of us, but, they may. Forgiveness is an important step in the path of healing. The healing we get from forgiveness will close the wounds we receive; it will allow us to go on with life. It will prevent our sufferings and setbacks from becoming our identity and obsession. We must be patient, let the process unfold, and embrace the forgiveness that Christ has given us.
PRAYER & MEDITATION
Why is forgiveness such an important step in the path of healing?
What is the difference between forgiving someone and trusting someone?
Ask the Lord to show you if there is any unforgiveness in your heart. Who is it towards? What is the first step that you need to take in order to move towards forgiving this person?
Day 21
Forgiveness
1 Peter 3:9 (NIV) “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”
Hardships, difficulties, and irritations are as much a part of life as breathing. However, humankind was intended to live in complete friendship with God, self and others. This is hard and for some even feels impossible. Yet our forgiveness was costly to God, it cost Jesus His life so is it too much for Him to require us to do things that are hard? If we live in unforgiveness towards someone then we end up putting ourselves in bondage. The only way you will ever experience full freedom is when you live a life of forgiveness. Just like repentance means changing your behaviour by choosing a different way to live your life, forgiveness also requires ongoing action. The starting point is saying the words, “I forgive ____________ for ____________”, but that’s not complete forgiveness. Forgiveness needs to be put in practice every day by refusing to gossip about what has happened, by seeking to keep no record of wrongs, by giving up your right to get even and by blessing the person who hurt you (be kind to them, pray for them, etc.) Forgiveness often starts out as a duty, an obligation, in obedience to God. It starts with choosing to do the right thing by forgiving. Then, as you choose to do this you begin to see God’s greater plan and forgiveness gets easier. Finally, as we choose to forgive, we begin to have God’s love for the person that hurt us. This doesn’t mean that we can ever go back to a dangerous situation but it does mean that we can now see our offender as a person in need of redemption and pray to that end.
PRAYER & MEDITATION
How is forgiveness a process?
What’s the next step that you need to take in the process of forgiving someone who has hurt you?
Pray that you would be willing to open your heart up to the process of forgiveness and move forward in forgiving those who have hurt you. Pray that as you do this you would find the freedom that God promises!
Day 22
Jesus as Functional Lord
Acts 20:28 (ESV) “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood.”
Jesus, not us, is Lord of the church. We know that one day Jesus will rule and reign when He returns but is He actively reigning and ruling now, or is He just a figurehead monarch until He assumes His future reign? Unfortunately, in many churches and in many people’s lives, Jesus is just a figurehead. Jeremiah writes of this back in Biblical days, “the shepherds of my people have lost their senses. They no longer seek wisdom from the LORD. Therefore, they fail completely, and their flocks are scattered” (Jeremiah 10:21, NLT). Jesus is Lord, but only of those who die to self and invite Him to be Lord. Christ, the ascended and ruling Lord, demands that His followers follow His example and die to self. You will need the filling of the Holy Spirit for this for it gives you the power to follow Jesus to the cross! If you submit to the Lordship of Jesus, it will cost you something, maybe something very dear to you, but then you get a pearl of great value (Matthew 13:45-46). You get to really experience life and blessings (the one who loses it finds it!). You get joy unspeakable. You get meaning and purpose in life. You get to hear God all the time – because He confides His secrets with those who fear/submit to His Lordship (Psalm 25:14). You get to experience real miracles in your life. You get to see your faith flow down into your children and grandchildren. You get to experience heavenly relationships in marriage, family, friends and church. And that doesn’t even touch on the eternal rewards yet! Costly? YES! But worth everything you could spend to get it! Truly the pearl of great value!
PRAYER & MEDITATION
What are some of the blessings that you may receive if you make Jesus functional Lord of your life?
Is it worth the cost? Are you willing to put Him as Lord of your life?
What are some of the things that you may be called to sacrifice if you truly make Him functional Lord of your life?
Ask the Lord to show you some practical ways to do this. How will it affect the way you use your time, energy and resources?
Day 23
Pride
Obadiah 1:3 (NKJV) “The pride of your heart has deceived you.”
Pride is much more difficult to discern than any other corruption because, by nature, pride is a person having too high a thought of himself. Is it any surprise, then, that a person who has too high a thought of himself is unaware of it? He thinks the opinion he has of himself has just grounds and therefore is not too high. As a result, there is no other matter in which the heart is more deceitful and unsearchable. Pride takes many forms and shapes and encompasses the heart like the layers of an onion- when you pull off one layer, there is another underneath.
PRAYER & MEDITATION
Spend some time confessing any of the following areas of pride that you struggle with:
Thinking that you are better than other people.
Boasting about your accomplishments, seeking praise.
Harbouring grudges and not forgiving.
Being inflexible, unwilling to change, needing to be in control.
Doing things in your own strength, with your own leading and not by abiding in him and through His leading
Comparing your abilities to others, striving for success instead of service
Caring too much about what others think and not about what God thinks
Being driven by selfish ambition and not following God
Pray that you would grow in humility in the following areas:
Listening to God and obeying what He shows you
Desiring to walk with God and grow in relationship with Him.
Trusting your position and future to Him
Living in authentic wholeheartedness, desiring to please Him alone
Day 24
Inner Healing
John 8:32 (NIV) “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:36 (NIV) “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Our hurts and pain create strongholds of loneliness, rejection, resentment, fear and/or anger. These things impede our growth and keep us from fulfilling God’s dreams for us. We don’t have to live this way; God wants to take our wounds and heal them. He loves to take those painful experiences we’d like to forget and use them to make a difference in the lives of others! Many people receive counselling every year for problems such as cyclical anger, irrational fears, depression, feeling unloved, conflict in marriage, shame, rejection. The problem is that they are being treated for surface problems. They try and try to deal with these things but they simply can’t reform themselves. That’s because these things are only the presenting or surface problems – not the root problem. The root problem is a past hurt or wound!!! Think about an apple tree - if you want to get rid of the apples on the tree you don’t just pick them all because they will grow back, and you can’t just cut down the tree because the tree can grow back; you must get rid of the root by digging it out, every last piece of root. We need God to speak truth into our woundedness and show us the root of the issues that we are dealing with. The enemy is a master at telling us lies about ourselves and our hurts and wounds. We need Jesus’s truth to bring inner healing.
PRAYER & MEDITATION
Ask the Lord to show you a hurt that you have experienced in your life. (Make sure to write everything down in your journal today.)
Then ask the Lord to show you how this has made you feel (be specific, write down real emotions, don’t be vague).
Now ask the Lord to show you the lie that you believed in that situation (could be a lie about Him, you, someone else, the situation). Confess that you believed this lie.
Invite Jesus to show you the truth about what happened; ask Him to show you where He was in all of this.
Thank God for what He showed you today, praise Him for His goodness!
Day 25
Generational Healing
Jeremiah 32:18 (NLT) “You show unfailing love to thousands, but you also bring the consequences of one generation’s sin upon the next. You are the great and powerful God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
Most of us have heard the phrases, “He’s a chip off the old block,” or “The acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree”. We inherit lots of things from our parents such as physical appearance, temperament and talents but we also can inherit spiritual weaknesses as well as demonic influences and curses. When we take a good look at our extended families, we can see certain issues travel down the lines and it becomes apparent that something generational is going on here. If there is anything that is a big issue in your life then assume that it’s generational. It’s important that we don’t blame our families for how they lived or for how their lives have affected our own. Instead, we need to root out these sinful family patterns so that we can leave a godly legacy for our own children. It is important to deal with sinful family patterns as the Lord leads you because God doesn’t usually show you everything all at once. The Lord will lead you to different things or He will want you to break certain bondages at a deeper level as you grow closer to Him. Our walk with God is a journey, as we grow spiritually He will often bring things up that you may have felt that you dealt with already at the retreat. It’s sort of like when a person gets married, at that moment they think they really know their partner, but as time goes by they get to know them better and better. Most couples who have been married 30-40 years would say that there was a lot they didn’t know about their spouse on their wedding day. So it is with God, we have a lifetime to get to know Him better and often He takes us places where we have already been, just shows us things that we weren’t ready to see the first time. It’s His goodness that does this! He wants us to grow in relationship with Him through this process.
PRAYER & MEDITATION
What are some of the good things that you have inherited from your parents? Examples: talents, work ethic, religious heritage, etc.
What are some of the big issues in your life that may have a sinful family pattern link to them?
Are you willing to keep pursuing God in order to get to the root of these sins?
Day 26
Worship
Isaiah 43:21 (NIV) “The people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.”
What is worship? It is the act of freely giving love to God. The word worship comes from an old English word meaning “worth-ship”, which means to express His worth. Worship is not merely music or the songs we sing. One of the main reasons why we exist is to have fellowship and communion with God. Worship is primarily for God but in order to praise and worship God for who He is, we must know Him, His nature, His desires, His plans, and His heart. It is impossible to praise and worship a God you do not know personally. The more we know God the more we will want to worship Him and the deeper our worship will take us. Our chief purpose in life is to give Christ glory; this is proclaimed in Scripture (Psalm 73:25-28; 1 Cor. 10:31; Rom. 11:36). It is not about us, it is about Him! Worship does not depend upon where we are or if we are moved by the Holy Spirit. Yes, worship should be pleasing and we should be moved, but not in the way a lot of us Christians today think. We tend to think we are the ones to be pleased and moved, but this is the opposite of true worship. He is to be pleased and we should be moved when we are pleasing Him. It is not about feeling good or being caught up in the experience or being affirmed or feeling good about yourself. It is purely giving Christ the glory. It is about bringing yourself into His presence with awe and reverence, joy and exuberance! The great thing about worship is that it can be done anywhere, anytime of day! Worship is a lifestyle; it’s a choice because worship is glorifying God with our lives! When we seek to honor God, we worship Him. Worship can happen while you wash the dishes, while you chat with a neighbour, while you surf the internet – it all depends on the attitude of your heart and whether or not your actions bring glory to Him.
PRAYER & MEDITATION
What is the purpose of worship? Who is it for? Why is it so important?
Ask the Lord to show you ways in which you can make worship a lifestyle?
How can you get to know God better (His nature, His desires, His plans and His heart) so that you can worship Him in deeper ways?
Spend some time worshiping God in prayer, tell Him how much you love Him.
Day 27
Being Devoted to God
Luke 10:38-42 (ESV) “Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to His teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to Him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." ”
In this story, we find Mary seated among Jesus and His disciples which was quite uncommon considering that in their culture it was not appropriate for women to be sitting and receiving from a teacher, never mind sitting with the men. However, Mary knew who was in the house and sat at His feet with an adoring gaze. Mary clued in right away; she would let nothing hinder her from sitting at the feet of God. This man sparked a tremendous zeal within her and she didn’t care about breaking the customs of the day. She didn’t care what others thought about her but rather longed to be found at His feet. Martha, however, had not yet clued in to the amazing gift of His presence. God Himself was present, but she didn’t get it. Martha was unable to understand the importance of being with Him. Think about how amazing it would be to have Jesus at home on your sofa. What would you give to have Him sit in front of you so you could be at His feet and hear the words of His teaching? Yet, Martha was unable to see the very One she loved. We, like Martha, are distracted. We have the living God inside of us, we have the opportunity to meet with Him and talk with Him, yet we don’t bother to sit at His feet. We are a distracted culture.
PRAYER & MEDITATION
What are some of the differences between how Mary acted and how Martha acted. What does this look like in today’s society?
What are some of the things that distract you and keep you from spending time in devotions each day? Ask the Lord what He wants you to do about these things.
Pray that you would grow in spending more time with Jesus each day, that you would see the importance of being like Mary and sitting at His feet.
Day 28
Your Ultimate Purpose
John 3:30 (NIV) “He must become greater; I must become less.”
John 3:30 (ESV) “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Today’s verse is teaching us that Jesus must become greater and greater, while we must become less and less. What does this mean? How do we live this way? When Rev. Richard Baxter (1615–1691) was on his deathbed someone was retelling to him the good which many had received by his preaching and writings. Rev. Baxter replied, “I was but a pen in God’s hand, and what praise is due to a pen?” John the Baptist had a similar attitude; he spent his entire life pointing people to Jesus. What are your motives in following Jesus and why do you desire to find freedom from the strongholds in your life? Is it so that you can live an easier life of comfort and convenience or so that Jesus can increase? God is looking for those who will lower themselves so that He can be raised. We must decrease so that He may increase in our lives! We need to die to self and allow the Lord to live through our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. We must allow Jesus to be Lord of all in our lives. The reason that we work so hard to confess and turn from our sins, break the strongholds in our lives and learn to hear God’s voice is because in doing this we are creating a dwelling place for God so that we can experience oneness with Him. This is the real purpose behind the Set Free! Retreat. As great as it is to receive healing and freedom, it’s not about us, it’s about God and bringing glory to His name, it’s about glorifying Him with our lives which requires that we must decrease and let Him increase. Christians are the dwelling place of God on earth, the Spirit lives within us. We need to deal with the sin in our life so that the Lord can enter in and dwell within us in greater measure.
PRAYER & MEDITATION
Have you ever thought about your motives for following Christ? Spend some time thinking about the reasons why you follow Him.
What are some of the areas of your life where God is calling you to die to self so that you will decrease? How can you grow in making Him increase?
Ask the Lord to grow in you a desire to glorify Him through your life, ask Him to change your heart so that your motives in following Him are pure and not selfish.
Day 29
Living a God-centred life
Genesis 12:1-3 (NIV) “Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Often when we read the Bible we feel like we can’t measure up to the lives of the Patriarchs. This is often because we wrongly interpret the Bible. The focus of the stories of the Patriarchs are not meant to make us feel insignificant but rather to reveal to us the greatness of our God. We can read Genesis thinking that it focuses on Abraham and his descendants but in reality the focus is about God accomplishing His purposes through Abraham. Can you see the difference? The focus of the Bible is God. If we are to see God accomplish His purpose through us then we must change our focus from self to God. We must turn from our self-centred ways and become God-centred. Take a look at the differences listed in the following table:
Self-Centred Living | God-centred Living |
See things from your own perspective | See things from God’s perspective |
Focus on your own needs/desires | Focus on God’s will/purposes |
Self-reliance | Confidence in God |
Independence | Dependence on God |
Obsess about self | Deny self |
Ask God to bless your plans | Ask God what He wants of you |
Proud , live selfishly | Humble, live holy |
Boast of self | Boast of God |
When we live God-centred lives rather than self-centred lives we find ourselves in the right position to be used by God for His Kingdom purposes.
PRAYER & MEDITATION
Ask the Lord to show you any areas of self-centred living that you need to confess today. Confess these things as sin, asking God to forgive you.
Now ask the Lord to show you some practical steps that you can take today in order to live a more God-centred life. Then pray that you will follow through on what He shows you. Ask Him to empower you to live a God-centred life.
Day 30
The Next Step
Matthew 12:43-45 (NLT) “When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. Then it says, 'I will return to the person I came from.' So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and clean. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before…”
Part of your spiritual journey was to go on the Set Free! Retreat. This was one gigantic step in the right direction but it isn’t the end of the story. You need to hold on to what you have gained and push forward in your walk with God. At the retreat you were set free from all sorts of bondages and strongholds. When the enemy realizes that what he used to use to keep you in bondage is no longer sufficient to keep you enslaved then he’ll resort to something stronger. If you want lasting freedom then you must keep moving forward. Having daily devotions is a huge part of this. That’s why we created this devotional series – to get you into the habit of spending time with God each day. We need to have daily devotions in order to grow spiritually; there is no way around this. Getting into a small group is another huge step. Going to another Set Free! Retreat is another way to keep moving forward. Finally, maybe it’s time to go to an Empower Retreat. At the Set Free! Retreat you cleaned up your past but at the Empower Retreat you will be filled with God’s love and power for your future! The key is that you can’t remain static, you must continually move forward in your walk with God.
PRAYER & MEDITATION
Ask the Lord to show you what the next step is for you on your journey with God.
What are the practical implications of this step – what sorts of things do you need to put in place in order to take this step?
Pray that you would have the courage to take the step that God has shown you today and that you would persevere and keep moving forward in your walk with Him