Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…” Do you hear your thoughts? Negative thoughts come from internal demonic strongholds. The enemy of our soul sends fiery darts to defeat our faith.

If we allow them to penetrate, then inner strongholds will be set up. They are designed to bring us into captivity and keep us there. They are lies that we have accepted and believed were our own thoughts! 

In 1993 I learned that not all my thoughts were of my own origin. If satan can get us to believe a lie, he can control our lives. Our faith is always under attack. We must fortify our minds by filling the reservoir of our heart with Scripture specific to our weak areas. 

Nahum 2:1 says, “He who scatters has come up before your face. Man the fort! Watch the road! Strengthen your flanks! Fortify your power mightily.” 1 Peter 1:13 says to gird up our minds.

Once I renounced the fleshly internal lies, I needed to rebuild with truth. Psalm 119:160 says, “The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.”

Jeremiah 1:10 was the instruction of how to cast off and put on. It says, “See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.”

We renounce (disown) the lies that we have believed, and affirm the truth of God’s word that endures forever. Romans 13:14 says, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”

We foolishly give ground over for satan to build lying strongholds in our thought processes. Though we can quickly renounce them, it takes enduring diligence to rebuild with strongholds of truth that will stand in counterattacks. Bold the last sentence and read it again.

In Romans 7 Paul was comparing the Law pre cross to post cross. Here is my personal application. Verse 6 says, “But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by…” The Amplified says, “…having died to what once restrained and held us captive. So now we serve…(under obedience to the promptings) of the Spirit in newness (of life).”

Many years ago the Holy Spirit pointed out to me that I had written laws in my heart. They governed what I did or didn’t do. They were based on maintaining my independence. Anything that we do independent of the Lord is from our flesh. 

Internal fleshly laws keep us bound. Here were some of mine. Lies that I believed, self-preservation, man’s doctrines, trusting in myself ~ believing I knew what was best for me. They were all based on deception. How did I get free? I renounced them. What I used to embrace, I cast off.

This is my online devotional today posted through The Life online devotional ministry that I write for once a month. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.HEBREWS 1:3

We are created to exemplify the Lord, to have his image stamped deep into our hearts. We certainly cannot represent him in our own strength.When metals are heated in a crucible, the dross comes to the surface so it can be skimmed off. The dross is not exposed until it faces the intensity of the fire. The same is with our hidden sin.He purifies our faith purified in the crucible of our trial. Through the refining fire, he brings our sin-dross to the surface and removes it. He exposes our ‘alloy’ of buried lies that we have believed. These lies lose their power and control when brought into the light. We then renounce them and affirm the truth. Here is a verse of a song called “Nothing Is Impossible”: Your character is forged in me. Your anvil strong and true. You bring me through the fiery trials—my faith refined-secured. Your will is accomplished as I yield to your hand. My thoughts are united with your purpose and plans. As I walk in the path you choose You establish my heart. I serve you with thanksgiving and praise. You alone are worthy, O my Lord. Fiery trials are essential tools that God uses to forge his character in us. Hidden sin-dross weakens our faith and tarnishes our witness. The more we embrace the Lord in our trials, the more we will reflect him to those around us. Father, thank you that your presence is with us in our fiery trials. As we cling to you, you expose and remove our dross of hidden sin from our hearts. I am so grateful that you are absolutely trustworthy. When my faith is weak, you remain faithful because you cannot deny yourself. Song of Encouragement: “O to Be Like Thee” https://youtu.be/-94zKQ8dSwg

Offenses is another word for transgressions. Isaiah 53:5 says, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.” Verse 11 says, “He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities.”

Iniquity ~ anything that we do independent of God. Just think for a moment how many sins you committed ~ countless offenses that He bore on the cross for you. His free gift of grace abounds to all who will believe.

Jesus bore our offenses so that we could be justified. Salvation means that we stand right now before a holy God blameless ~ as though we never sinned. As I type this, these truths are reverberating in my mind. We have been absolved of all guilt. If you carry guilt for something in the past ~ it is a lying burden that you can cast off right now! Let these truths set you free!

Reading in context, Romans 4:23-24 was written about Abraham believing. It was accounted to him for righteousness. It says, “Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead. “

Verse 25 says, “Who was delivered up because of our offenses, and raised because of our justification.” Then speaking of Adam, verse 15 says, “…For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.”

Verse 16 says, “And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.”

When Abraham faced his impossibility, Romans 4:19 says, “And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old) and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.”

What weakens our faith? Constantly staring at the impossibility blocks our vision of God’s ability. Asa cried out, “…it is nothing for You to help…” Abraham did not allow unbelief to creep into his thought processes.

Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith…” Not dialoguing in our minds what God might do, but rather fixing our minds on Jesus ~ the Author and Finisher of our faith. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 says, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”

Our faith only remains consistent when we are persistent to acknowledge that apart from Him we can do nothing. Trust. Confidence. Assurance. These three words describe the fruit of consistent faith. Mark 9:22 says, “…Have faith in God.”

1 Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” Consistent faith is the moment by moment acknowledgment that we cannot do anything apart from the Lord.

It is when we think we can handle it that we fall because of pride. PrIde. Note the capital I in the middle of the word. Pride always reaches into our own resources. I was just reading Romans 4. I love that chapter. Verse 18 says, “Who, contrary to hope, in hope believed…”

Verse 20 says, “He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith…” Amplified says, “…he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God.” Here we find a key to remaining consistent in faith ~ thankfulness in the face of our impossibility.

2 Chronicles 14:11 says, “And Asa cried out to the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!”

Verse 12-13 says, “So the Lord struck the Ethiopians before Asa…So the Ethiopians were overthrown, and they could not recover, for they were broken before the Lord and His army…”’Verse 12-13 says, “So the Lord struck the Ethiopians before Asa…So the Ethiopians were overthrown, and they could not recover, for they were broken before the Lord and His army…”

What impossibility do you face? Have you been crying out to the Lord? Be assured He hears you just like He did Asa. There was a great victory. Yet at the end of Asa’s life he did not seek the Lord.

Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Help us Lord to finish our race with our eyes on You.

Psalm 119:145-147 was written about crying out. Verse 145-146 says, “I cry out with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord! I will keep Your statutes. I cry out to You; save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.”

I love Psalm 34:6 which says, “This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.” I have pondered this verse for years. The Lord saved him out of all his troubles. Saved means delivered him out by taking him through, as He did with the three Hebrew young men. Daniel 3:25-27.

The power in crying out is the acknowledgment that we can do nothing on our own. There is no inkling of pride. There is no looking to self. It is a wholehearted dependence. Let’s look at Asa’s example. He had an army of 580,000. The other army was a million men and 300 chariots.