A Prison of Lies

The most dangerous prisons ARE NOT the ones with guards and razor wire, they’re the ones carrying an illusion of freedom (even luxury or pleasure). Take a deeper look at your life, your REAL life, not the one on the surface that you want people to see. Are you bound to anger,  fear, anxiety, guilt, or shame? Maybe an addiction, self-destructive behavior, or a toxic relationship. Maybe your shackles are more subtle and they’re just those things that are keeping you stuck in a rut, or getting by day-to-day, or trying hard to be a good person, or gaining the approval of people around you. Bonds don’t always look like chains.

If only Satan’s plans were that obvious. He starts when we’re young and binds us in sinister ways that we don’t even notice, a little more each day if we let him. He herds us like cattle - from the broad green pasture... to the smaller corral... down the narrowing chute... and if he can, to our demise. It’s a gradual, ever confining imprisonment.

Our enemy knows that our lives, moment by moment, are made up of a string of actions (what we say and do). Each action (or inaction) follows a decision.  Each decision is based on an emotion. Each emotion starts as a thought.  Our enemy knows how we’re wired - thought then emotion then decision then action. All he has to do to manipulate our world is to begin with whispering a lie; and, once we partner with that lie… the corrupted thought becomes a corrupted emotion which becomes a corrupted decision which becomes a corrupted action. That’s how Satan operates.  The more distorted our understanding of things gets, the easier he can leverage our own human tendencies to spread chaos.  He grows darkness by strategically planting one lie at a time.

Trapped in a prison of lies— that’s right where I was just 10 years ago.  Satan had me right where he wanted me; blind to the truth, completely unaware of my bondage.  But then God started to break into my world and get my attention.  First it was through a television show, then a conversation with a friend.  As I sought God more and more, He answered many of my questions, and then the pivotal moment came.  God pulled back the curtain to expose the supernatural battleground I was living in.  He showed me that Satan isn’t just some figurative illustration of evil but rather a real being working actively to destroy me.  

It’s really hard to describe that moment as the illusion Satan had built around me exploded. Subtle deceptions had biased how I viewed myself, the world, those around me, and especially how I viewed God.  Satan had hid himself behind that illusion because he knew I would fight back if I knew he was there.  Oh, and he was right.   In that moment, the warrior inside of me said “NO MORE!”, and God led me out of that prison a free man.  My journey since then... has... transformed me… and it ultimately has led me here today.

The great news is that God’s Truth will set you free from any lies, just like it did for me.  He can remove any distortion about how you see the world, and show you what Satan doesn’t want you to know.  God wants to SET you free with His Truth, EQUIP you to stay free, TRAIN you how to fight for your family and friends and home, and EMPOWER you to stand strong every day.

You don’t have to be a victim! Worse don’t be a tool to be used by the enemy to attack others! I pray this to God over you right now, that he breaks the deception off of your mind, the blindness from your eyes:

Lord God, You created us and put this warrior spirit inside of us. Open the eyes of my fellow warrior to the Truth.  Set their mind free from any deception of the enemy. That enemy seeks to steal our destiny; kill our happiness; and destroy our purpose, our health, our family, our friends, our finances,… EVERYTHING! Reveal his weapons for what they are: deception, misdirection, shame, fear, hatred, and the like. I know that you specifically led this person to this message today. Coincidence is a lie. Luck is a lie.  This is providence - Your plan coming together.  Make yourself real to this warrior, deep in their heart and mind.  Pursue them as the lost son or daughter that they really are, as someone You will never stop loving.  We thank you for setting us free!  Amen.

Even if the truth doesn’t seem convenient or isn’t what you’d like to hear, ALWAYS seek the truth;  because, making choices day-by-day based on lies does NOT go well.  Let us show you the freedom God offers and the fight He’s calling you to in the next video.  What you do with the Truth after you see it is up to you.

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