If Christians Simply Did This They’d Break Every Spiritual Bondage

You know, for years I battled with crippling anxiety, and no matter what I did, I just couldn't seem to overcome it. I prayed the prayers, I attended the revival meetings, prophets tried to prophesy it out of me, teachers tried to teach it out of me, pastors tried to pastor it out of me, but no matter what I did, I seemed to be battling with that anxiety, and it affected every aspect of my life. I'm talking about as a Christian. I battled with anxiety. Now, what I'm about to share with you was the truth that helped to liberate me. And this truth, of course, comes from the Word of God. Maybe you find yourself in a situation where you're stuck in this cycle and you're frustrated with yourself. It could be an issue with anxiety, like me. It can be an issue with lust. It can be an issue with anger. It can be an issue with depression. It can be an addiction. It can be an oppression of some kind. It can be torment of the mind, whatever it is, you can be free. And so I wanna share with you what you can do as a Christian to walk in spiritual freedom, to never deal with that bondage. And I mean to be completely set free. For 2 Corinthians 3:17 says, for the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. John 8:36 says, so if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. Now, this might seem like a big promise that can't be made good upon, but it's not my promise, it's the Lord's promise. Let me clarify here, this doesn't mean that you'll never have any struggles. This doesn't mean you'll never have any temptations. This doesn't mean that the old nature won't try to find influence in your life again. This simply means that victory is yours in Christ, despite how you feel. Victory is yours in Christ, despite what your circumstances say to you. And so when we, as believers, understand that the victory we have is internal, then we realize that no matter what comes against us, we have freedom within. So I'm talking about that inner struggle, that inner turmoil. You don't have to live like that. I'm gonna say something now that might seem Somewhat offensive, but let me qualify it once I say it. If you are in bondage, you're not living the Christian life. Now notice I did not say that if you're in bondage, you're not a Christian, because that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that if you are in bondage, you are not living the Christian life. Why? Because the Christian life is one of freedom. The Christian life is one of victory. The Christian life is an abundant life. The Christian life is filled with joy. and peace and patience and love and clarity of mind. And so as we go to 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, we see first that we have to identify the root of spiritual bondage. So this is one of the things that you can do as a Christian to help get into the details of what it is that you're struggling with. And again, that's 2 Corinthians 10:4-5. We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and bring them to obey Christ. So here, Paul the Apostle is defending his apostolic authority against pretenders and critics. who were trying to usurp that authority or demean him in the eyes of the church. And so he responds with this writing, defending his apostolic authority, but also pointing out the fact that the deception that was being used to influence the church can be likened unto, or was likened unto, a stronghold. Now, a stronghold is a fortified place. It is a structure that gives the enemy advantage. And so believers deal with strongholds of the mind. Whatever the bondage you're in, whatever the struggle you have, once you realize that it's rooted in a stronghold, this is the beginning of your freedom in Christ, because that freedom for which He died to give you is already yours. The question is now, how do you walk in that freedom? You are the righteousness of God in Christ. You are a child of God. God, you are redeemed. You have been given peace. and love and joy. So since those deposits have been already made within you by the presence of the Holy Spirit, the question is now, how do I draw from that inner reality? John 7:38, out of your innermost being will flow rivers of living water. How then do I receive of that presence within my life? Well, let's start here, as I said, by first recognizing that your spiritual bondage begins in a stronghold, and that stronghold is a manner of thinking, a pattern of thought, a paradigm, a mindset, a perspective, an attitude, something through which you filter all of your thoughts. Now notice Paul writes here that our weapons are not carnal. That means our battle is not fought through physical means, nor through human effort alone. You can't scream your way into freedom. You cannot scoop up the darkness and throw it out with your hands. Rather, you must introduce light, which is truth, So the weapons that we use for our spiritual battle are not physical in nature. It's not about exerting the proper strength, amount of strength. It's not about striking the correct posture in prayer. It's not about repeating the proper scripted prayer. It's not about using any technique that is manmade or religious in nature, but rather it's about coming to the realization that the weapon that you are to use against that which has plagued you for so long is spiritual. This is a spiritual problem. Now, for me, as it pertained to my anxiety, I didn't realize how that anxiety had affected everything about me. There were some ways that I thought, there were some attitudes that I had that I thought were just a part of my personality, or I thought that everyone else had. I didn't realize how tangled my mind was in that web of lies that ultimately were rooted in fear. So our weapons are not carnal, they're spiritual. Mighty through God, that means effective for the cause of God. The weapons that God gives to us have great effect. They are not weak, they are potent. Now, I love this phrase, to the pulling down of strongholds. What the original language is implying here, or the picture that the original language is painting for us, is the utter destruction of that obstacle that is the stronghold. This means that if it were a brick wall, that were you to knock it down in the way that's being described here, that not one brick would be left upon the other. This means the Holy Spirit doesn't want to just give you partial freedom, a little bit of freedom, temporary freedom. He wants you to have total freedom. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed. Indeed, that's complete, that's whole, that's final. And He wants you to experience that spiritual freedom all the days of your life. Again, this does not mean that you won't have things coming against you. And I find that all too often Christians confuse trials for bondage, which is why many of them think that they're bound when they're not. So the Christian life is one of freedom. That's the standard to which we must aspire. And that should be encouraging, to know that we have freedom in Christ, despite what's going on around us. But to the pulling down of strongholds means, The utter destruction of total removal of this barrier. That means there's not even a hint of it left in your life. You can walk in that kind of freedom. And that's not me promising this. This is the Word of God. Casting down imaginations. Again, reasonings, deceptive paradigms, and mindsets, the filter through which you see all things. You know, if you wear a specific type of lens, whether that be in your sunglasses or regular glasses, That lens changes the way that you view everything around you. In the same way, a stronghold in the mind acts like a filter or a lens through which you see all things. And once you've allowed that deceptive lens to be before the eyes of your heart, then everything that you see and experience in the life that you live is gonna be seen through the perspective of that deception. And every thought that comes to your mind, will be filtered through that deception as well. So these imaginations, these reasonings, these thought patterns must be torn down. And every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, this could be the truth about God or knowing God directly. Bringing into captivity every thought. This means that you have been given the authority to grab hold of those deceptive thought patterns. Now, I wanna share something with you that can help put this bondage into perspective, because the question that arises at this point in the minds of many Christians is, well, how can it be that something as simple as a deceptive thought, how can it be that that lie can become something like a drug addiction or pornography addiction, or a severe battle with anxiety, or severe battle with depression, or torment to the mind, or nightmares and things like this? How is it that a simple lie can take on such a form that it would cause such a severe manifestation in the mind and in our lives. I'll explain it to you. A lie, and this is gonna sound obvious at first, but bear with me here. A lie is anything that contradicts the truth. Okay, that we know. However, a lie doesn't become deception until you allow yourself to believe that lie. If I tell you a lie and you don't believe it, you're not deceived, you're just lied to, and you know that you reject that lie in exchange for the truth. But if I tell you a lie that's subtle enough, believable enough, then you're going to absorb that lie into your way of thinking, and then you become deceived. So a lie doesn't become deception until you believe it. So you begin to take on that deception. Let's say, for example, let's just give an example here. Let's say the devil tells you the Lord doesn't love you. Or let's say the devil tells you that you're doomed to repeat the same mistakes your parents made. Or let's say the devil tells you that nobody loves you, or that you don't have a gift, or you don't have a calling, okay? Something as simple as God doesn't love you, can begin to affect not just the way you think, but also the way you feel. Because if you read in the Word that the Lord loves you, but then you believe in your heart that He doesn't, well, you may not outright say that, you may not outright contradict it verbally and speak it aloud and say, well, I know the Scripture says God loves me, but I think this, just the opposite, but it becomes a very subtle part of the way you view things. Amen. And it can come out in things like, well, God will do it for them, but He wouldn't do it for me. Or you might say, well, God answers everyone else's prayers, but He doesn't answer mine. Or, well, God will give them peace, but I'm just meant to suffer like this, or this is just my personality, or something like that. And what begins to happen now is that lie, once you believe it, becomes deception. That deception forms your thought patterns. And then the way you think and the way you feel affects the way you behave. And the way you behave becomes habitual. Those habits become a lifestyle. Then your lifestyle goes in cycles. Maybe some weeks you're doing good and some weeks not so good. One month you're doing well, the next week you're not doing so well. Well, Now those are cycles, and you seem to always be going back to the same thing. That is what we describe as spiritual bondage, those cycles. This is why, by the way, you have trouble breaking free once and for all. And this is also why sometimes when you do experience seasons of freedom, you always seem to go back to your old ways. It's because somewhere along the line, there is a lie that you believe. So, If you are in bondage, there's a lie that you're believing. Jesus said, the truth shall set you free. Then you'll know the truth and the truth will set you free. That means if you are still in bondage, there's a truth you've not yet come to believe. There's a truth you've not allowed yourself to believe, whether that's the truth about God, about yourself, about reality, about those around you, about ministry, whatever it may be, about your future, about your past, about your present, Whatever you believe that lie about, that is creating the place of bondage. Because as I said, a lie, once it's believed, becomes deception. Deception changes the way you think and feel. The way you think and feel changes the way you behave. That behavior becomes habitual. Those habits become your lifestyle. And that lifestyle comes and goes in cycles. And therefore you go back and forth. The problem is many Christians try to address just the symptoms but never the source. They address the results, but never the root. They look at the bondage, but never the deception that ultimately led to the bondage. So how could this lead to something like, say, a drug addiction? Well, that could be something as simple as somebody believing that they're not loved by God. And so they're not worth anything. And so their body isn't necessarily of value. And so they allow things to be placed into their body that make them feel good and loved and accepted. And then the physical body begins to crave what you trained it to crave. And now you have a spiritual problem wherein you're believing a lie that's now become something that's affecting your body, the addiction itself. And this can be the case for all sorts of different bondages. Again, things like depression, anxiety, there can be deception, there can be temptation, lust, there can be anger. There can be a lack of clarity. Maybe there's confusion in your life. There can be a drug addiction, as I said, an alcohol addiction. All of those things ultimately are spiritual problems with physical manifestations. And that problem is always going to be the lie. So if you find yourself repeating those patterns, then that is a sign to you that somewhere there's a lie you've not addressed. Now, at this point, some might say, well, I've already tried that. It didn't work for me. I've already dealt with it and it just keeps coming back. Well, let God be true and every man a liar, because if you actually do deal with the lie, you're gonna walk in total freedom. And then the enemy might even lie to you right now and say, no, it's not that simple. Well, there's a lie you have to overcome. So that's the nature of deception. People who are deceived don't know they're deceived. So then how do you identify a stronghold? That's important. So if you wanna walk in freedom, first you have to acknowledge That the root of it is deception. The next thing you have to do is identify the stronghold. How do you do that? Well, how do you expose the lie? You expose the lie by knowing the truth. If you're simply in the Word, and you're in prayer, and you're spending time with the Lord, you're shining the light of truth in those dark areas of your life. So here are 3 simple ways that you can identify a stronghold in your life. And remember, this is gonna be somewhat difficult to do, especially if you've dealt with this stronghold for a long time, because you may think it's just your personality type. You may say things like, well, that's just how my family is. You may say things like, well, that's just the way I am, or that's just how my mind works, or I've always been this way. And so what's gonna end up happening is you're gonna overlook where that lie has taken root, by being dismissive of those symptoms that you've grown accustomed to. So how do you identify the stronghold? I'll tell you right now, but first, if you're enjoying this message, make sure you leave a like so that we can spread this to others. You never know who's gonna see and receive this truth simply by you leaving a like. And also, don't forget to subscribe to this channel so that you can continue to receive teachings on the Holy Spirit, prayer, and spiritual warfare. Don't miss a thing. Subscribe. Subscribe now and make sure that you click that notification bell when you do subscribe so that you and I can stay connected and so that you can continue to receive the teachings. Number 1, we know the truth by God's word. Psalm 119:105, your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. 2 Timothy 3:16, all scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true, And to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. There, that's the unveiling of the deception. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. So often we talk about repentance and renouncing sin, and that's good. You should repent, that is change your mind, and you should renounce your sin. But what about repentance in your thought life? Often when I say you need to repent of ungodly thoughts, Christians think of thoughts like hatred or lust or pride, and you should repent of those types of ungodly thoughts, sure. But you should also repent of the ungodly thoughts that are simply just contradictions of the word. An ungodly thought is, I'm not forgiven. An ungodly thought is, the Lord doesn't love me. An ungodly thought is, I'll never be able to change. An ungodly thought is, I was designed to live in bondage. An ungodly thought is, nobody cares about me. An ungodly thought is, this won't work for me. Those are ungodly thoughts. And you need to repent of that ungodly thinking if you're even gonna begin to walk in freedom. So once you're in the Word and you're receiving the light of the Word, you're receiving the truth of the Word, then by comparison, you'll be able to see all of the deception. When you have a standard, only then can you see anything that is off standard. So the Word of God becomes the measurement against which we hold all of our thoughts. And as you learn the Word in greater depths, as you become more familiar with the truth of the Word, it's going to become easier for you to identify deception in your life. And this is a work in progress. All of us are growing. All of us are being sanctified by the Holy Spirit. We all have ways that we can grow. And we're all being affected by ungodly thinking in ways that we don't yet realize. And I don't say that to scare you. I know a lot of deliverance and spiritual warfare teaching is very paranoid, fear-based, and telling you there's a devil under every bush and demons are like pathogens floating around. And if you touch the wrong thing at the supermarket, that you're gonna catch a demon. Let's not go there. We're not talking about legalism. Remember, you're victorious in Christ. The Holy Spirit dwells in you. But we do need to address these deceptions. And by recognizing that these deceptions aren't always obvious, we're better equipped to then be more introspective as we compare our thought life with the Word of God. Number 2, we know the truth by the Holy Spirit. John 14:26 says, but when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative, that is the Holy Spirit, he will teach you everything And will remind you of everything I have told you. John 16:13, when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own, but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. So of course, we know that the most reliable way in which we hear the voice of God is the written word of God. If you wanna hear the voice of God, read the word. If you wanna hear the voice of God out loud, read the word out loud. But there's no denying that the Holy Spirit also ministers truth to us by reminding and revealing as it pertains to the truth. I'll never forget when I had a breakthrough moment with the anxiety that I was battling. One evening, I was preparing to do ministry, and I had to travel to do ministry. In the morning, I knew I needed to get on a plane, and I had like an early morning flight, like 6:00 AM. And I remember just being so emotionally exhausted, not only emotionally exhausted, I was mentally drained. I was physically tired. All of my relationships were strained because of my anxiety. My marriage was strained because of my anxiety. Well, because I allowed my anxiety to get me to a place where I was just very uncomfortable to be around. You know, people who are anxious, no one could be at ease around you. And so I not only was battling mentally, emotionally, I was physically tired. Not only socially was I not doing well with all my relationships, but even in the ministry, nobody was reading the blogs, nobody was listening to the podcasts, nobody was watching the teachings, nobody was reading the books, and hardly anybody was attending the services that we hosted. This was years ago before the Lord gave us fruitfulness in those areas. So I was just frustrated. And I'll be honest with you, I didn't wanna get on that plane in the morning. I didn't wanna sit on that flight for 4 hours. I didn't wanna go to that state that I was traveling to. And I'll just be honest, I didn't wanna preach. I was just, I said, Lord, I'm just, I need your grace, I need your strength. I was at a very low point. And you know, when we're weak, then he's strong. Here's what happened. Early morning came. I was exhausted, didn't get much sleep because of all the thoughts racing through my mind. I get picked up by a friend. It was my friend Isaiah who was driving. I was in the passenger seat, and Mr. Timothy Lay, the director, was in the backseat. And he was asleep or something like that, from what I remember. And we're driving, and in the far left lane, I saw a car begin to cut across the freeway lanes. And just as we were about to make our exit, this car hits the center divider, flips over, lands on its top, and begins to skid in front of us with sparks flying. I saw the individual in the car, their body was flailing everywhere. Their papers and their belongings spread all over the freeway. Now, part of the issue with my anxiety, in fact, part of where it started, and then I allowed it to grow from there, was this fear of automobiles. I was afraid to drive. It took me forever to get my license because I was so scared every time I took the test. I couldn't be in cars with people without feeling anxious, like I needed to get out. And so here now I'm experiencing this car accident, That woke Tim up. He sits up and he starts, you know, freaking out about what's happening in front of us. I was freaking out, but my driver stood calm and he just kind of goes around it. And we call, of course, for help. There wasn't much more we could have done. So after all that was dealt with, we just went on to the airport. I remember as I was checking in at the airport, I was using a kiosk and my hand was so shaky that I couldn't even push the buttons. And that's when I said, Lord, okay, I was already at my absolute lowest point. And now this, I'm anxious now on top of it all. I didn't even wanna get on the flight. So I don't remember much of what happened in between that, but I do remember that the next morning I wake up, I'm lying in my bed, I'm staring at the ceiling, and I was just done. In somewhat of a good way where I just said, Lord, this, you have to help me here. And then the Holy Spirit began to walk me through the different seasons of my life, pointing something out to me that I hadn't even noticed up to that point. And I won't be able to cover everything, but he said, do you remember when you were a little boy, your first day of school, And you were terrified of going to school because of, you were, because you were afraid of how the other kids would treat you. Right off the bat, I was just socially awkward and I just didn't feel like I fit. And I remember that first day of school, the pit in my stomach, the heaviness that hung over my head, the thoughts that raced through my mind. I said, yes, Lord, I remember. And then he began to remind me, do you remember those times when you were attacked by demonic beings and you would see faces in the walls and you would hear voices and the fear that filled your heart because of the nightmares you were having? I said, yes, Holy Spirit, I remember. And I'm thinking, why are you reminding me of all of this? But there was a pattern. Anxiety at one phase in my life had me afraid to go to school. Anxiety at the next phase in my life tormented me along with demonic attacks. And then the Holy Spirit asked me, do you remember when you would go to theme parks with your parents and you were so excited to go to those theme parks, only to be met with anxiety when you finally arrived? You couldn't enjoy the rides. You couldn't enjoy the shows because of all the things you were worried about going wrong. You had panic attacks. And I said, yes, Holy Spirit, I remember. So then that anxiety, even at that phase in my life, manifested In worst-case disaster thinking. On and on and on, the Holy Spirit began to question. When I was afraid to respond to the call, when I was afraid I wouldn't be a good husband, when I was afraid everyone would abandon me, when I was afraid the ministry would fail, everything began to come to remembrance. And I realized it was the same attack at every time. It was the same lie manifested in a different form. And then the Holy Spirit spoke something to me that absolutely broke me. And when I say broke me, I mean in the best way possible. I know you probably know what I mean when I say that. He asked me, why don't you believe that I love you? And that I plan to do good things in your life. And it was like a dam broke loose. And suddenly I was flooded with this sense of love and joy and peace. Tears began to stream down my face. And I realized that fear was attached to the lie that God did not love me. That fear was attached to the root thought pattern of legalism and religious thinking, where I thought I had to earn my way into God's love, where I thought I had to work for his acceptance, where maybe he would accept me if I did enough good. And I didn't realize he loved me. And that I was accepted because of what Christ had done. And that one lie, though it took on many forms, destroyed different aspects of my life until it was revealed. Now, the Holy Spirit didn't wait up until that moment to speak that to me. I'm sure he had spoken it to me in many forms through his word, through sermons. But at that moment, it was the Holy Spirit speaking directly to my heart. And there was freedom. There was a breakthrough moment. And sometimes, you'll experience freedom in intervals where, you know, you start to believe it and that freedom is yours. You always have it, but you're not always accessing it because you might go back to your old thought patterns. You don't have to settle for that. And then number 3, we know the word by, or we know the truth by sound teachers. Ephesians 4:11-12, Titus 1:9. We of course are given information about receiving unto ourselves sound teachers, Who minister truth that allows us to experience breakthrough. But you're not going to see the real breakthrough until you finally recognize the lie. And you're not going to recognize the lie until you allow yourself to be immersed in the Word, obedient to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and attentive to sound biblical teaching. And the Lord will use that truth to affect the way you think. And then suddenly, as your thinking goes according to the word, now the way you feel and act starts to change. And before you know it, those habits begin to lose their hold on you. Those thought patterns begin to break. Those cycles are suddenly stopped. Why? Because you're finally walking in the victory For which Christ died to give to you. Now, you may be battling with a stronghold like accusation because you believe the lie that you're not forgiven. You might be battling something like anxiety because you believe the lie that God doesn't love you. You might be battling with something like depression because you believe something negative about yourself that's just not biblical. You might be battling with lust or a lust form of addiction because you believe the lie that sin will somehow fulfill you and that it won't ultimately destroy you. Whatever the bondage, there is a deception. And wherever there is truth, there is freedom. I'm gonna pray with you in just a moment, but I wanna mention just a few more that I think can help you. Maybe you're battling with confusion. Well, when you get clarity of mind in the word, that's ultimately gonna focus you on Jesus, grounding you. He is the foundation of truth. Maybe you're tormented in the mind, but you realize that your belief in the enemy's power adds to his ability to torment your mind. And you believe he has what some would call a legal right, even though that's not even a biblical concept. Things like that. You allow yourself to believe unbiblical teachings. about spiritual warfare and deliverance and demonology. And you've taken it as gospel truth because maybe preachers have told it to you, but then now you're tormented in the mind because you're believing a lie. You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. So precious Holy Spirit, I pray that you would cause your people to know the truth. Reveal to them the areas in their heart and mind where they are not adhering to the truth of your word. Father, give us the grace to repent, to change our minds, that we might be aligned with your nature, your word, your will. Thank you, Father, that you're doing a deep work even now. Set them free, I pray. Break every bondage in the mighty name of Jesus. I want you to say it because you believe it. Say a big amen. Amen. Couple of things. If you have not done so yet, make sure you get a copy of my book, Holy Spirit: The Curse Breaker. I wrote this book because I want to see Christians go free from the fear of curses, from the fear of demonic power. There's a lot in there that will help you to overcome unnecessary paranoia. And as you read this book, you're going to know for certain that you are not cursed, but you are blessed. The Holy Spirit within you is proof of the blessing of God upon you. You are not cursed. You are blessed. So make sure to pick that up. And also, if you haven't done so yet, I invite you to become a monthly ministry supporter by going to davidhernandezministries.com/partner. And you can give a single gift by going to davidhernandezministries.com/donate. Your gifts, large or small, help us continue to release content like this. All of our ministries are donor supported— the media, the live streams, the teachings, the Holy Spirit School, our in-person campus, the events that we do around the world, all of it donor supported. So help join in this effort today, be a part of this army that God is raising. And we are seeing the gospel advancing. We are seeing the light winning. So go right now, partner today, please, if you've not yet done that, and you've been blessed by this ministry, you've been receiving the teachings, then please do so now. Again, davidhernandezministries.com/partnerto-partner, davidhernandezministries.com/donate to give a single gift. Everything counts. Help us advance the kingdom of God.