Freedom in Jesus: Set Free from Emotional Strongholds (Luke 4:16-19)

Series: Freedom in Jesus

Sermon: Set Free from Emotional Strongholds

Scripture: Luke 4:16-19

Date: September, 2, 2018

 

So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."  (Luke 4:16-19)

 

A stronghold develops when we agree with a lie of the enemy.

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed..." (Luke 4:18)

The lie can be things like:

• Nobody really loves me
• I'm not worth loving
• I don't matter
• Nothing good ever happens to me
• God doesn't really answer prayer
• God's way is not best

 

Let's see how Jesus breaks these emotional strongholds:

1. Detect
   • insecurity
   • pride
   • independence
   • touchiness
   • anger
   • excessive shyness or loneliness
   • a neet to control
2. Diagnose
   • A stronghold develops when we agree with a lie of the enemy.
     • You will never amount to much
     • If anything can go wrong, it will.  (Someone added to it: at the worst possible time)
     • Everyone is stupid.  The world is full of jerks.
     • Nothing I do really matters.
     • I'm not enough.
     • I'll never be happy.
     • Nobody likes me.
     • I don't have anything to offer.  I can't talk well enough.  Nobody cares what I think.
     • God can't be trusted.
     • God's way is not best.
3. Deliverance
   • Invite Jesus into that place, let Him expose the lie, renounce that lie, and ask Jesus to heal you.  Many times having someone pray a healing prayer for your heart over you is very helpful.
   • Invite Jesus into your stronghold: "Lord, this is the lie that I've been believing.  Can you show me where this started?"
   • "Lord, would you come into that place right now and speak truth to me?"
   • After repentance, we need to close the door to that agreement.