AUTHOR: Jennifer Lescano
Well. Hello Again.
Remember my last post? That little girl, Orphan Annie. What a change when she stepped into Daddy Warbucks’ mansion, huh? If you’ve watched the movie or the song I shared, you noticed her questions and comments and the responses that followed.
That leads me to today’s post.
As I thought about what I wanted to share and as I asked the Lord about it, I heard 2 Corinthians 10:4 “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.”
I asked the Lord about this once. I said, “Lord, what is a stronghold?” And he answered, “It’s something that has a stronghold on you.”
I grew up in the church. And I heard leadership using this scripture as a warring prayer. Like, “Lord, we come against every stronghold and say go. We pull it down.” However it was said. But that’s not exactly what Paul is talking about here. It’s not about pulling down this “imaginary thing.” That’s not my understanding of it. It’s not about an invisible man or a demon of strongholds that we talk to. I’m not saying there’s no demonic influence. I’m saying that a stronghold is a mindset.
This Royal Life is a life of freedom. Freedom means so much to me. And I want to say it’s been a major part of my walk with the Lord and my Royal Life. It’s a strong desire of mine to see God’s children walk in total freedom.
No one really talks about this subject. Some of us have strongholds where we think that the very talk about freedom is a sign of weakness when in reality it’s a sign of strength. Some think it should be tucked away and many of us are walking around longing for a conversation with someone we can trust about the very thing we’re struggling with.
Ok. So going back to stronghold. The Greek word for stronghold in this scripture is “ochuroma.” 3794 oxýrōma (from the root oxyroō, “fortify”) – a fortified, military stronghold; a strong-walled fortress (A-S), used only in 2 Cor 10:4. Here 3794/oxýrōma (“a heavily-fortified containment”) is used figuratively of a false argument in which a person seeks “shelter” (“a safe place”) to escape reality.
Did you get that? Read it again. A safe place to escape reality.
A mentality of lack or poverty is a type of stronghold. You might be thinking, “That’s not me, Jenn. I’m a son and daughter of the kingdom. I trust Him to provide all of my needs.”
That’s great if it’s true.
But can you trust him to provide your wants?
Are you setting limits on your asking?
Are you asking for what you truly desire or are you settling?
If you’re settling, why? Do you believe God can do it? If not, why not? What’s stopping him? What’s stopping you?
There are so many strongholds. I even started writing about another stronghold and expanded on it. But I felt I needed to stick to this one. Have you asked your Heavenly Father for anything recently? If not, why?
And if you asked, what did it look and sound like?
When I heard the Lord tell me, “Ask me for a Havanese,” I thought, “Havanese?” (You can see the video below.)
We had no idea that Havanese dogs were royal lap dogs. “They were the small white dogs who sat on the queen’s lap in royal portraits.” Got that from the internet.
“The breed was preferred by wealthy families in Cuba and visitors from France, Spain, and England later took the breed with them back to Europe.” (facty.com)
Not only was God telling me to ask for a specific breed, but in his telling me that, he was saying more. He was saying, “You’re royalty.”
I encourage you today. Talk to your Daddy. Your Heavenly Father. He delights in you. The verse Psalm 34:7 Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.
That was a verse in our wedding invitation. And several years ago, the Lord opened my eyes to that scripture. He led me to understand, “And He will give you the desires of your heart” meant the desires I had were the desires He had placed in me. Wow. It got so much deeper for me.
Imagine that. God’s desire in you. If it’s his desire, don’t you think he’s given you the green light to ask and have it?
Father, we give you this area of our thinking. We say, “Here take my limits. Sorry. Didn’t mean to put the lock and key on the very things you had opened. Today, we receive your desires and the right to ask and dream.”