Addiction: The Illusion of Liberty

One of the biggest lies of the enemy is believing that liberty means living for ourselves and doing what we want to do. From the beginning of time, Satan has tempted mankind to take the same route as he did and so we can become our own masters. Like he told Adam and Eve, 'you shall be like gods.' Just like he did when he said, 'For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.' (Isaiah 14:13) Satan did indeed become his own master to sit on his own throne in hell. Separated from love, light, peace, and a life without God. Like they say, misery loves company. Believe me when I tell you that the devil wants your company.

The Kingdom of Darkness is always promising liberty to those who still want to be in control of their lives. The truth is the solicitors from hell know that the moment we take their offer we come under the bondage and slavery of whatever we yielded to. They seduce and deceive us to be, 'Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.' The word heady means to fall headlong by being reckless. The word highminded means to be blinded with pride. Pride is the devil's ticket into our lives. If he can convince us that we know better than God then he convinces us to become gods over our own lives. What he doesn't tell us is that we become his slaves the moment we do. There are only two masters in this world: Yahweh or Satan. There is no middle category. We are either servants of God or servants of the devil. Jesus said, 'No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and ?.' (Luke 16:13) You fill in the blank.

Today you have a choice. Are you going to serve self, and your fleshly desires so you become Satan's slave or will you serve Jesus and become his servant, fully surrendered to do His will? Who are you going to yield your life to?

In the context of addiction and codependency, this choice becomes even more critical. Addiction and codependency are forms of bondage, where we become slaves to our desires or to the desires of others. They rob us of our true identity and prevent us from living our God-given destiny. As the scripture says, 'While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.' (2 Peter 2:19)

Breaking free from the cycle of addiction and codependency is a multi-step process. It begins with acknowledging the existence of a problem. This is followed by understanding the role fear plays in our lives, often acting as a driving force behind our unhealthy behaviors.

Next, we must place our trust in God, believing in His power to heal and transform us. This involves surrendering control, a concept often referred to as 'letting go and letting God.' It's about releasing our tight grip on our lives and allowing God to guide us.

Being authentic about our struggles is another crucial step. It's about being honest with ourselves and others about our experiences, feelings, and the challenges we face. It's about removing the masks we wear and revealing our true selves.

The journey also involves soul searching and taking a fearless inventory of our lives. This means examining our past decisions, understanding why we made them, and acknowledging their impact on our lives.

This journey isn't easy. It requires courage to face our fears and shortcomings, faith to believe in a power greater than ourselves, and a lot of self-love to nurture our wounded spirits. But despite its challenges, this journey is worth taking. It's a path to freedom, healing, and a more authentic life.

So, who are you yielding your life to today?"

Is Your Foundation Strong?

"And the rain fell, and the floods and torrents came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a foolish (stupid) man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods and torrents came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house, and it fell—and great and complete was its fall.” Matthew 7:25-27 Why did the house fall? Because the foundation wasn't right. The building wasn't built right. If your foundation was not built on repentance then your building will fall. If you aren't rooted in love your house will come down. If you have some devils your house will come down. If your mind is not renewed your house will be shaky and you will feel the impact of the winds and waves. Listen it's time our houses get inspected for structural integrity. Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the [chief] Cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure is joined together, and it continues [to increase] growing into a holy temple in the Lord [a sanctuary dedicated, set apart, and sacred to the presence of the Lord]. Ephesians 2:20-21 Saying a prayer and incorporating Jesus into your life is not repentance. Going to church is not repentance, Feeling bad for your sins is not repentance. Repentance is conviction that leads to change and surrendering to God. It is deciding to lose your life for His sake. It is denying yourself, picking up your cross to follow Him. It is giving up control! Changing your mind about sin and hating it! It's time for inspection church because the wind and waves will increase and your house needs to be  built right to stand! Jaziz Gutierrez

What it means to be born again

You must be dead in Christ to be born again. If you left the waters of baptism and continued to live for you then you never died in that water. You only went to a pool party. Death to self requires surrendering ALL to Jesus. The excuses stop, the justification stops, the rationalization stops, and the poor me stops. The Bible says that in the Last Days people will have "a form of [outward] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith]. Avoid such people and keep far away from them." 2 Timothy 3:5 Repentance lays the ax to the root of sin and uproots the tree. Sin loses all dominion. We become free from sin when we are dead in Christ. A true born again believer hates their sin and wants nothing more than to make Jesus happy. The problem with so many people is that we still want to sin and play church. This is apostasy. After a while, because you have been playing games with God for so long you start believing the lies you tell yourself. This is called a delusion. You start living in a false reality to maintain an outward appearance of being religious for the purpose of acceptance without realizing that our lives must be approved of God. If you are living a double life I'm calling you to repentance. You will not inherit the kingdom of God while living in sin. Please understand, "sexual immorality and all [moral] impurity [indecent, offensive behavior] or greed must not even be hinted at among you, as is proper among saints [for as believers our way of life, whether in public or in private, reflects the validity of our faith]. 4 Let there be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse [obscene or vulgar] joking, because such things are not appropriate [for believers]; but instead speak of your thankfulness [to God]. 5 For be sure of this: no immoral, impure, or greedy person—for that one is [in effect] an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God [for such a person places a higher value on something other than God]. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty arguments [that encourage you to sin], for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience [those who habitually sin]. 7 So do not participate or even associate with them [in the rebelliousness of sin]." Ephesians 5:3-7 For more on what repentance is or looks like please message me and I will give you a checklist. Love in Christ, Jaziz Gutierrez