Shattering Strongholds

  Our God is powerful.  There is no doubt about it.  "He made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.  When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.  He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses" (Jeremiah 51:15-16).  
  Yet he also makes us powerful on his behalf.  He made this clear in the New Testament through Jesus' calling, appointing and sending out the disciples to do the same things he did (which we have covered here before).  But we can also see it in the Old Testament, for example in Jeremiah 51:20-23, "You are my war club, my weapon for battle - with you I shatter nations, with you I destroy kingdoms, with you I shatter horse and rider, with you I shatter chariot and driver, . . . with you I shatter governors and officials."  In the view of the Old Testament authors, God used various rulers and nations to punish other nations who did not follow in God's ways - even Israel.  
  God may sometimes use us to call people away from sin toward the good.  To do this, we may not necessarily be a war club or lightning strike to shatter people, but we may be the quiet voice of love to draw people.  We may listen to people who are bitter and angry and be able to show them another way; e.g.,  "You know I got over my bitterness and anger by choosing to forgive." Or perhaps they have strayed into pornography, and we may say, "I used to be into pornography until I realized how much it was detracting from my relationships with my family."  
  In these ways we shatter not people but strongholds of sin and we help to set captives free (Luke 4:18-19, Isaiah 61:1-2).  By doing these things, we give people the oil of gladness to replace their mourning and the garment of praise to replace their despair (Is 61:3).
  Let us pray.  Jesus, I want to draw people to you.  I want to help set the captives free.  Use me, Lord.  Put the right words in my mouth when I need them.

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