BROKENNESS
Introduction
Brokenness as dethroning the old man inside of you. God instructs us to break the flesh that prevents us from being who He created us to be. Things like pride, rebellion, independence etc. He wants us to break free from worldliness and be totally dependent on Him.
The word brokenness may strike fear in some people, but it should not be so. God does not intend to scare us or break our spirits, but He wants us to cleanse ourselves of all filthiness of the spirit and flesh according to 2 Cor 6:14-18.
Brokenness is like a Corn of wheat falling into the ground and dying. Then it bringeth forth much fruit John 12:24. Itis not magic, No! You know you used to dance and play DJ in clubs to entertain sinners and smoke and drink with them. But now, you no longer play DJ or play in the clubs. You are born again, and Jesus is now the Lord of your life.
You know where you are coming from and the work you were doing before you received Christ and then change your job and occupation. But, if you accept Jesus without changing your occupation, the devil will try to frustrate you by blocking your revenue, so that after months of earning no income, you will go back to playing in clubs again, even though you are born again. That is what happens to people receive Jesus and do not have the courage to look for another job/occupation.
Every broken child of God is under divine coverage, and the presence of God is with such a person. You are an obedient Christian, straight forward, and patient. You are trusting the Lord with all your heart and not in your wisdom, His presence will go with you and He will look over you to protect you - Psalm 34:18.
Who is a Broken Christian?
Brokenness is total surrendering to the will of God as our Saviour did when suddenly the flesh in Him rose up against His death at the cross. The Lord abandoned everything to God: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” - Luke 22:42 . No broken person struggles with the will of God, paying tithe and giving offering in the house of God. They are settle matters, not subject to negotiation for them.
In 2 Cor 7:1, the bible talks about cleansing ourselves of all filthiness. It says having, therefore, these promises, dearly beloved, "let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God". Having the promises of God's presence and protection, His provision, we are encouraged by Apostle Paul to cleanse ourselves. This is our duty because we know where we missed it, and where the filthiness lie.
A broken Christian is one who is not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. In 2 Cor 6:14-18, the bible says there is no fellowship between righteousness and unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?, for we are the temple of the living God.
How to be Broken - Examples
To God, what is broken is useful because to come to a place of brokenness requires a sacrifice. This is why God values it. You don't just get broken. You would have thought it through and taken steps to deny yourself many fleshly desires and pleasures. You know there is fleshly enjoyment in eating, but you have decided to deny yourself food for a week to wait on the Lord.
Example 1: Brokenness is deliberately throwing away all your ungodly behaviours until you cannot remember they were part of you. You can pick an issue like anger. You use to get angry quickly, and before you know what is happening, you have started abusing and cursing the offender. Then suddenly you decide to stop getting angry, promising yourself to keep quite anytime you are annoyed.
You decide never to be provoked by anyone, no matter what the person says to you. To succeed, you will have to imagine the worst things that could annoy you and tell yourself that those lies, truth and outbursts will never get you angry anymore. Do you know what you are doing self-induces sacrifice? You are losing your old identity to get more of Christ inside of you.
Imagine that you do the same thing to Pride, telling lies, bitterness, unforgiveness etc. You are sacrificing and yielding yourself to the Almighty God as a vessel.
Years ago, I decided that no man can provoke me, no matter the issue, abuse etc. Since then, if you abuse me, ok, you insult me, ok, you lie against me or gossip about me, no problems!. For those you trying to enter this wonderful realm, one of the gossips that offend almost every man is for someone to open secret information, you would prefer to keep personal. I advise you to expose every secret you have right now. Make confession, share it with close relatives and brethren, so that it is no longer secret. The moment you expose what used to be secret in your life, no gossip or exposure can provoke you any more.
Example 2: I will take another example that is important - forgiveness and vengeance. Many years ago, I travelled home to my village. I visited a family and after the visit, I dreamt and people I could identify came to attach me in the dream and to choke me on the Neck. It was a serious attack that I was gasping for breath in the dream and suddenly I awoke from the dream. I was bitter about the attack and decided to pray and fast, asking God to avenge me of those men and punish them.
I started the fasting and prayer program, but at the end of the first day, I was studying and praying when the Lord asked me an important question. He asked me "Are you the one that saved yourself when they came to attack you, I said No Sir, Then He said to me VENGEANCE IS MINE! That was the end of the prayer and I cannot forget the experience every other time I serious spiritual attacks, I will just pray and commit the offenders to God to judge them.
Brokenness is to deliberately let go of worldly behaviours that God does not want in us, that's why He saved us and delivered us from the world and darkness unto Himself. Brokenness is crucifying your flesh like Paul said in Galatians 2:20.
When you destroy pride, anger, secret sins, greed, etc, there remaineth no place in your life where the enemy can operate. The enemy has no doorway to enter your life. If you can identify the unbroken part of your life and pass that area through fire and break it completely, the devil has no place in your life again. He won't see a place to operate in your life.
To have any area of your unbroken is to have the property of the devil in your possession. Once you have the property of satan, he will trouble and torment you till you drop it.
Evidence of Brokenness
The evidence of brokenness cannot be hidden. All forms of adultery, emotional affairs, fornication and other vices are gone. You have developed hatred for such sins. Then, the not-too obvious sins are dealt with. Behaviours like:
1. Stubbornness is destroyed by you. You have decided not to be stubborn or obstinate. There is nothing as foolish as an obstinate person. He or she is ever petty and can quarrel for a whole day over an insignificant matter. When you meet an obstinate person, toothpaste can cause trouble in the house.
2. The worldly dressing is dealt with. If the husband has to caution the wife on the type of dress to wear after marriage, you just know the woman is still in the world. You cannot be a woman in Christ and broken, yet every day your clothes are tight to the extent that your body shape is before the public, it shows you are not broken.
3. Anger is dealt with. You would have to work on your weak areas and be sure they do not control your emotions again.
4. Bitterness and Vengeance. When you don't get bitter and seek vengeance is a sign that you have accepted to forgive people that offend you. You should not just forgive, you should forgive and forget. Take a bitter experience to God, to whom vengeance belongeth.
5. A closer relationship with the Lord. When you see a broken person, his love for Christ and the work of God goes up. They are now trusting Him and you will see it in their intimate relationship with the Lord. It’s easy to flow in the spirit and be close to Jesus when pride and anger is broken in your life. When you stop insisting on having your way instead of doing God's will, and start giving God glory for His blessings and not claim your effort gave you the blessings.
6. Peaceful Lifestyle. An easy-going lifestyle is one of the hallmarks of a broken Christian. They are teachable and placable. You can say I'm sorry for an offence you committed against them and that the end of that story with them. You can provoke him and he will just smile at you and ask you to go. It’s impossible to be broken and still operate with worldly aggression, NO!
7. Hypocrisy, eye service and insincerity. These vices are destroyed from the life of a broken Christian. You will change from being a men pleaser to God pleaser. It is not a sin to please people around you, but not to give them a wrong impression of who you are not.
8. Coveteousness - A serious weight in the life of worldly men is destroyed from the life of a broken child of God. You do not desire what is not your own, whether it is a woman of property. You can ask God to bless you with something, but not to claim another man's property as your own.
BENEFIT OF BROKENNESS
One of the things brokenness do for us is that it helps to prepare us to minister to others. Going through trials and experiencing God's deliverance better equips us to minister to others. In the same vein, taking time to cleanse our dirty parts and rejecting our old nature. help us to counsel others how to be free from satanic strongholds.
Our pain is never wasted; it brings about compassion that reaches out to other hurting people by saying, "I've been there, and God brought me through it, and He'll do the same for you." If we’re to minister to others, we should have pass through the route we want to take people through.
He says we should not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers, because we are His temples. He says we should come out of worldliness and touch not unclean things and He will be our God.
Promised Benefits 2 Cor 6:18
1. I will dwell in you, and walk-in you, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people - Adaptations mine.
2. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
3. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
CONCLUSION
The danger of remaining unbroken is that the person remains under the power of Satan and struggle and spiritual battles will continue to increase. You are expected to be broken immediately you receive Christ. Buty, if after receiving the Lord, you continue to live in anger bitterness and all worldliness, the devil and his agents will have free access to such a person's life and to afflict him.
Let's embrace brokenness and repair our foundation through prayer. Let us cleanse our filthiness of the spirit and flesh and be free indeed from darkness unto the light and power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
FIRE...
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