Context can be defined as:

“the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed.”

or as Merriam-Webster dictionary states, “the situation in which something happens : the group of conditions that exist where and when something happens”

We all live in a greater context that surrounds our way of thinking, the way we see the world, the beliefs we take on, the actions we live, the decisions we make, and the way we respond to God and each other.

A lot of the context of our lives is right and well and a lot of the context of our lives is not right and well. As we explored earlier in this course, there are many things in which we have been agreeing with Satan and not God.92 This is often the result of living in a context that does not reflect God, but Satan. Let me explain.

In the context of our lives we have often learned:

• prejudicial systems between male and female (elevation of boys/men, systemic abuse of women/girls) 
• systems of division regarding the rich and the poor (pity given to the poor, favour to the rich)
• caste systems determining worth and value (community shunning, rejection, disqualification)
• status systems within our churches and religion (gender disqualifications, important people bias)
• abuse systems in order to control others (manipulations, fear, bullying, intimidation)
• rape culture and systems that blame victims (and where perpetrators are excused)
• militant systems that demand the letter of the law (where there could be the spirit of the law)
• unjust systems where the rule of law is not upheld in any way (rule of law is rejected, bribes instead) 
• policing and law systems protect the elite (laws that keep injustice in place, no justice for the many)

These values of Satan are so ingrained into our lives and communities and nations that it is very hard to step outside of our own context and see the damage of these particular strongholds. It is as though we have been breathing and drinking these things and they now feel part of who we are.

When these things feel normal to us, we often find ourselves defending them. We may find ourselves fighting for the very things that are keeping us weak. We do not realize that when we defend the values of Satan we keep in place the very things that are set to destroy our livelihoods, our wholeness, our relationships and our thriving. Remember, all things are unto death and destruction and loss in Satan’s domain.

Satan has been a pretty good businessman. He came and set up lies, robbing, accusations, condemnations, denials, rejection, shunning, arrogance, pride, posturing, partiality, envy, greed, prejudice, discriminations, abuse, cheating, bribing, status, rape, control, manipulations, abandonment, disqualifications, and more.

And we, by our lives, by our agreements with these things, keep his business going.

Look around at your community and at your nation:

• Do you see any of these things at hand? 
• What has been the impact?

But more importantly:

• Where have you been excusing or even using any of these things?

And over all:

• What does God say about these things?

The good news is that all these things that bring destruction to our lives are the result of systems of belief, thinking, and behaviour. And systems can be changed. The context of our lives and communities can be transformed. We can, bit by bit, change our set thinking and behaviour.

“Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

But that is not the way you learned Christ! — assuming that you have heard about him and were taught him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:17-24 ESV

We do not have to live according to the systems or the context all around us. 93

The systems we have grown up in have fed us lies about:

• being men and women
• being rich or poor
• being great or small
• being important or unimportant 
• being a victim or a perpetrator 
• being just or unjust

The systems of Satan would keep:

• the orphan rejected and used
• women oppressed and kept low
• men as beasts with little self-control 
• widows neglected and starved
• religion elevated and controlling
• people in shame and despair

It is imperative to our families, communities, and nations that we reject the lies of the enemy.

It is imperative that we take on the heart and truths of God into our very way of living.

And it is imperative that we check what is normal to us, ensuring that all things are submitted to the way God would have it be — we must change our minds about many things. Ephesians 4:23

In contrast, God’s system of love:

• does not oppress the orphan Exodus 22:22
• rather, God cares for the orphan James 1:27
• upholds the dignity of the orphan Jeremiah 22:3

• does not abuse, neglect, oppress women Ephesians 5:25
• rather, God gives women dignity and honour as daughters of the King Proverbs 30:30-31
• considers them fellow workers in the Kingdom of God Galatians 3:28

• men, do not live as beasts Proverbs 11:17
• rather, men take hold of themselves in all dignity Titus 2:2 & 6
• lives their days with one woman in all honour and regard Proverbs 5:18

• does not neglect or take advantage of your widows Exodus 22:22 
• rather, God respects them, feed them, bless them 1 Timothy 5:8
• honors them 1 Timothy 5:16

• does not make religious systems where some are great and others are not James 2:1-13
• rather, he welcomes all into the kingdom of God where everyone has value and worth John 3:16 
• teaches all to do the work of the kingdom – teaching, baptizing, healing, sharing the gospel Romans 12:6-8

• does not add more shame and condemnation and despair to people Romans 8:1 
• rather, God accepts, welcome, grow, nurture, raise each of us up 1 Peter 5:6-11 
• brings justice, love mercy, walk humbly with God Micah 6:8

This course has been about changing the context in which we live and love and minister and serve. It is for the purpose of transforming our lives in all manner of thought and behaviour by the power of our Holy Spirit.

By your actions, attitudes, and choices you impact the context of your community. Even in very little ways your actions, attitudes and choices changes the context of your life and often the lives of those closest to you.

PRAYER

“God I come before you today in the name and the blood of my Lord Jesus Christ. God I need your help to see the context of my life. What are the hidden rules beneath everyday life in my community? What are the assaults of Satan that happen every day but that I am not able to recognize? How am I part of the assignments of Satan over my nation? Where does my life uphold the lies of the enemy instead of you? How might I be a different kind of person? Where might you have me transformed? God, I cannot see my own faulty thinking and beliefs unless you help me. Holy Spirit, help me.”

APPLICATION

As noted, we find within our context and cultures strongholds of thought and action that have been woven into who we are for a very long time, ways of thinking and being that reflect a dominion of Satan instead of the Kingdom of God. These can be described as GENERATIONAL STRONGHOLDS.

Generational strongholds are so woven into our lives that we take them for normal. Often, our thinking and beliefs are so entwined with strongholds set against God that we are stuck to remove ourselves from the hold of these things over our lives.

But the work of Jesus Christ has made a way for us to be free from generational strongholds. It is the same process that we have been using all through the course. 94

  1. setting the space
  2. confession
  3. repentance
  4. renouncing
  5. breaking
  6. cancelling
  7. claiming
  8. sealing

For today’s application we are going to confess and break a generational stronghold of partiality.

Partiality is one of the most devastating of sins. It has created untold divisions and caste systems and manner of prejudice and violence this world has ever seen. 95

James addresses this sin in James 2:1-13. Take the time to read this passage.

We have already looked at some of the specific sins of partiality in Month 9 as violences of injustice, judgement, favouritism and religion. Each of these have the sin of partiality at their root.

When we shun or welcome others based on any kind of outward criteria we have participated in the sin of partiality.

We have made judgment based on our human definitions. James writes, “have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thought?” James 2:4 ESV

Let us come to the Lord in prayer about this. We will confess and break this stronghold and sin as a generational stronghold.

“God I come before you today confessing to my and my forefathers generational stronghold and sin of partiality. I see Lord that you have commanded us to treat all people as equals and we have not done this. We have created distinction and divisions amongst us and we have participated in the sin of partiality. We are sorry Lord.

Today we say ‘No More!’ to the generational stronghold and sin of partiality in the name and the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. I renounce my participation in a generational stronghold of partiality in the name of Jesus.

I reach into my and my forefathers past to where this generational sin of partiality first began and I uproot it with the strong arm of my Lord Jesus Christ. Where it took root and began to grow I remove it fully and completely in the name and the blood of my Lord Jesus Christ.

I unwind the chains of this generational sin from around my being and from off of my children. No more! I declare severed every link of this generational sin of partiality. In the name and the blood of my Lord Jesus Christ I cancel all authority, assignments and curses that have been in and over and through my life because of this sin. No more.

I remove all dust and dirt and grime from my own being and from the lives of my children and all generations to come — where generational partiality has left its stain, today I wash us clean with the living water of our Lord Jesus Christ, we massage our hearts with the oil of the lamb of God, and we declare ourselves now covered in the name and the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Everything connected to a sin of partiality, all assignments, curses and authority we send to the place where the true Lord Jesus Christ would choose it to go. And we receive from God a new ability to renew our hearts and minds and actions so that we are freely living in the Spirit rather than any sin of partiality. Thank you God.

We take this work of your Spirit God and we declare it 100% for your glory and honor. We declare ourselves covered and kept in the name and the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you God. We love you. Amen.”

Note, that you can pray this same prayer in repentance and freedom on behalf of your community and your nation. Do this as the Holy Spirit leads. Pray for the right time to pray this and for the right people to gather and pray it together. When the time is right the prayer is something like this:

“God we come before you in the name and the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. We lift our nation to you confessing to the sin of partiality in our land and people. God we are sorry. We realize that this has caused much of the trouble and division that is in our country. Therefore, today in the name and the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ we renounce the sin of partiality that is over us and this country (name the country).

We reach back into this country’s past and where this sin of partiality first began we uproot it, removing all it’s sin, all it’s impact, all it’s roots, leaving nothing behind. Carefully but completely we remove the sin of partiality from our country (name the country) in the name and the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We unwind the chains of partiality that have been over our lives and over our culture, over our laws that govern this land, and over us spiritually, emotionally, physically, and relationally. Today we restore this land to the purposes and plans of God and his Kingdom for his glory and honor. We receive from you God, all that you have for us and for this country. Thank you. We bless your name today. Amen and amen.”

This is an example of a personal prayer that can be made to include our previous generations, and then made to include the communities and nations in which we live. All the prayers that we pray can be spoken on behalf of these four things: Personally, Generationally, Corporately for our Communities, and then in advocacy for our Nations.

All inner healing prayers can be prayed:

1st – Personally: for ourselves before the Lord
2nd – Generationally: on behalf of ourselves and the generations before us
3rd – Corporately: in advocacy for our communities and in agreement with a few others
4th – for our Nations: by the leading of the Spirit in intercession for our nations

96 May the Lord do a great work through your prayers of obedience and repentance and surrender to Him.

SUMMARY – THE CONTEXT OF OUR LIVES

The communities we have grown up in have fed us lies that we have believed Romans 12:2

Our paradigms 97 are not in sync with God and his ways James 1:5; Proverbs 12:15; Proverbs 3:5 

We need God’s help to live a different kind of way with each other 1 John 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:14

92 as we studied in Module Two, Month #6, Chapter 48, The Agreements We Make, pages 51-58

93 Definition of Context: ‘The group of conditions that exist where and when something happens’

94 Taught in Module One, Month #1, Chapter 6, FREEDOM, Inner Healing Prayer Process taught, pages 30-34, In Module Two, APPENDIX, on page 180 – 182, and reviewed again in Module Three, Month #9, Chapter 81, HEALING PRAYERS, pages 56-61

95 We have previously studied partiality in: Month #9, ‘Partiality’ as violence on page 20 ; in Month #9, ‘Sectarian Spirit’ page 79; and in Month #10, 2D ‘Inclusiveness’ page 105

96 Take care to pray in advocacy and intercession, on this level, with great care and only by the direction and compelling of the Holy Spirit. Wait on the Lord for the right time and with the people of his Spirit to which are also called to the same work. DO NOT pray declarative healing prayers for communities or nations that you have not yet prayed, repented of, for yourself. You DO NOT have the authority to advocate healing for others or for your communities or nations If your own person is still carrying that specific sin.

97 Definition of Paradigm: Intellectual perception or view, accepted by an individual or a society as a clear example, model, or pattern of how things work in the world. from businessdictionary.com

=>  Now we will look at how God sees  Orphans

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