Triumph from a Rebellious Spirit to Destiny
Triumph
By Gena Barnhill @BarnhillGena
Did you know a rebellious spirit can block our God-given destiny by distancing us from God’s blessings and jeopardizing our intimacy with Him? It robs us of peace.
Rebellion or resisting authority can be done passively or actively. The word rebellion reminds me of the young boy whose teacher told him to sit down. He did not want to obey and instead asserted, “I may be sitting on the outside, but I am standing on the inside!”
Haven’t there been times we wanted to defy authority believing our way is better?
Evidence of a Rebellious Spirit in the Bible
The spirit of rebellion can be traced back to when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate from the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden.
Also, numerous verses in the Bible refer to subsequent generations as God’s rebellious people. Psalm 78 records the history of Israel so the Israelites would not forget God’s mercy and kindness and turn back to rebellion and unbelief. Verses 7-8 say,
so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.
First Samuel refers to the seriousness of rebellion and likens it to a form of witchcraft. Saul was God’s chosen king over Israel until he chose to disobey God and follow his desires. He suffered grave consequences because of his disobedience. Samuel said,
“For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has also rejected you from being king.” (1 Samuel 15:23)
A Rebellious Spirit Causes:
- Division
- Destruction
- Discontentment
- Disobedience
- Doubt in God’s faithfulness and goodness
The spirit of rebellion partners with pride leading us to believe we are in charge, not God. This is a dangerous place to be, as Saul discovered. Spiritually, we separate ourselves from God’s fellowship and create a bitter heart when we rebel. In Romans 13:2, Paul spoke about submitting to authorities in the government appointed by God. He wrote, “Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.”
Development of Strongholds
Author Sharon Jaynes defines a stronghold as “a thought pattern that forms a fortress around the mind, holding it prisoner to faulty thinking. It is formed brick by brick by repetitive faulty thinking or all at once by a onetime traumatic event such as a rape, molestation, or abuse. Furthermore, strongholds hold us captive.” They cause us to build walls around our hearts for protection. Instead of protecting us, they protect the enemy who manipulates our thoughts and suggests our actions. 1
The spirit of rebellion can partner with the spirits of rejection and control creating a stronghold in our minds. The spirit of control convinces us we need to control others and ourselves so our shame and fear are not exposed. When we feel we are losing control of ourselves or a situation, the spirit of rebellion tells us to scheme and resist to regain control. The spirit of rejection tells us to withdraw so we are not controlled. The Control-Rebellion-Rejection Stronghold is maintained by believing the enemy’s lies. This stronghold is effective in keeping us in bondage because it touches emotional wounds we already have.
We need to recognize these strongholds where the enemy is hiding and ask for the Lord’s help to break them by renewing our minds and replacing them with Christ’s thoughts (See Romans 12:2). Second Corinthians 10:4-5 reminds us:
For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.
How to Triumph Over a Rebellious Spirit:
- Submit our lives to God.
- Trust and obey God.
- Allow God to mold us so we walk into His destiny for our lives.
- Lean on God’s truth revealed in prayer and His Word.
- Equip ourselves with prayer daily by putting on the full armor of God (See Ephesians 6:10-18).
- Humbly let the Holy Spirit expose any darkness associated with rebellion.
- Don’t take the enemy’s bait!
- Embrace our authority in Christ by renouncing the darkness and rebellion identified and asking the Lord’s forgiveness for partnering with it.
Inner healing ministries like Simple Effective Prayer can assist in healing heart wounds by guiding prayer recipients in breaking negative ancestral influences, unhealthy soul ties, and strongholds. and asking Jesus for His truth.
Redemption from Yielding to a Rebellious Spirit
There is hope for redemption from a rebellious mindset. The parable of the prodigal son is recorded in Luke 15:11–32. A Jewish man had two sons. His younger son asked for his inheritance while his father was still alive, and his dad gave it to him. The youngest son journeyed far from home, lived a reckless life, and spent all his money while the older son stayed home and served his father. The younger son had no resources when a famine came, so he hired himself out to work and feed pigs. The pigs were fed better than he was. No one gave him anything.
He realized his father’s servants had more than enough to eat while he remained hungry. He journeyed home to tell his father he had sinned against him and heaven, was not worthy to be called his son, and offered to work for his father as a hired hand. While he was still a long way from home, his father filled with compassion saw him and ran to embrace and kiss him. He asked his servants to kill the fatted calf and prepare a feast to celebrate his son’s return. The older brother was angry and jealous of his father’s reaction to the return of his brother. In verses 31–32, the father said, Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead and is alive; he was lost, and is found.
The youngest son confessed his sins and was redeemed. God promises the same compassion for us when we confess our sins and repent.
Question to Ponder
What negative consequences have you observed as a result of a rebellious spirit? Be sure to share your observations in our Facebook Group Healing Prayer Discussion.
We are all stronger when we learn from each other. Looking forward to your input.
Blessings,
Gena
1Sharon Jaynes, “I’m Not Good Enough” …and Other Lies Women Tell Themselves (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 2009), 43-44.
*All Scripture verses are taken from the English Standard Version (ESV).
**Editor’s Note: This post, originally published on May 1, 2023, was revamped for comprehensiveness.
In case you missed the rest of the Ancestral Influences Series, here is the link to the Archives:
https://simpleeffectiveprayer.com/category/healing-ancestral-wounds/
