FOREWARD PREFACE

Spiritual Corruption: Are we powerless at the mercy of the storm because we are helpless before a darkened abyss before us? Or are we actually missing the genuine provision and red flags God is showing us to find His perfect representation of Himself are reaching past our own inability? To start taking down the burden of disagreement keeping us from greater breakthroughs? 

The Storm of Spiritual Corruption: What Is It and How Can We Overcome It?

What Is Spiritual Corruption?

1. Spiritual corruption is a term that's often used to describe the state of being lost and disconnected from our "innermost essence", "potential", or "fulfillment". While we understand the schools of thought and their definition on the subject, (how they form a conclusion) we relate broken condition of mankind on the terminology of fallenness, or brokenness of an original design. But here, we understand we are speaking of a person who has entered into Covenant with Christ on grounds of salvation- we are explaining the inner workings trying to hinder us, and revert our progress by different perspectives or movements. It can occur when we allow negative influences to control our lives, or when we allow ourselves to be overcome by fear and self-defeat. In this way, spiritual corruption is a trap that leads to further negative progression. Broken self-defeat is another term that's often used to describe the state of being defeated by our own thoughts and emotions. It's a state in which we give up on ourselves, and it often leads to feelings of shame, guilt, and frustration. These are all obstacles that are above our reach - but they're also traps that can keep us ensnared in a false reality.

2. Spiritual corruption is a term that does not get enough attention. While it might not be common, it is a very real threat. Spiritual corruption at its core is the erosion of our faith in God and trust in His Word. It’s when we begin to doubt the goodness of God instead of trusting Him. It’s when we begin to look for reasons why good things happen to us rather than believing that God is orchestrating them for our good and His glory.

Spiritual corruption is the act of eroding the faith and trust in God. It’s when we begin to doubt His goodness instead of trusting Him. Spiritual corruption happens when we begin to look for reasons why good things happen to us instead of believing that God is orchestrating them for our good and His glory. It’s when we begin to look to other sources for answers instead of trusting in the Word of God. It’s when we disregard the warnings that the Bible gives us about trusting in man and relying on human wisdom instead of trust in the Lord. Spiritual corruption causes people to become more and more dependent on their own understanding instead of trusting the revelation of the Almighty. It causes people to become proud, self-righteous, and judgmental. It causes people to become impatient, contentious, and anxious. Some say It can sneak up on you in many different ways.

At CDCS, we use the term 'subtle progression.' Its a soft approach into frustration with certain things, till everything has a hard landing as all is falling apart. Now its easy to be self-focused, dependent, defeated on what we are afraid of the most. Sometimes, it comes from outside forces such as the media or even other churchgoers who are just looking to spread their own agenda instead of being fair-minded and honest with their beliefs. Other times, spiritual corruption springs up within the church itself. With so many different opinions, pressures, and temptations coming from every angle, it can be easy for individuals to lose sight of what’s really important and true about Christianity.

I would even say, our backward progression drives division onto our discernment where its hard to embrace a relative reverence for good things as coming from God where the Bible tells us to rightfully handle without a second thought!

• (A)

Spiritual corruption happens when we begin to doubt the goodness of God instead of trusting Him. It begins with a lack of trust in God. Some people may begin to put their hope in certain people, philosophies, or perspectives instead of trusting in the Word of God. This is called “peering into the abyss” and leads to a self-centered world view. When we begin to look for reasons instead of believing that God is orchestrating things for our good and His glory, we begin to rely more and more on our own understanding. This leads us to impatience. It can also develop out of a lack of understanding of certain passages of Scripture. This can happen when we only read certain parts of the Bible or only focus on certain aspects of God’s character while ignoring others. When this happens, it’s easy to begin to think that the Bible is not all-encompassing, that there are parts of it that we just don’t fully understand yet, or that the Bible was not written with us in mind.

•  (B)

Spiritual corruption develops when we are constantly looking outside of ourselves for fulfillment. It stems from a misplaced desire to be accepted and loved by others. Initially, we may look outside of ourselves because we don’t feel loved by God. As a result, we find ourselves constantly comparing ourselves to others in an effort to feel good about ourselves and our importance. We compare ourselves to other Christians and non-Christians alike. We compare our gifts, talents, success, and accomplishments to those around us. We even compare our ages, education levels, and social standings to others. As we live out of a constant state of comparison and insecurity, we begin to focus on our outward appearances and status more than we do who we are and what God has uniquely created us to be. We begin to care more about what others think of us than what we think of ourselves. We begin to be concerned about what our accomplishments are rather than who we are as people. We may even begin to compare our relationships to others in an effort to seek validation and reassurance that we are important and loved. Instead of trusting that God has a plan and purpose for our lives, we begin to trust in other people and their opinions instead of God. We begin to fixate on our failures, mistakes, and shortcomings more than our successes, gifts, and abilities. We begin to feel bad and worthless.

•      (C)

We might begin to rely on other people’s ideas about God rather than the truth found in God’s Word. We might engage in an “I deserve” attitude or feel like we need to “prove” our faith to others. In time, our trust begins to shift away from God’s timing and towards our own. We might feel like God is not answering our prayers or doing things in the way that we would like. We might begin to demand that God “get it right” and meet our expectations instead of trusting Him to work things out in His timing. We might also start to see God in a different light or even view Him as an enemy. It’s as if our relationship with God has been fractured and is no longer what it used to be. We might even harbor resentment against God for the things that have happened in our lives.

Many different storms can cause great spiritual corruption, but the most common is a lack of trust in God and a reliance on our own understanding of Scripture instead of trusting in the revelation of the Almighty. Some secular pressures and temptations can cause spiritual corruption. Lack of Love for God and Others - As we begin to doubt the goodness of God instead of trusting Him, we begin to see ourselves and others in a less-than-flattering light. We begin to have an unbalanced love for God and others that is only focused on our own needs. Self-Centered World View - When we begin to trust in our own understanding of Scripture instead of trusting in the revelation of the Almighty, we begin to develop a self-centered worldview. We begin to think that everything is about us and what we want instead of thinking that everything is about our relationship with God. Expecting God to Deliver on Promises - When we begin these storms of spiritual corruption, we begin to expect God to deliver on promises. We begin to think that good things just happen to us and that He is not going to fulfill His promises. This can cause people to think that good things just happen to them instead of believing that God is working in their lives. Expecting God to Answer Their Prayers - When we begin to rely on our own understanding of Scripture and trust in the revelation of the Almighty, we begin to think that God is obligated to answer our prayers and deliver on His promises.

Here are some of the storms you may encounter if you are experiencing spiritual corruption: You begin to doubt God’s goodness. You begin to look for reasons to feel good and blessed rather than just trusting that God is working all things together for our good. You begin to blame and shame God for your circumstances instead of trusting that He has a bigger plan for you. You begin to look to other things and people for your security instead of His arms. You begin to see the Bible as a source of confusion rather than clarity. You begin to believe that you have to earn God’s love and acceptance rather than resting completely in His. You begin to live out of a constant state of comparison and insecurity.

At the heart of spiritual corruption is the enemy of faith in God. The moment that we start to doubt God and trust in our own abilities, we have chosen sides in this battle. We have chosen to follow the enemy rather than trusting in God. The irony is that in order to move beyond spiritual corruption, we must trust God again. We must put our faith in God once again. We must trust that God is good and that He has a plan for our lives. We must trust that God is good and that He will provide for our needs, protect us from harm, and bless us with the desires of our heart.

To overcome the storm of spiritual corruption, we must first recognize when we are engaging in it. If we are looking for reasons instead of trusting that God is orchestrating things for our good and His glory, we must ask ourselves why. We must ask God to show us where our trust has been misplaced. We must also begin to rebuild our relationship with God. We must make it a priority to spend time with God each day and grow in our relationship with Him. We must also turn to the Bible as our sole source of truth. We must trust that God’s Word is true and reliable. Once we have begun to rebuild our relationship with God, we can begin to fight against the storm of spiritual corruption. We can turn to the Bible and read the account of faith in God. We can begin to call on God in the midst of our hard times and trust that He is faithful and true. 

Prayer is essential to overcome spiritual corruption because when we are face to face with our own sin, we don’t always see it. When we pray, we can ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the sin in our heart, convict us of our sin, and help us regain our active commitment to live in agreement. Prayer is also helpful when we are faced with secular pressures or temptations that are causing spiritual corruption. We can pray for God to help us resist temptation or pressure, for God to give us wisdom about what to do, for God to help us make the right choice, or for God to remove the temptation from our lives so that we can focus on Him again.

         

The best thing you can do when you encounter the storms of spiritual corruption is to walk in truth and integrity with God and others. This is the only true protection you have from the storms of spiritual corruption. This is the only true path to victory. To walk in truth and integrity, you have to be honest with yourself. You have to take inventory of your faults, deficiencies, and shortcomings. You have to take responsibility for your own sins and shortcomings. You have to bring the full weight of your guilt and shame to the feet of Jesus. You have to make it a priority to read and study God’s Word. You have to be willing to ask God to show you where you need to improve. And, most importantly, you have to be willing to rest, develop on better promises. Every storm is a good opportunity to learn something new in Christ. Every storm is a good opportunity to grow and develop. And every storm is a good opportunity to seek God’s forgiveness and cleansing.

What to Do When You Encounter the Storms of Spiritual Corruption When you are faced with these storms of spiritual corruption, pray to the Lord, ask Him to show you where your sin is, and ask Him to help you regain a supportive process your consistency and trust in Him again. This can be difficult, but it is crucial if you want to overcome spiritual corruption. You can also remind yourself of the following truths when you encounter these storms.

God is not obligated to give us things or fulfill our desire. We are obligated to ask Him for wisdom, to wait on Him, to seek His will for our lives, and to trust that He will answer our call. 

God has given us the Holy Spirit to help us and guide us in our life. He is obligated to empower us with His power, speak through us, and guide us in every situation. 

God is greater than any temptation, pressure, or trial that we are facing. We are obligated to walk by faith, have faith in God, and trust in His promises. 

God will never leave us alone and will always be by our side. We need to seek God’s face and ask Him for help, strength, and wisdom. 

God is greater than our circumstances and will always provide a way out. We need to trust Him and depend on Him every day. - God is faithful and will never leave us alone.

The key to overcoming the storms of spiritual corruption lies in a newly discovered resolve.

Instead of using our faith to mask our guilt and shame, we are now choosing to walk in truth and integrity with God and others. Instead of using our faith to mask our insecurities, we are choosing to know who we are in Christ. Instead of using our faith to mask our lack of acceptance, we are choosing to receive God’s acceptance in Christ. Instead of using our faith to mask our fear, we are choosing to be fearless in Christ. Our new resolve to walk in truth and integrity with God and others is a direct result of the internal battle with spiritual corruption. It’s a battle that rages within each of us as we try to find our true identity in Christ. It’s a battle that is won only when we walk out of the storm and overcome our shame and guilt. Once we do that, we are ready to be bold and courageous in the truth. Once we do that, we are ready to receive God’s love and acceptance in Christ. Once we do that, we are ready to walk in freedom and liberty.

Spiritual corruption is a very real threat. It can sneak up on you in many different ways and can begin with a single decision or experience. When we begin to look for reasons instead of trusting God, we have begun the storm of spiritual corruption. Overcoming the storm of spiritual corruption begins with a simple choice. It begins with a decision to turn from our sin, turn to God, and trust in Him once again. It begins with restored cry in the midst of the storm as a genuine intervention of spiritual protection. The storm is leading us to see that we must trust in the goodness of God again and place our faith in Him once more. God has provided us a way to build our relationship with Him and trust in Him once again.

Christianity is a beautiful and powerful gift from God. But it can also be a challenging and difficult path that we need to walk victorious over spiritual corruption. We need to be aware of the dangers of spiritual corruption and guard against it. We need to depend on God and not on our human wisdom. We need to trust in the Lord and not in our own understanding of Scripture. We need to walk by faith and not by sight.

• The Keys of power in Christ's completeness 
• The enemies storm of rage through broken reforms
• Victim of self-defeat in our own striving
• How we deal a heaviness that would cause isolation, separation while trying to do the right thing with an evil heart
• Patterns of pain-fueled indifference to scriptural instruction
• Specific causes to our descriptive fears we refuse to surrender before Christ
• Questioning the merit of giving up something we think is feeding our survival.
• I personally handwrote these points to summarize what we are covering here indicating heaviness of unbelief setting in.

There is a reason why many people describe life as a "pressing through obstacles above your reach" experience. The world can be a dark and difficult place, filled with challenges and obstacles that seem impossible to overcome. But this is not the end of the world. In fact, this is where the true journey of spiritual growth begins. Through pressing through these challenges, you can find a healed expression - an expression that is free from the fear and hinderances that have kept you from reaching your fullest potential.

This process can be difficult, but it is also vitally important. If you allow yourself to be pushed beyond your limits, you will discover things that you never thought possible. And in doing so, you will become stronger and more capable of reaching new heights. Not only that, but you will also find renewed hope and optimism for the future. So if you are struggling, don't be afraid to press through the obstacles that stand in your way. They are just temporary hurdles on the path to true spiritual growth and healing.

KEYWORDS: Explanation for spiritual corruption, terms of negative progression, broken self-defeat, challenges in false reality, finding a healed expression in new covenant faith over hinderances and fear