Breaking Cycles - Called to Community

 

Breaking Cycles

Called to Community

Written by: Chibunkem Ahanonu

Cycles. A series of events that are regularly repeated in the same order.

Cycles. A word derived from the Greek word kuklos, meaning circle.

Cycles. The enemy's tactic to keep you trapped in complacency, confusion, and dysfunction

See, cycles are things we have experienced or witnessed throughout our lives. Cycles of unhealed children cloaked with adult bodies, inflicting a replication of their hurt on the generations to come. Cycles of people pursuing money at the expense of their peace of mind. Cycles of too many voices silenced by depression only to be remembered in obituaries and "gone too soon" posts on IG. Cycles of hate. Cycles of pain. Cycles of confusion. Cycles, the trap of the enemy to make you operate from the perspective of your weaknesses until you spiral.

If we take a look inward, we might see a version of a cycle within. Maybe surrounding a familial expectation that seems to rob you of your individuality. Or maybe the constant state of curiosity that dissolved into fear, sparking the question "Is my best really good enough?", fueling many to work themselves to the bone and forsake the spiritual principle of rest. Cycles of pursuing perfection from the distorted lens of comparison. Honestly, I don't know what your cycle may be, but what I do know is this: with our weaknesses often times being the epicenter, it is hard to run away from what you've been running around. Yep, cycles have a little weight to them, but as the title states we are not here to empower and fixate on cycles, we are here to discuss how to break them.

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 

2 Corinthians 12:9

See here's the thing, cycles don't just spark up out of thin air. Cycles always have a starting point. The water cycle may lead to rain but the starting point is evaporation. In a tornado, the part where the cold air chases the hot air is the starting point that grows to the spiraling terror we're familiar with. Even our daily schedules, although the activities may alternate, starts with waking and ends with sleeping. The consistent theme of a cycle is its ability to continue. But the continuation of destruction and disruption can only lead to dysfunction.

The concept of cycles isn't new, it's been present since biblical times. One example of this is the Children of Israel. Even though God freed them from slavery, their minds were still enslaved, spiraling around the concept of captivity. See the issue is that although they had left Egypt, Egypt had not left them. The customs from their captivity dictated the way they perceived the world. Just think, how could such a mighty God split the Red Sea for you and essentially Uber Eats your food on a regular and the brightest idea you could come up with is to dance naked around a golden cow. Pretty illogical right!!! But when cycles are in play, the enemy uses ignorance as the momentum. And this cycle of rebellion was continuous; just look at the entire book of Judges. You will see the reoccurring sentence saying, " And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord".  In other words, logic was chasing them but they ran faster instead of slowing down in devotion. And this state of illogical thinking dictated their actions causing them to constantly revert to places of ignorance and rebellion.

Just to solidify our understanding let's look at another example. Let's look at the cycle of manipulation that echoed through the lives of  Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. By definition, manipulation is to control or play upon by artful, unfair, or skillfully disruptive means, especially to one's own advantage. Simply put,  manipulation is to use the control you do have, to shape the outcome in your favor. Manipulation often stems from a lack of trust, a fear of some kind, or overconfidence in your own ability to make things happen. Where could this be seen? Let's flip to Genesis 12:11.

In essence this is what happened. So boom, Abraham had left his whole life behind to follow God but man was already old, 75 to be exact. At that age he still managed to marry Sarai and headed to Canaan with wifey and his nephew Lot (Gen. 12:4-5). If this happened in this day and age, people would say he's having an end of life crisis or a manic episode, but what Abraham had was much greater than any diagnosis. Abraham, well Abram at this point, had a promise from God himself(Gen. 12:1-2). Fast forward a little more to where they approach Egypt, we see that apparently Sarai was a baddie, so much so that Abraham lied and told the Pharaoh that she was his sister. In Abe's mind, if they knew she was his wife they would kill him and take her. Like I said before, Sarai was a baddie. But God had different plans and didn't have time for Abe's lie to effect the promise so he put plagues on Pharaoh and his household eventually leading Pharaoh to send them out the country along with all the gifts and servants he had given them when they first arrived. Basically, Pharaoh didn't want those problems.

Why am I telling you all of this? All cycles have a starting point, and this cycle of manipulation started with Abraham but continued through his bloodline. Yes, this was manipulation, he changed the narrative of the truth to get the outcome that was most favorable to him, and this cycle continued. Isaac pulled the same stunt as his father, with a man named Abimelech who was the king of the Philistines (Gen. 26). Just like his father, he received a promise, married a beautiful woman, and allowed fear to fuel his manipulation. But see there's always that family member that takes things to a whole new level, in this case that would be Jacob. Isaac's son, Jacob, took manipulation to an extreme and started manipulating STRAIGHT OUT THE WOMB (Gen. 25:22-26). Jacob's name literally means supplanter, someone who takes advantage of a situation to come out on top. From the womb he wrestled with his brother, Esau, to the point that he came out holding his heel. As him and his brother grew, he continued to scheme, taking advantage of every situation. At one point, he weaponized his brother's hunger and exchanged a bowl of food for Esau's birthright (Gen. 25:27-34). And later in life, with the help of his mother, he deceived his father into giving him the blessing that was supposed to be for Esau (Gen. 27). Eventually he received the same blessing as was promised to his father and went to live with his uncle Laban. He worked for 14 years and gained 2 wives from his labor but used manipulation to gain his portion of his father-in-law's wealth. If Abraham and Isaac had a Bachelor's in Deception... Jacob had a PhD in Scheming and Manipulation. 

They were all stuck in cycle, yet kept investing into behaviors that didn't serve them. Insanity quite literally!!! As Albert Einstein stated "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results". Its easy to sit and judge from an external lens but let's be honest. Is that not the same narrative that we have with sin. Going back to the same thing expecting a different result. Choosing idols over God and thinking its ok to serve both, as if God said you will have no other God but me. Staying in a mentality conditioned through negativity and expecting peace of mind, forsaking the principles he laid down for dealing with our thoughts. Neglecting to take captive what is controlling you. Using upbringing as a excuse for bad behavior as if you are not a new creation who has been called to greater. In all honesty, we tend to lean into toxic consistency instead of the reality that what we've been operating in needs to come to an end. Oftentimes, change seems more taxing than complacency. We have gotten so comfortable in walking in this dysfunctional circle that the enemy doesn't even have to lead us into sin. We now walk ourselves into cycles, blinded by ignorance, and he just makes sure we stay on beat. Dancing to the tune of destruction. These cycles of disobedience are fueled by ignorance and rebellion which seem to have no end point. But ignorance isn't bliss, its bondage. So how do we break free?

If you take a closer look into all these instances you will see, apart from cycles, something else remained continuous: the promises of God. Even when we waver and fall short of God's glory, his promises hold true. With the children of Israel, although they fell short throughout the Old Testament, God still honored his words. 

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

Each time they repented genuinely, God remembered them and showed compassion. Throughout the Scriptures you see a common theme: Rebellion, Redemption, Restoration. Rebellion led them into Egypt, Redemption brought them out, and Restoration carried them into the Promised Land. Look at Nineveh, the city Jonah warned of judgment—when they turned, God spared them. Look at Peter, who walked closely with Jesus yet denied Him, but was forgiven and restored to lead in the Kingdom. Look at David, who sinned with Bathsheba and was exposed by a prophet, yet still received God’s mercy, even as he lived with the consequences—his line was redeemed with the blessing of Solomon. And look at all humanity, stained by rebellion in the garden, yet redeemed through Christ’s sacrifice and promised restoration through His authority. The cycle is real—but the power to break it does not come from us. It is found in God’s strength.

Let’s take this full circle and revisit the story of Jacob. After years of manipulation and striving, he reached a breaking point. He could not continue in the same cycle—something had to change. Perhaps it was returning home for the first time, or the hardships endured under his father-in-law, but Jacob’s desperation grew. He sent all he had across the river and remained alone—no schemes, no angles, just himself before God. And in that night, he encountered the Lord—not in comfort, but in a wrestling match that left him limping, yet transformed. This divine struggle marked a new beginning: God gave Jacob a new name, Israel, a new identity that carried a promise far greater than his old life of deceit (Genesis 32:22–32). In that moment, the cycle was broken—not by Jacob’s strength, but by God’s intervention, blessing, and redemption.

Let’s drop the act—we are imperfect, but that was already accounted for. “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14). God knows sanctification is a process that takes place through Jesus, so why let the enemy convince you that you can or can’t do something? God has made it clear that weakness is not an obstacle when it’s surrendered to Him—so place it in His hands. Give Him the chains of the cycles you’ve been bound to and let Him break them. Whether He shatters the whole chain at once or removes it one link at a time, the continuous theme of God’s promise is this: it may be a process, but He is in control. So cast down the idols, cast down the fears, cast down the doubts. And hold fast to His truth—for in His presence is the power to break every cycle, and in His Word is the promise that He will never leave you or forsake you.