Tearing Down Strongholds

Main Point: Discuss how to get spiritual strongholds out of our lives.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5
New International Version (NIV) 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. What is a strong hold? It means fortress or a place someone relies on for safety. Its where a person would run to when they feel threatened or opposed. Spiritual strongholds are built by our wounded souls to protect us and to keep pain and rejection out. Hurt in our lives causes us to be broken hearted. Out of that broken heart we seek to justify the sinful thinking patterns and behaviors that are against Gods will. We say or think things like: I have to do ___ because ___ did ___ to me! Or I have to do ___ because its the only way I can escape this terrible feeling. Or No one can tell me what to do! I do what I want Questions 1. Have you ever tried to justify something in your life that was not Gods will? Why did you? 2. Often times when we commit to be held to the standards of truth in Christ, it automatically exposes areas in our behavior that are in need of growth. Has this ever happened to you? How did you respond? Did you run and hide from the truth or did you embrace the truth and change?

The danger of strongholds is the long term damage they cause to our lives. By putting up strongholds to protect sinful thinking and behavior, we give the devil the opportunity to reinforce our decision to keep our unforgiveness, resentment, bitterness, jealousy, rejection, self-pity etc. etc. This produces a fleshly problem and demonic oppression. Read 2 Cor 10:3-5 3. How do we break strongholds according to verse 5? Read Matt 16:19 The biblical meaning for bind is to tie, gird, join together for the effectual working of every part, knit together. Loose means to smash, crush, destroy or lacerate. When we recognize a stronghold in our life, we need to bind our soul to the will and heart of Jesus Christ. We need to repent from pretending that the problem is in someone else or ALL THE DEVIL, so that it is not in us! We need to bind ourselves to the truth and heart of God, recognizing the areas where we are not lined up with God's truth.