Dealing with strongholds 

“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 (2 Cor. 10:4-5).

According to the above passage, we have divine power to destroy strongholds. So what are strongholds?  

According to the above passage they are three things

1.     Arguments raised against the knowledge of God.

2.     Lofty opinions raised against the knowledge of God. 

3.     Thoughts, (or ideas), that would lead someone away from obeying Christ.

The good news

We have divine power when faced with strongholds against the knowledge of God, and they can be fought and won using God’s weapons of warfare!

Over the next few days, we will cover how strongholds can be broken and freedom achieved from each one.

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 15:57 ESV)

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Phil. 2:12-13 ESV)

Fearing God entails having a deep respect for Him, which profoundly affects how we live. Respecting God means doing as He commands, yielding to His reproof, and bowing in reverence before Him.

It brings positive results

·      It is the beginning of wisdom and insight — “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” (Prov. 8:10 ESV)

·      It is the beginning of knowledge — “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Prov. 1:7 ESV)

·      It is the hatred of evil — “The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.” (Prov. 8:13 ESV)

·      It leads to life — “The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.” (Prov. 19:23 ESV)

·      It prolongs life — “The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short.” (Prov. 10:27 ESV)

·      It is to know no fear of evil — “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Prov. 23:4 ESV)

·      It helps you obey even when you’re alone — “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Phil. 2:12-13 ESV)

·      It is a fountain of life — The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, That one may avoid the snares of death.

·      It causes you to persuade others — “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.” (2 Cor. 5:11 ESV)

 Therefore

“Praise the Lord! How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, Who greatly delights in His commandments.” (Psalm 112.1)

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV)

There are different kinds of fear, some good and some bad. The kind we usually think about is about being afraid. This is important to an extent, because it will keep us from getting too close to the edge of a cliff, or from stepping into moving traffic. The worse kind of fear, however, is terror, which can be very destructive, especially in the form of anxiety attacks.We’re told that this kind of fear is not from God. Consider the two following verses.

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Tim. 1:7 ESV)

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” (1 John 4:18a ESV) 

The fear of God

 For the believer, there is another kind of fear, which is the fear of God.This kind of fear is the reverence and awe of God.

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’” (Heb. 12:28-29).

The fear of God keeps us from doing unrighteous things

When we were children, our fear of ourparents' punishment kept us from doingsome bad things. The same ought to apply to our interactions with God. 

“And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Heb. 12:5-11 NIV)

 Therefore

We serve God, follow His commands, and yes, even love Him because of our reverence, awe, and fear of Him. 

“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matt. 10:28 ESV)

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,” (Deut. 19:12) 

Tomorrow I will tell you how the fear of God will bring you good results.

“The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” (1 Thes. 5:24 NIV)

I heard someone say that being a Christian is difficult, maybe even impossible, because you cannot live a righteous life in the corrupt world we are in. I thought about his statement for a moment and decided what he said was both yes and no, depending on how you look at it. It’s “yes” (difficult or impossible) if you’re trying to live a righteous life using your own strength (personal abilities). And it’s “no” (not difficult or impossible) if you allow God to produce His righteousness in your life. What’s impossible for us is possible for God.

What is righteousness?

The word righteousness means God’s approval or being considered right in his eyes. Think of it in this way: When God sees you he approves of you because you are a bearer of His righteousness, it not your own. You are justified in his sight by what He has done.

Being deemed righteous is defined as the state or condition of being morally upright, just, or virtuous. When people see you, they recognize your upright character and declare you to be a moral being. This righteousness is not in your own eyes.

It’s possible when God does it

Yes, it is possible to live the Christian life by God’s power at work in your life. And, of course, your obedience to His Word is a big part of it, we do have a part in it.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt. 6:33 ESV)

“And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Phil. 3:9 ESV)

 “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21)

Therefore

 “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,” (Titus. 3:5 ESV)

“What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith;” (Rom. 9:30)

“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (1 John 4:10)

Love is a verb, an action word. It’s something you do eith acts of kindness in various forms.

·      Show acts kindness by being tender hearted and forgiving one another – “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph. 4.32 ESV)

·      Show acts of kindness by forgiving many times — “Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matt. 8:21-22ESV)

·      Show acts of kindness by praying for others — “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16 ESV)

·      Show acts of kindness through generosity — “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” (Prov. 19:17 ESV)

·      Show acts of kindness by giving encouragement — “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (1 Thes. 5:11 ESV)

Therefore

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Pet. 4:8 ESV)

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13)

Today, here in the USA, is Valentine’s Day. It is the day we celebrate love: Children make Valentine's Day cards for their friends and give heart-shaped candies with little words on them that say things like, “Be Mine,” “Secret Love,” or just simply, “Love.” And at the local grocery store where cards and flowers are sold, you will see men nervously looking through rows of Valentine cards to find just the right one that will say to that special person at home, “I love you!”

So, what is love?

The best definition for love is found in the Bible. It is often referred to as the Bible’s “love chapter.” It is a great guide to follow.

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.” (1 Cor. 13:4-8 ESV)

The most powerful kind of love is described in the following verse

“There’s no greater love than this, that a man should lay down his life for a friend”

God demonstrated this kind of love to us

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 ESV)

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalms 103:11-12)

Therefore

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:17b-19)

“Then the Lord said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail. So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand.” (Ex. 4:3)

Why did God tell Moses to do that?

The above passage seemed very odd to me the first time I read it. That’s because God told Moses to do something extremely dangerous—the very opposite way you should pick up a snake. Anyone who knows anything about handling poisonous snakes knows not to grab a snake by the tail because it will turn and bite you. The correct way to pick it up is by the head; then it will be completely under your control and cannot bite you.

An act of obedience and an act of faith

Remember that a snake’s power is in its head. Moses surely knew not to pick up a snake this way. When God told him to grab the snake’s tail, Moses had to put aside what he knew and trust God, having faith that God would control the snake's head.

It represented a transfer of power and authority

Remember that the snake started out as Moses’ staff, which represented Moses’ own power and authority—he leaned on it as he walked, and it was what he used to control his livestock. From now on, however, God was going to use his staff in a very different way: to free the Hebrew children from slavery and to perform many miracles like parting the waters so the entire group of Hebrew children could cross over on dry land. This was a big assignment, and now Moses needed to trust and obey God completely by faith, especially when things looked impossible from a human standpoint, like picking up a deadly snake by the tail, for instance.

Therefore

Learn from Moses’ example and trust and obey God with faith, especially when things look scary. And He will bless you and make your paths straight. He has great plans to give you hope and a future!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Prov. 3:5-6 ESV)

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” (Jer. 17:7-8 ESV)

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jer. 29:1)

“Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Eph. 5:21 ESV)

Marriage survival statistics in America are dismal! According to the American Psychological Association, approximately 40-50% of first marriages end in divorce.

Why is this so?

Even though couples may have many reasons for divorce, I want to talk here about the number one stated reason. According to the findings of a recent survey of CDFA professionals, as many as 43% of people list “basic incompatibility” as the cause of their divorce. This reason is often stated on divorce documents as irreconcilable differences. Webster’s dictionary defines irreconcilable differences as “inability to agree on most things or on important things.” But, basically, it’s that they had things in their lives they were unable to come to agreement about. And because they couldn’t agree, they just gave up. They quit. They ended their marriage.

Recently, I spoke with an older gentleman who told me he had been married and divorced several times, and it got easier to do each time. Each marriage was shorter than the previous one. He said he had grown children with his first wife, and sometimes he would see her at family gatherings. She had been remarried and divorced again, too. He said they had spoken recently and reflected on their marriage and divorce. He said to her, “Why didn’t we work harder to save our marriage?” “Our differences weren’t that bad.” She said, “I don’t know why we gave up so easily.” It just seemed right at the time. “But we could have figured it out if we had tried harder.”

Embrace differences

Why are differences considered bad? First, the concept of compatibility is taught and demonstrated broadly in many ways.You see it in movies, on television, and taught in marriage lectures by “marriage experts.” There are many dating websites that use questionnaires designed to help you find someone “most like you.” We are told that compatibility is the main ingredient for a strong marriage.

But is this really true?

I don’t think so. I heard someone say, “If two people agreed on everything, one of them would be unnecessary.” I think he had something there! It’s been my observation that the strongest marriages are when two opposites come together, embracing each other’s strengths and helping each other with their weaknesses. They both become stronger.

For instance

My wife, Susan, and I are very different in many ways. She likes girly things, and I like manly things. We like different music; she likes classical and I like country. She likes sappy love story movies, and I like shoot ‘em up John Wayne type movies. She is ultra introverted, and I’m as extroverted as you can get. We like different colors, different home types, different TV shows, and much more. It’s amazing that we ever got together in the first place. But we did, and both of our lives are much richer as a result. What do we agree on? We both love God, the Bible, our children, and each other—the important things. And we pray together and get into agreement with scripture as our guide. We find Bible promises that cover every issue and get into agreement about them (Matt. 18:19). And, finally, we have learned to not sweat the small stuff. And at this writing, we’ve been married 51 years. If we had filled out a compatibility questionnaire, we would have never gotten together.

Therefore

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.” (Eccles. 4:9 ESV)

“He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” (Prov. 18:42 ESV)

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them” (1 John 2:15)

The above verse seems pretty clear about not loving the world doesn’t it? And we certainly do not want to do what God says not to do. But, what if we do love things in the world like beautiful sunsets, lovely landscapes, majestic mountains, lovely flowers, trees, animals, and the like? Aren’t we then “loving the world”? The answer is both yes and no. Let me explain.

Understanding what “world” means

There’s more than one Bible definition for the word world. In the passage above it refers to the world’s corrupt and evil value system. And God says to abhor evil of all kinds (Rom. 12:9). We are to reject the world’s value system, which includes things like status, selfishness, and sexual immorality. The following verse explains it.

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Rom. 12:2 NLT)

The other meaning

The the word “world” used in John 3:16, which says, “For God so loved the world” has a very different meaning. It means humanity (the people on the planet), and of course, the followers of Jesus are to love people just as God does.

 Don’t get it backwards

The problem is that we often love the value system and hate the people. Christians do this all the time. Instead of being different, we’re often just as materialistic and hedonistic as the culture we live in. But that’s backwards from how God calls us to live.

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but” let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2 NLT).

So, what about sunsets and trees?

The Bible tells us to think about beautiful and praiseworthy things.They can be things like sunsets, flowers, etc. But, the emphasis must be on what’s praiseworthy to God as the following verse says.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable— if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think on these things.” (Phil. 4:8).

Therefore, use what God has created to remind us to praise Him 

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (rev. 4:11)

And finally

Fill your mind with God’s truth, and let it transform your life by changing what you love.

“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (Col. 3:14 ESV)

“And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt. 22:37-39 ESV)