Dealing with strongholds

“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19)

One of the hardest strongholds to deal with are those who love sin

“Who delight in doing evil and rejoice in the perversity of evil;” (Prov. 2:14)

They are hard of heart

“They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.” (Eph. 4:18)

It’s a sign of the last days

“But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,” (2 Tim. 3:1-2)

What to do

Over the years, I’ve encountered lots of people, some of them family and friends, who loved their sin and were totally resistant to change. And because of that, it was impossible to talk to them about Christ. But God can soften their hearts. Pray earnestly that Christ will remove their hardness of heart. Always be kind and patient, because God is in the business of changing hearts.

“But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away.” (2 Cor. 3:14)

Therefore

“And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,” (Ez. 11:19)

Dealing with strongholds 

“Your rulers are rebels, partners with thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow’s case does not come before them.” (Isa. 1:23)

They’re everywhere!

 Another stronghold and reason often given for resistance to Christ has to do with the bad examples they’ve been exposed to. Unfortunately, the entertainment industry, including movies and television shows, has often portrayed Christians as weak, hypocritical, and even corrupt—the very opposite of what they are. as well as the media using bad examples for news stories, such as fallen pastors and greedy televangelists. And then there are the actual bad experiences some have had with church attendance and poorly behaving religious people, which have left them cold.

What to do

A few years ago, I spoke with a woman about Jesus, and it just made her furious. She angrily told me about several people she had known who were terrible people, even though they claimed to be Christians. And yes, all her examples were very bad. She said she did not want to hear anything more about God! Shortly after that, her husband became a believer, and his life was dramatically changed from one of addiction and abuse to one of love and kindness. Several years later, he passed away, and I got a phone call from her. She said she couldn’t deny the change that had happened to her husband’s life, and she wanted that, too. She invited me over to her house and asked me to explain how she could receive Jesus. After hearing the gospel, she, too, received Christ as her Savior.

What made the difference in her attitude?

It was the very positive example that was more persuasive than the negative ones—the changed life of her husband lived out before her!

Be a good example

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 5.16)

“Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity,” (Titus 2:7 ESV)

“Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.” (Phil. 3:17 ESV)

Dealing with strongholds 

“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Cor. 4:3-4 ESV)

Some people just can’t see it

I have a businessman friend whose favorite saying is, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” And he says the secret to success in anything is to first find out what you don’t know about it, and then that new knowledge will give you what you need to succeed in that thing. He’s right about that. But some people have a spiritual blindness and just can’t see what they can’t see, no matter how hard you try to explain it to them. And because they can’t see it, they continue to not know what they don’t know and to be resistant to receiving any information about it.

What the Bible says about spiritual blindness:

“In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Cor. 4:4 ESV)

“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.” (John 12:40 ESV)

How to deal with the stronghold of spiritual blindness

When an individual rejects Christ's message, he is unsaved and needs his eyes to be opened to the importance of Christ in his life.  

Pray and ask God to open their eyes

“To open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” (Acts 26:18 ESV)

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,” (Eph. 1:18 NIV)

Therefore

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,” (Luke 4:18 ESV)

Dealing with strongholds

“And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they implored Him to leave their region.” (Matt. 8:34)

Rejecting Christ

One of the most frustrating and discouraging strongholds are loved ones and friends who say they don’t want to hear about Jesus. This happened to me right after I was saved. My life had been dramatically transformed, and I was boldly telling everyone about Jesus. But when I tried to share my new-found faith with my family and friends, they told me to shut up and forbade me to ever talk about it to them. It was a huge stronghold of resistance.

 What to do

·      Pray for them — Remember that prayer is powerful and brings God into any situation. “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16b NLT)

·      Ask God to draw them — “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them” (John 6:44a NIV)

·      Ask God to bring His light to their heart — “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” (2 Cor. 4:6 NIV) 

·      Claim God’s promises for them — God doesn’t want them to perish. “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9b)

·      Wait and watch — “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you” — (2 Peter 3:9a)

Therefore, never give up!

I’ve heard many wonderful stories of how God worked and continued to work in the hearts of people who seemed impossible to reach. Some even came to Christ after those who had been praying for them had died. The important thing is to not give up and to continue to have faith that God is able to do above and beyond what you ask or think (Eph. 3:29–21).

By the way, all my family members eventually did receive Christ, each in God’s perfect timing, and with their own wonderful story of what God did to reach them. Yes, prayer works!

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)