The Bible Speaks - Pulling Down Strongholds

[00:00:00] Let us pray, Grant together on our knees. Let us pray, Grant together on our knees.

[00:00:14] When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun, oh Lord, ever see all the need.

[00:00:27] Welcome to the Bible Speaks with Elgin Carelock. The Bible Speaks is a weekly ministry of Harvest International.

[00:00:33] Our prayer is that the Bible Speaks will encourage you in your study of God's Word.

[00:00:38] You will be able to contact Elgin at the address given at the end of this broadcast, and now here's Elgin.

[00:00:46] Trust in the Lord with all dying heart, and lean not until I know an understanding.

[00:00:52] It all I ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct I pass.

[00:00:57] Be not wise in I own eyes, fear the Lord and depart from evil. It shall be hell to thy navel and marrow to thy bones.

[00:01:09] Parablers, three verses, five through eight.

[00:01:13] Brothers and sisters, I welcome you in the name of our risen Savior, Jesus the Christ.

[00:01:19] And as we celebrate the season of Pentecost, I wanted to have a discussion today on the subject of strongholds.

[00:01:30] We hear strongholds in sermons and in Sunday school, but I wanted to make sure that we really understood what that was.

[00:01:40] And part of that is understanding the context with which the letter Paul wrote to the church in Corinth was offered.

[00:01:50] So we are becoming from 2 Corinthians chapter 10, verses three through five, and reading from the New King James version, it reads,

[00:02:03] For though we walk in the flesh, we do not worry according to the flesh.

[00:02:07] For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exhausts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

[00:02:26] When we look at what was going on at the church in Corinth, we find that false teachers were wreaking havoc in the church.

[00:02:33] These deceivers stirred up division causing meaning to resist Paul's authority in 2 Corinthians 10.

[00:02:41] Paul challenged these rebels, including the false teachers and reinforced his apostolic ministry.

[00:02:48] As part of his defense, Paul stated, for the weapon of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.

[00:02:57] In this context, pulling down strongholds refers to demolishing walls of resistance in people's minds.

[00:03:05] Particularly how the rebellious Corinthians were thinking about Paul and the nature of his apostleship.

[00:03:12] Paul realized that the battle he faced in Corinth was spiritual warfare.

[00:03:17] He had founded the church in the humility and gentleness of Christ.

[00:03:22] He had not lorded himself over the people, trying to impress them with his overpowering personality or rhetorical flair.

[00:03:31] Instead, Paul had operated in Christ-like weakness. His power rested in the gospel that he preached, not in himself.

[00:03:42] Paul, depending on spiritual weapons of warfare that held God's power to pull down strongholds.

[00:03:48] He did not rely on human strategy and wisdom, but on power supplied by the Lord.

[00:03:55] Paul knew his struggle was not against flesh and blood enemies, but against the powers of this dark world and spiritual forces of evil.

[00:04:05] Because of Paul's humble attitude, the false teachers judged him by his external presence, finding him timid and unimpressive.

[00:04:15] They completely missed the divine power that endowed his ministry.

[00:04:21] They evaluated Paul's ministry according to the flesh and not according to the Spirit of God.

[00:04:29] Christians cannot fight spiritual battles with weapons of the flesh.

[00:04:33] The only way to successfully engage in spiritual warfare is to abandon carnal methods and worldly attitudes and follow the Lord's command.

[00:04:43] An Old Testament illustration of pulling down strongholds is found in the battle of Jericho.

[00:04:50] Jericho's walls are like the walls of resistance in the minds of rebellious people, and they must be torn down.

[00:04:57] When God's people in Joshua's day, by faith, followed the word of God and obeyed His commands, the walls of Jericho fell.

[00:05:06] The battle was the Lord's, fought his way, and according to his instructions, humanly speaking, the whole episode seemed absurd.

[00:05:17] But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.

[00:05:22] God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

[00:05:26] The massive walls of Jericho collapsed in an instant by the mighty hand of God.

[00:05:32] In the same way, through faithful obedience to God's commands, Christians pulled down spiritual strongholds.

[00:05:40] The Bible names several weapons for pulling down strongholds and waging spiritual warfare.

[00:05:47] They include the word of God, prayer, demonstrations of love and humility, the armor of God, and the power of God's spirit working in our lives.

[00:06:00] But the key, as Paul demonstrated to the Corinthians, is relying on God's divine power and not our own.

[00:06:08] So let's take a look at those weapons that we have been given to help pull down strongholds.

[00:06:16] First and greatest of all is the word of God.

[00:06:19] Strongholds be they mental, emotional, spiritual, cultural.

[00:06:25] Our fortresses of thought and behavior that stand in opposition to the knowledge of God, often manifesting as patterns of sin, unbelief, fear, and despair.

[00:06:37] The word referred to as the sort of the spirit in Ephesians 617 penetrates the human heart and mind, challenging and dismantling those strongholds by illuminating truth, convicting of sin, and offering the hope of transformation.

[00:06:57] By faithfully applying Scripture to our lives, Christian engage in spiritual warfare, empowered by the Holy Spirit to refute lies, overcome temptation, and demonetized barriers to faith.

[00:07:11] Thereby aligning ourselves with our communities and more closely with God's will in purpose.

[00:07:18] Through meditation and obedience to the Word, believers are equipped to break down strongholds, experiencing freedom,

[00:07:26] and leading others into the liberating truth of the gospel.

[00:07:32] Prayer.

[00:07:34] Prayer is a potent spiritual discipline for pulling down strongholds, serving as both a declaration of dependence on God and a weapon against forces of darkness.

[00:07:46] Strongholds which are deeply entrenched obstacles, such as patterns of sin, persistent doubts, fear or any form of bondage that hinders one's relationship with God, can often seem insurmountable by human effort alone.

[00:08:03] Through prayer, believers engage directly with God, seeking His power and intervention to overcome these barriers.

[00:08:12] It is an act of faith, submitting one's own weakness and the seemingly immovable stronghold to God's sovereign will and infinite strength.

[00:08:22] Prayer aligns the believers' heart with God's purposes, enabling the Holy Spirit to work within and through them to break the chains of bondage, illuminate truth in the midst of deception, and instill peace where there is turmoil.

[00:08:38] By persistently and fervently calling on God, believers tap into the divine source of power necessary to demolish strongholds, transferring both their lives and their environments according to God's will.

[00:08:52] This spiritual practice not only fortifies an individual's faith but also has a communal power to tear down walls that divide us and to foster healing and revival.

[00:09:07] Demonstrations of love and humility.

[00:09:10] Demonstrations of love are profound forces for pulling down strongholds, serving as tangible expressions of the gospel's transformative power.

[00:09:21] Strongholds entrenched in human hearts and societies as divisions and prejudices and cycles of hurt often resist straightforward confrontation.

[00:09:34] However, acts of unconditional love and genuine humility can soften the hardest hearts and bridge the widest of eyes.

[00:09:42] When individuals embody the love and humility exemplified by Jesus, serving others selflessly, forgiving freely, and prioritizing others' needs, they challenge the world's narrative of power and self-preservation.

[00:10:00] Such actions disarm hostility, open its doors for reconciliation and create opportunities for the Holy Spirit to work.

[00:10:10] In practice, love and humility can dismantle barriers of mistrust and animosity leading to healing and restoration in personal relationships in communities and even between entire people groups.

[00:10:25] By living out these virtues, believers demonstrate the kingdom of God in a compelling way, inviting others to experience the freedom and peace found in Christ, effectively pulling down strongholds of division and resistance to God's grace.

[00:10:43] The whole armor of God.

[00:10:46] The armor of God as described in Ephesians 6 verses 10-18 equips believers for the spiritual battle against the strongholds that resist the knowledge of God and the advancement of his kingdom.

[00:11:01] These strongholds, whether they manifest as personal struggles, systemic injustices or ideological falsehood, require a devising strategy to overcome.

[00:11:14] The belt of truth counters deception, grounding us in God's reality. The breastplate of righteousness protects our heart from accusations and corruption of the enemy.

[00:11:26] The gospel of peace on our feet enables us to stand firm into multiline situations and to advance with the message that reconciles and heals.

[00:11:37] The shield of faith deflects the fiery darts of doubt, fear and despair, affirming our trust in God's power and promises.

[00:11:48] The helmet of salvation ensures our minds are focused on the eternal hope not swayed by temporal challenges.

[00:11:57] The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, cuts through lies, illuminates truth and declares the authority of Christ.

[00:12:07] Prayer in all circumstances invokes God's presence and power, aligning our efforts with His will.

[00:12:15] Together, these elements of spiritual armor empower believers to stand against and pull down strongholds, asserting the victory of Christ over every power of darkness, leading captives into freedom and establishing the reign of God's peace and justice.

[00:12:33] God's spirit

[00:12:35] The power of God's spirit is pivotal in pulling down strongholds, these deeply entrenched bastions of sin, false belief and opposition to God that can dominate a person's life and community.

[00:12:51] The Holy Spirit, who indwells and empowers believers, operates with divine authority to confront and dismantle these strongholds.

[00:13:01] Through the Spirit, believers are endowed with spiritual gifts, wisdom and strength that transcends human capability, enabling us to speak truth into deception, bring light into darkness and exert love in the face of hatred.

[00:13:19] The Spirit's presence brings conviction, leads to repentance and initiates transformation, facilitating the demolition of barriers that separate people from God and one another.

[00:13:33] As believers yield to the Spirit's leading, they become conduits of God's power, manifesting His kingdom on earth through their lives that reflect His character.

[00:13:46] This divine dynamic is essential for breaking chains of bondage, renewing minds and healing broken spirits, thereby pulling down strongholds and setting captives free to live in the fullness of God's grace and truth.

[00:14:05] Brothers and sisters, I thank you once again for spending this time discussing pulling down strongholds and to understand that God loves us and through our sharing of knowledge we are further equipped to go out and spread the good news of Jesus Christ and bring hope to our world and our communities.

[00:14:29] I look forward to our next discussion and until then, God bless.

[00:14:44] This program is cared for by listeners who care, your prayers and financial investment in this ministry helps to keep the good news on the air.

[00:14:53] We look forward to hearing from you and invite you to write us at Harvest International Post Office Box 6690, Ocala, Florida 34478.

[00:15:04] Again, that's Harvest International Post Office Box 6690, Ocala, Florida 34478.

[00:15:23] Never meant to wrong.

[00:15:33] Open wide and I know the love, Lord, I'm coming home.