Introduction
Repeat after me: not everything is a demon. Last week we spent some time learning about whom satan is and how he attacks. We remember:
satan is a created being who started as an archangel and fell due to his pride.
He is limited in his power. He is powerful but not all powerful. He can only be one place at a time.
His greatest (and only) attack on the believer is the power of suggestion.
He is a defeated foe.
We also spoke briefly of the fact that most things are either sickness or strongholds. Both dangerous but neither demonic, today we will emphasis strongholds.
Strongholds defined
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)
Stronghold:NT:3794 ochuroma (okh-oo'-ro-mah); from a remote derivative of NT:2192 (meaning to fortify, through the idea of holding safely); a castle (figuratively, argument): KJV - stronghold.[i]
So then something that we have fortified, built up in our lives that is now we cannot remove it. Some strongholds are good: those built up by the Word of God are good, those against the word are harmful.
The thing is they are like a planting a tree. While it is still small it is easy to bend and mold, but that tree gets to be 25-30 years old it cannot be bent, the roots are deep and it becomes a major project to move.
Growing Strongholds
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:7-8)
One of the most basic of principles taught in the Bible is that of sowing and reaping. It goes like this: sow an action, reap a habit and it has been shown to take about 21 days to tear down one and start another, better one.
We start with one cigarette, one drink, one cuss, and then it leads to another, and another. Eventually we have a full blown stronghold with all the rights and privileges that come with them! Like cancer, sorosis of the liver, diabetes. We did this to ourselves and we cannot, dare not blame the devil for it.
Tearing Down The Strongholds
So we have some negative strongholds in our lives and we need to get rid of them, let me tell you that you are going to have some work in front of you. Can God deliver you? Yes, but you did this to yourself over time and it will usually take time for us to get to the point of deliverance, to go through the process to get to the point.
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. (2 Corinthians 10:5-6)
Casting down imaginations,.... Or "reasonings"; the carnal reasonings of the minds of natural men against God, his providences and purposes, against Christ, and the methods of salvation, and every truth of the Gospel; which are all disproved, silenced, and confounded, by the preaching of the word, which though reckoned the foolishness and weakness of God, appears to be wiser and stronger than men; and whereby the wisdom of the wise is destroyed, and the understanding of the prudent brought to nothing:
and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God; every proud thought of the heart, every great swelling word of vanity, every big look, even all the lofty looks and haughtiness of men, with every airy flight, and high towering imagination, reasoning, and argument advanced against the Gospel of Christ; which is here meant by the knowledge of God, and so called, because it is the means of leading souls into the knowledge of God, even into a better knowledge of him than can be attained to, either by the light of nature, or law of Moses; to a knowledge of him, and acquaintance with him in Christ the Mediator, in whom the light of the knowledge of the glory of God is given; and with which knowledge of God eternal life is connected, yea, in this it consists; it is the beginning of it, and will issue in it.
And bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; or "carrying captive the whole understanding"; that is, so illustrating it with divine light, that it clearly sees Christ to be the alone, able, willing, full, and suitable Saviour, and so becomes obedient to him, both as a Saviour and a King; such an enlightened soul looks to him alone for life and salvation, ventures on him, and relies upon him, and is desirous and willing to be saved by him in his own way; he receives and embraces all his truths and doctrines with faith and love, and obeys them from the heart, and cheerfully and willingly submits to all his commands and ordinances; for though he is taken by the grace of God, and all his strong holds, reasonings, and high thoughts are demolished by the power of God in the Gospel, and he himself is carried captive, yet not against, but with his will, to be a voluntary subject of Christ, and cheerfully to submit to the sceptre of his kingdom.
Destroy the Yoke of Bondage
And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. (Isaiah 10:27)
All of our efforts are useless without the power of God. These strongholds that have us in bondage, these yokes of bondage will be destroyed because of the anointing.
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)
It is not enough just to destroy the old yoke, but we must take up a new one, a proper one, one that is benefits us.
Replacing Wrong Strongholds with Proper Strongholds.
Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. (Hosea 10:12)
Once we get rid of the old strongholds, our heart may seem hard and broken but it is just fallow, we need to turn it and get it ready for the right seed. Sow to yourselves in righteousness and we will reap in mercy.
Seek the Lord till He comes and rain righteousness down on us.
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:7-8)
I needed to come back to these verses. Once we through the strength of God have torn down these strongholds destroying our lives, we need to replant the soil of our hearts, watching the seeds that enter and quickly removing that which is not right.
Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables? The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred. (Mark 4:3-20)
It is All About the Seed.
The seed is the Word of God (Luke 8:11)
The soil is neutral; it will grow whatever seed you allow to be planted there. If you search the scriptures about the type of life you want to have, the kind of traits you want in your character, the type of relationships you want to have and pray those verses to God, meditate on them, chew them over and over in your mind. If thoughts come in contrary to them, cast them out! Get rid of them, they do not belong in your life. Do not let them take root.
Keep Your Soil Soft
You have by God’s grace and strength broke up the fallow ground. This ground will not be hard wayside where seed will not take root nor is it shallow where it cannot gain root. Neither will it have weeds to choke out the good seed if we keep it tended with diligence and repentance. Yank out those weeds by the roots while they are small and keep yourself growing in the right direction.
Wrap Up
Strongholds differ from demons. These self-inflicted bonds we placed on ourselves need to be removed one by one. And just as it takes time to build strongholds, they need time to come down. It takes 21 days to make a habit, but in 21 days we can replace it with a new, God glorifying lifestyle, but we need to remember that we have to want to change; God will not go against our will.
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[i] Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.
