TEARING DOWN STRONGHOLDS
TEXT JUDGES 1:1,2
INTRO: What is a stronghold? Stronghold means "fortress". It is a place of safety. 1 Samuel records David’s hiding places or strongholds. In Psalms David said that...
Ps 18:2
2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
(KJV)
Nahum said...
Nahum 1:7
7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
(KJV)
That is not the type of stronghold that I am talking about today. The stronghold I am talking about is not that place of safety and fastness but it is that stronghold that Satan has placed in your life. It is that thing that is opposed to the will of God, and everything that is oppossed to the will of God must come down.
Judg 1:1
1 Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?
(KJV)
Principle One: YOU MUST SEEK GOD CONCERING YOUR SITUATION.
Here’s what’s happening. Joshua has now passed away. Israel is still on their conquest to conquer Canaan.
They had already overcome many difficulties and wared against the inhabitants until they couldn’t retaliate, but their work was not yet done.
Now the land has been divided to the twelve tribes and each tribe is responsible for cleaning out the remaining enemy.
At salvation we begin walking in our spiritual Promise Land. We are walking in the the righteousness of Christ, standing on the promises, claiming his word. We march through our lives fighting and waring against the aparent enemies, but we can’t stop there. We have to continue on our conquest and drive out all the inhabitants of the land.
This is why,
Num 33:55-56
55 But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.
56 Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them.
(KJV)
They shall be a torment to you until you give in to their ways and dwell in peace with them.
You and I as the children of God cannot live in peace with indwelling sin. For sin always destroys. We must wash in the blood of Christ that cleanses us from all sin.
Some might say, the inhabitants are too many, too strong, but the word of God still comes forth saying,
Josh 3:10
10 And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.
(KJV)
It is God that will drive out, that will cleanse, that will deliver, that will forgive and give you the victory.
The first thing that you and I must do to have any stronghold torn down in our life is that we must seek God.
Principle Two: PRAISE MUST GO UP.
Judg 1:2
2 And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.
(KJV)
Sometimes you have to just PRAISE your way through.
When you send up praise before you, you are focusing your attention on the one who is your answer, on the one who holds your victory, on the one who will lift you above your enemies...
When one would enter the tabernacle, you would have to first go through the tribe of Judah.
Why? Praise ushers us into the prescence of God. Where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty!
Principle Three: YOU MUST KNOW THAT YOU CANNOT OBTAIN THE VICTORY ON YOUR OWN.
Judg 1:3
3 And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him.
(KJV)
Judah meaning praise and Simeon meaning hearing.
What happens when you seek God, when you praise God, you will hear from God.
Now that you have God on your side, fighting the battle, the inhabitants cannot stay in the land.
IF GOD BE FOR ME, WHO CAN BE AGAINST ME!!!
You can’t drive them out, you can’t obtain the victory but God will enable you to fight, and God will give you victory.
Judg 1:4
4 And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men.
(KJV)
Principle Four: YOU MUST HAVE FAITH.
Judg 1:11-13
11 And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjath-sepher:
12 And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.
13 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.
(KJV)
Caleb was one of the spies that came back with the report, Hey, we can take the land, while the others said that there was no way.
Caleb knew the promise, Caleb believed God.
Faith must have been in Caleb’s family, because his nephew Othniel conquered the city Debir.
He new the command to drive them out, he knew that God would do it.
What is faith?
Heb 11:1
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
(KJV)
Heb 11:6
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
(KJV)
These two men had faith.
They knew the promise of God, the commandment of God, and they believed God.
What about you today, do you have faith.
It is faith that says, and ye shall know the truth...
It is faith that says, whosoever the Son sets free is free indeed.
It is faith that says to the enemy, you might be bigger than me, but my God is bigger than you, now get out in the name of Jesus!
Closing: You have been seeking God, you are sending up praise, you have been hearing from God, you have faith in God, so what’s next...VICTORY!
Before this church can tear down strongholds in this city, we must first tear down the strongholds in our personal lives.
We tear down personal strongholds,...
We tear down strongholds in the church,...
We tear down strongholds in the church we then can tear down strongholds in the city.
If you don’t get victory over indwelling sin, the inhabitants in the land, you make peace with them, peace with sin then what started out as a victorious conquest will end just like it did for Israel, in defeat and apostasy. You will live a defeated life and you won’t be living for God.
