I want to look at this area of strongholds…
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 – “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they're mighty in God, to pull down strongholds (mighty through God), casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”.
We are involved in a conflict, but it's not a conflict with people. When you start to get angry, and reactionary, and start to name-call people, then you've lost the plot. You've lost the battle. You're already defeated. Our battle is not against people; our battle is against something that's unseen. It's in a spiritual realm – unseen, but very real; hostile, spirit beings. That's where the warfare always is, and they operate, and they work through people; so, we end up reacting to people, instead of loving people. We end up reacting to them, and then perpetuating, or reflecting, the lack of love that's in their own life.
Jesus has equipped us. The Bible talks about “the weapons of our warfare”, meaning that we have a “warfare”, and we have “weapons”, that God says you can use; but if you don't use them, then you will be defeated in the warfare. So, we must realise, there's a warfare. Notice in that verse, that he talks about “pulling down strongholds”. A stronghold is something you've got to pull it down; and it requires an intentional effort. The word ‘pull down’ is to ‘demolish’ something. Everyone that's sitting here today… there is some area, that you must demolish.
When they went into the land that God promised them, He said: see that good and fruitful land? I give it all to you. I've given it into your hands, and I've overcome the enemy, but… you must go in and possess it. You have to do something. If you want to develop in your relationship with God, there is a conflict over that. If you want to see more miracles in your life, there's a conflict around that. If you want to see greater breakthroughs of finances, there's a conflict around that. Everything that God has promised us, we must take hold of, by the exercise of faith. It doesn't just come to us - so we have a spiritual battle. Every believer is called to be a warrior, and a builder - every one of us.
Freedom is a legacy given to sons. Part of your inheritance, as a believer, is that you are called to freedom. I just loved it up here today, around that offering time, just watching everyone being free. I just love it when people can laugh, dance, enjoy God, and just enjoy the freedom. We're called to that. We're called to liberty.
Galatians 5:13 – “You are called unto liberty...” You're called to it! We're called to freedom! Man, I love that, we're called to it. You're called to freedom, and freedom… you can see it! You can feel it, because it shows through people's emotions - the joy, the freedom. There's all this freedom; but it has to be taken hold of, and then expressed, and valued in our life.
Galatians 5:13 – “You're called to freedom, but you don't use freedom to indulge the flesh, but by love, serve one another”.
The real freedom we have is when we learn to love people and serve them; but anything that stops you loving people is a stronghold. Anything that stops you being free to serve people is a stronghold. It's resisting you reflecting God's love to people. So, what is a stronghold? God wants you to get a breakthrough today.
A stronghold is a fortified place, a heavily defended place, behind which is an enemy. It's a heavily defended place; a place of survival or refuge. It's a place which serves as a centre for a hostile group, or a group that all have a common mindset. That's dictionary definition; so, what then, is a spiritual stronghold? It is an ungodly mindset. It is a way of thinking. It is a way of behaving, that hinders you coming into the knowledge and experience of God. Let me say it again: an ungodly mindset; or a way of thinking and behaving; and it's got several characteristics…