Day 36 – Fit For Life Challenge
It’s Day 36 of our 40 Days!
Let’s read 2 Corinthians 10:4-5,” For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
These verses are talking about our weapons as Christians that we have access to in our fight against sin and Satan. It talks about pulling down STRONGHOLDS. We don’t hear that word very much anymore.. what exactly is a stronghold? A stronghold can be talking about a tall tower or wall that used to be built around cities to fortify and protect them . But in this passage however, it’s talking about a spiritual tower of bondage, not protection, that we put ourselves in by developing thought patterns or ideas that hold us captive. It’s anything that has crept into our life…thought by thought, brick by brick, slowly getting a hold on us. They are building blocks of lies that set up a stronghold in our life that manifests itself not only in our thoughts but in how we deal with life from day to day. It’s that prevailing problem that seems to plague you. It’s that one bad attitude, weakness, or terrible habit where Satan seems to have his hook in you. Sometimes we don’t even realize how strong they are until we want to change or overcome them , or as this verse says, PULL THEM DOWN out of our life. We don’t have time in this devotion to name all the reasons strongholds get built in our life, but they creep in little by little until they are brick and mortar-like walls that are keeping us from freedom in Christ! They keep us from living in peace and joy. They keep us from moving forward! They can become a master to us. We can be saved but still find ourselves enslaved.
A stronghold is just what the compound word implies.. it is STRONG! It is old, deep-rooted and difficult. And it has a HOLD on you like a trap that you can’t get out of. No matter what else has happened in your life, this one thing has been there lurking. The enemy has set it up firmly. He says, “Nope… you can’t ever get rid of that ….explosive temper, unforgiving spirit, fragile self-image, critical spirit, …..or whatever it is. We can have a stronghold of a negative thought pattern in our life with thoughts like “No one loves me”.. “I’m never good enough”… “I’m damaged goods”… “I’m worthless”. You get the idea. These are LIES from the enemy and as the passage we read says, these thoughts “exalt themselves against the knowledge of God”. We know these thoughts aren’t from God, but we allow negative thoughts and patterns to affect our life and hold us back from being all we are created to be and do! These kinds of strongholds have got to be PULLED DOWN in order for us to move forward. Strongholds can be an addiction such as alcohol, or overeating or even feeling sorry for yourself. The enemy wants you to stay locked behind the walls of any stronghold in your life! He wants you to believe you’re always going to be this way, or will always have this issue in your life. He will tell you that this problem has always been in your family, so you’ll always have it too. He doesn’t want you to use the keys that you have available to you to get out and begin tearing that wall down! Yes we have the keys available to us! It’s not easy, but with Gods help ANYTHING is possible! The good news is we are not a one-man wrecking crew! We don’t have to break free of things that have a hold on us on our own!
On our own we think we can just grit our teeth and try harder, but no, these are weapons of the flesh. Our weapons are from GOD!! We have the Holy Spirit in us giving us the power! The passage says that EVERY THOUGHT has to be taken captive to the obedience of Christ ! Every thought! When we hear the lies spoken to us , we have to counter it with truth! Counter it with prayer! We have God’s word! Read it! Learn it! Know it and use it! If you read yesterday in Ephesians 6, it says that we have “the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God” as our weapon to fight against the enemy! You can’t use it if you don’t know it!
We have Christ as our light! He’s lighting our way out! He’s the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE!! Follow Him and cling to Him! He loves you and wants you to live a life of freedom through obedience to Him. Ask Him to expose the lies that have built the stronghold in your life. With His power and his truth , whatever your stronghold is, you can be set free!
Action Step 36👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼
The Bible says iron sharpens iron..we need each other! THE ENEMY has told you to keep this thing a secret. Guess what, you’re not alone! Ask a friend or your spouse to pray for you if are dealing with a stronghold in your life. Be transparent. Talking about things with a trusted friend can be a huge help in pulling down a stronghold. You’ll find that the friend probably needs your help in an area too! Pray! Get into the word! Remember, the battle is already won! Claim it!
