DESTROYING EVERY STRONGHOLD

sermon 18.

Destroying Every Stronghold

A sermon preached on Wednesday 22nd March, 2017.

A stronghold can be a source of protection from any trouble. This is the case when God is our stronghold. Tonight, I’d like to speak on destroying every strong hold that is keeping us from knowing the true God, and possessing our possessions.

So many of us have strongholds which we must deal with. The stronghold may be fear, bitterness, unforgiveness, unbelief, sinful thought, alcohol, drug abuse, greed and pride. All these are the internal enemies that hold many people captive. Before we may be able to fight against our enemies, we must first kill those internal forces lurking in us. If we can kill our internal enemies, forsake them, it’ll be very easy for us to destroy the external strongholds working against us.

You may ask, how we can destroy the strongholds which enemies use to attack us. If you follow the followings, using the authority in the persons of God, Jesus Christ, His word, and the Holy Spirit, you will conquer more than the conquerors.

His Name:

It’s the name of God that David used to dismantle or rip to pieces that giant enemy called Goliath. Hear him talking to the giant ─ “You come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin: but I come to you in the name of Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel, whom you have defiled,”─ 1 Samuel 17:45 WEB.

Any one facing the challenge of enemies, will be as bold as a lion to destroy their powers while calling on the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. A day fasting and prayer can be enough to haul that stronghold your enemies are using to taunt you, keeping you in a condition you do not like. As you confront that stronghold in your life with the name of God, every stronghold holding you captive is destroyed.

The disciples of Jesus knew much about the significance of the name Jesus Christ, a name full of power to cast demons, and breaking of satanic yokes. In the letter of Apostle Paul to the Philippians, it reads─ “Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every other name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the father,”─ 2:9-11 WEB.

Now, if you can use the name of Christ to fight your battle, who will challenge you? If you neglect this name, you’ll continue to be a slave, and controlled by the demonic vices of the enemy. From the scripture quoted, we identify at least three places where stronghold are: i. in heaven, ii. On earth, iii. Under the earth. Such places are where Satan and demons operate and the only thing that can pull them down is the name of Jesus Christ because God has given him a special name and authority in such a way that when such strongholds hear his name, they surrender. Thus, your strongholds are surrendering now.

Living by His Word

The word of God is very powerful. It could be used to rebuke Satan and every vile spirit, and situation. Christ succeeded to fight against Satan with the word of God when he sternly warned Satan to stop using food to tempt him. Hear him boldly rebuking Satan: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God’”─ Matt. 4:4.

We scale through from the strongholds of enemies if we live by the word of God. By his word, the earth was established, there was light extinguishing the power of darkness. By his word Christ commanded the tempest to be still, even the wind obeyed his voice. This is how your strong holds will hear his voice now.

His Spirit

The Spirit of the LORD is an active force that breaks every stronghold. Strongholds can never be destroyed by human power and might or strength but by the Spirit of God. When Zerubbabel was facing the challenge of his enemies who did not want him to lay the foundation of the temple of God, God spoke to him that such strongholds of enemies would be destroyed not by human power or strength but by the Spirit of the LORD. Hear the LORD speaking: “This is what the LORD says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him!”─ Zech. 4:6-7 NLT. 

There are people that have started to build a house but enemies are fighting both in physical and spiritual realms against them, stopping them to finish building their house, and the site of the house has overgrown with weeds. If such people will understand the power in the Spirit of the LORD, no mighty strongholds will stand against them anymore. Thus, this is a time God has started leveling strongholds crippling you, making you to work like an elephant but eating like a rat.

As we rise to take up our mantle─ the name of God, Jesus Christ, his word and the Spirit of God, we’ll be able to win the battle against every power and principality residing here on earth, under the earth and in heaven. Let us first work hard to kill our internal enemies ─ lies, anger, greed, hatred, adultery, sycophantic idle worship, and fear in us, and God will help us. God bless you.