Mensa Otabil - Pulling Down Strongholds

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Welcome to day number 10 of our 40 days of power. 2 Corinthians chapter 10, verses 4 and 5: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, 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.

God has given us weapons to pull down strongholds. In ancient times, cities were fortified. That means that cities were protected, and there were levels of protection. The cities would normally have a wall around them, and then along the wall, they would have towers where the city would defend itself. There would be people with bows and arrows, archers to shoot at the enemy, and then the city would also have a gate. These were what were called strongholds. A stronghold was the wall, the tower, and the gate that were built to defend a city or to protect it.

The Bible tells us, using that analogy, that there are strongholds in life. Just as in ancient times they built walls as strongholds, there are strongholds today. God has given us weapons to pull down the enemy’s strongholds. What the enemy has built, his walls, his towers, and his gates, can be pulled down to give us victory. In our spiritual warfare, we also deal with strongholds. We come against strongholds, and we pull down strongholds.

In the context of this verse or passage, the strongholds are described as the arguments of those who reject God. That is a stronghold. There are also ideas that are contrary to God’s knowledge, and there are thoughts that rebel against the lordship of Jesus Christ. A stronghold, basically, is anything that Satan has erected to resist the power of God. Anything he has erected in your family or life to ensure that the power of God does not flow and has no free course of access -that is a stronghold.

This week we are pulling down strongholds. Everything that stands between you and the flow of God’s power is coming down. Every idea, every concept, every knowledge that is lifted up against God is being brought down to pull down these strongholds. God has given us formidable weapons to fight with. However, the passage says that our weapons are not carnal. In other words, they are not physical. We do not engage in spiritual warfare by holding guns, sticks, or bows and arrows. The Christian’s warfare comes with weapons that you cannot see. It doesn’t even come in a bottle of oil; it doesn’t come even in a book. It is not carnal. You can’t see it.

So, what are these unseen weapons that God has given us? He’s given us His word. It is unseen, but His word is both a sword and a shield. It goes into attack and is also defensive. It destroys every work of the enemy and protects us from every work of the enemy. The Lord has also given us the blood of Jesus, and our testimony is not carnal, but we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. He has also given us the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. We don’t see Him, but the Holy Spirit stops every flood of attack that comes against us.

So when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of God lifts up a standard against him. These are the weapons of the believer. They are not carnal, but they are mighty through God to pull down every stronghold of the enemy. If your faith is in carnal weapons, shift your faith to the spiritual weapons that God has given you, and every stronghold is coming down in Jesus' name.

Let’s pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, by faith I come against every force of evil operating where I am. I pull it down and cast it out in Jesus' name. Amen.»