“Strongholds – 101”…Blog. [1/?]
*** (2Corinthians 10:3-to-6) For though walking about in flesh, we ‘do not’ war according to flesh.
(2Cor 10:4) For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but ‘mighty’ through God; to the pulling down of strongholds,
(2Cor 10:5) casting down imaginations and ‘every’ high thing that exalts itself ‘against’ the knowledge of God, and bringing ‘into captivity’ every thought into the ‘obedience’ of Christ;
(2Cor 10:6) and having ‘readiness’ to avenge all disobedience [Proverbs 28:13 & 1John 1:5-to-10], ‘when’ your obedience [James 1:22] is fulfilled.
What is a “Stronghold”…? Did you know that “Ft. Knox”… is a stronghold and a ‘gold’ depository that is defended & secure…? It is a ‘designated fortress’… meant to keep everything Forbidden; without permissible entrance. The ‘Stronghold’ is a… “Word Picture”… of our ‘Minds & Hearts!’ ‘Before’ being Born Again by Gods’ Holy Spirit… we had strongholds of the Flesh and its desires. They consist of… “The Lust of the Flesh; The Lust of the Eye; and the Pride of Life!” Did you know ‘Poor’ people can have a ‘Pride of Life’… as well as the ‘Rich’ people? Satan does “Not” have any ‘New Strategy’… just the same old one; Questioning You with… “Has GOD really said = ‘You’ Shall Not”…?
*** (1John 2:15-16-17) Do ‘not’ love the world, ‘nor’ the things in the world. If ‘anyone’ loves the world, the love of the Father ‘is not in’ him,
(1Jn 2:16) ‘because’ all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is ‘not’ of the Father, but is ‘of’ the world.
(1Jn 2:17) And the world passes away, and the lust of it, ‘but’ he who does the will of God ‘abides forever’.
*** (Genesis 3:1) Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which Jehovah God had made. And he ‘said’ to the woman, Is it so that God has [Really] said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
*** (1John 3:4-5) Everyone who ‘practices’ sin; also practices lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness.
(1Jn 3:5) And you know that He [Christ] was revealed ‘that’ He might take away our sins, and in Him is ‘no’ sin.
Although this “Battle” is in our ‘mind & heart’… our flesh only ‘follows’ the instructions of the mind! No one is ever ‘forced’ to SIN… it is a ‘choice’; of your Free Will. There is ‘no’ such thing as an… ‘Addition!’ It is simply a… ‘Repeated Choice’… to ‘Enforce’ the Stronghold of; “Wrong Decisions = that ‘Violate’; the Holy Word of God!” Remember; “An Excuse is the Skin of a Reason… Stuffed with a Lie! We will always “Justify our Actions” in our “Minds”… before allowing our bodies to; Follow those Instructions…! No one may or can say… “I could not help myself!” It is simply an Excuse to… ‘Openly or Secretly’… “Disobey”… God’s Holy Word…!
*** (James 1:13-to-16) When someone is tempted, he should ‘not’ say, "I am being tempted by God," because God ‘cannot’ be tempted by evil, ‘nor’ does He tempt anyone.
(Jas 1:14) Instead, ‘each’ person is tempted by his ‘own’ desire, being ‘lured’ and ‘trapped’ by it.
(Jas 1:15) When that desire becomes ‘pregnant’, it gives ‘birth’ to sin; and when that sin ‘grows up’, it gives birth to ‘death’.
(Jas 1:16) Do ‘not’ be deceived, my dear brothers.
*** (Romans 6:15-16) What then? Shall we sin, ‘because’ we are not under the law, but under grace? “God forbid!”
(Rom 6:16) Do you not know, that to whom you ‘yield’ yourselves; servants ‘to obey’, his servants you are ‘to whom’ you obey; ‘whether’ of sin unto death, ‘or’ of obedience unto righteousness?
*** (Luke 6:46) "Why do you; keep calling Me [Jesus] 'Lord, Lord,' but ‘don't do’ what I tell you?
*** (Job 9:20) If I ‘justify’ myself, my own mouth ‘shall’ condemn me; though I [think I] am perfect, He shall ‘declare’ me perverse.
*** (Jeremiah 17:9) The heart is ‘deceitful’ above all things, and ‘desperately’ wicked; ‘who’ can know it?
(Jer 17:10) I Jehovah [God] ‘search’ the heart, I ‘try’ the reins, even ‘to give to’ each man according to his ways, according to ‘the fruit’ of his doings.
Those “Strongholds of Sin” before ‘One’ was… Born Again by God’s Holy Spirit; are still there after Salvation. That is why the Holy Word of God is so very important! When one comes to Christ they are; “Positionally ‘Perfect’ in Christ”… But their ‘Practice in Christ’… “Often”; lags far behind! That is what & why… “Growing in the Grace & Knowledge and Obedience to Christ Jesus”… is ‘All’ about! If you ‘do not’… “Read & Study”… God’s Holy Word; you ‘cannot’ Grow in Grace and the “Understanding of His Will”; for your life! You ‘will not’ be available for Him to use you to Witness of His Love, Mercy & Judgment… to the Lost!
*** (2Peter 3:15-to-18) Think of our Lord's ‘patience’ as salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also ‘wrote’ to you according to the ‘wisdom’ given him.
(2Pe 3:16) He speaks about this subject in ‘all’ his letters. Some things in them are ‘hard to understand’, which ‘ignorant’ and ‘unstable’ people distort; to their ‘own’ destruction, as they do the ‘rest’ of the Scriptures.
(2Pe 3:17) And so, dear friends, ‘since’ you already know these things, ‘continually’ be on your guard; ‘not’ to be carried away by the ‘deception’ of lawless people, lest you fall from your secure position.
(2Pe 3:18) Instead, ‘continue’ to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Glory belongs to Him ‘both’ now and on that eternal day! Amen.
*** (2Timothy 3:13-to-17) But evil men and seducers will ‘go forward’ to worse; ‘deceiving’ and ‘being deceived’.
(2Ti 3:14) But ‘continue’ in the things that you have ‘learned’ and have been ‘assured’ of, knowing from ‘Whom’ you have learned them [John 14:26-27],
(2Ti 3:15) and that from a child; you have ‘known’ the Holy Scriptures, which are ‘able’ to make you ‘wise’ to salvation ‘through’ faith in Christ Jesus.
(2Ti 3:16) All Scripture is God-breathed, and is ‘profitable’ for Doctrine, for Reproof, for Correction, for Instruction in Righteousness,
(2Ti 3:17) that the man of God may be ‘perfected’, thoroughly ‘furnished’ to every good work.
*** (John 15:1-2-3) I [Jesus] am the True Vine, and My Father [God] is the Vinedresser.
(Joh 15:2) Every branch in Me that ‘does not’ bear fruit, He ‘takes’ away. And every one that bears fruit, He ‘prunes’ it so that it may bring forth ‘more’ fruit.
(Joh 15:3) Now you are ‘clean’ through the Word; which I have spoken to you.
*** (2Timothy 2:15-16) Study ‘earnestly’ to present yourself ‘approved’ to God, a workman that ‘does not’ need to be ashamed, ‘rightly dividing’ the Word of Truth.
(2Ti 2:16) But ‘shun’ profane, ‘vain’ babblings, for they will ‘increase’ to more ungodliness.
*** (2Corinthians 4:16) For this cause we ‘do not’ faint; but though our outward man ‘perishes’, yet the inward man is ‘being renewed’ day by day.
Those “Strongholds of Sin”… in your “Mind & Heart”; Must be… “Torn Down” and “Changed Out: for the “Strongholds of Righteousness!” “All”, who come to Christ… “Must be Retrained”… in their minds;… “To the Obedience of Christ!” What our unredeemed minds permitted and excused… “Everything!” Our ‘Renewed Minds’; fulfill our ‘obedience’ to Christ and to His Holy Word. We ‘exchange’ those ‘Things of Sin’… for the Glory of our “Righteousness in Christ!” He alone… ‘makes’ us righteous before the Father… and He alone ‘gives’ us His; Grace, Mercy & Love… to communicate Him [Jesus]; to the “Lost & Dying!” [John 10:16]
*** (2Corinthains 4:5-6-7) For we ‘do not’ preach ourselves, but “Christ Jesus as Lord [Boss]”, and ourselves your ‘servants’ for Jesus' sake.
(2Co 4:6) For it is God, Who said, "Out of darkness Light shall shine;" Who shone in our hearts ‘to give’ the brightness ‘of’ the knowledge ‘of’ the glory of God ‘in’ the face of Jesus Christ.
(2Co 4:7) But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the ‘excellence’ of the power may be of ‘God’ and “Not of us”;
*** (Philippians 2:13-14-15) For it is God, Who works in you ‘both’ to will and ‘to do’ of His good pleasure.
(Php 2:14) Do ‘all’ things without murmurings and disputings,
(Php 2:15) so that you ‘may be’ blameless and harmless, the sons of God, ‘without rebuke’, in the ‘midst’ of a crooked and perverse nation. Among these you ‘shine as lights’ in the world,
Perhaps, if you will allow me… ‘share’ a personal experience from my life? Some long time ago… I was ‘reading’ through the OT. I came upon… “2Chronicles 12:14”. I was convicted by the Holy Spirit… that I ‘was not’ preparing my heart; before studying the Holy Word of God! I confessed and started again; a ‘new’ pattern of practice. Then I was ‘reminded’ of the NT verse… “1Corinthians 11:26-to-34”. If God wanted us clean in our hearts & minds; before physical communion as an ‘Act of Worship’… didn’t He ‘Also Want”… the same in ‘our’; Study of Him in His Holy Word? “Absolutely… YES!” Later on as I was reading in… “Ezra 7:10”… and it ‘confirmed’ this; “Stronghold of Righteousness”… that Christ wanted in my life! Yes, before ‘any’ spiritual practice of any kind… Bible Study, Prayer, Praise and “Yes”… even ‘before’ Church!
*** (2Chronicles 12:14) And he ‘did’ the evil; ‘because’ he did not ‘prepare’ his heart to seek Jehovah.
*** (1Corinthians 11:26-to-32) For "as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you show" the Lord's death until He shall come.
(1Co 11:27) So that ‘whoever’ shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily; he will ‘be guilty’ of the body and blood of the Lord.
(1Co 11:28) But let a man ‘examine’ himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup.
1Co 11:29) For he who eats and drinks ‘unworthily’ eats and drinks ‘condemnation’ to himself, ‘not’ discerning the Lord's body.
(1Co 11:30) For this cause many among you are weak and sickly, and many are dead.
(1Co 11:31) For if, we would ‘judge’ ourselves, we would ‘not’ be judged.
(1Co 11:32) But when we are ‘judged’, we are ‘chastened’ by the Lord, that we should not be ‘condemned’ with the world.
*** (Ezra 7:10) For Ezra had; ‘prepared’ his heart to seek the Law of Jehovah, and ‘to do it’, and to ‘teach’ statutes and judgments in Israel.
*** (1Corinthains 2:14) But the natural man ‘does not’ receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are ‘foolishness’ to him; ‘neither’ can he know them, ‘because’ they are spiritually discerned.
“Continued”… in the next Blog… “Strongholds – 201”…Blog. [2/?]
Love, in Christ, Roger / Jeremiah 20:9.
Email: atruth459@yahoo.com
Ende…!
