STRONGHOLDS

Because sin is genetic, even Christians still sin!   

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:9-10)

 Some misapply that, but it is clear therein that Christians still sin. How that can be done is because of grace. God overlooks our thoughts and actions if the Spirit of Him is in us. In fact, we still sin because of the nature of the Wicked One is in our flesh. Before anyone is without sin, the flesh must be not just circumcised, but crucified. Indeed, that is complicated because Paul wrote what seems to be something much different: 

For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. (Rom 6:5-7)

 When Jesus was crucified, the ‘old man’ in all Christians were vicariously crucified with Him. Also, when Jesus was resurrected, the ‘new man’ was vicariously resurrected with Him. If you are reading this right now, you are either in heaven or on Earth. Neither place is the resurrection of the dead. It is as if you have been resurrected; it is the hope of the resurrection, and as such the death of the old man is vicarious as well.

The flesh dies when? At physical death because it can sin no more. No wonder Paul wrote, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21).

The crucifixion for Christians is at death, so until then, crucifixion is willingness to die to the world. Paul added, “We should not serve sin” because Christ in us freed us, not from one sin, but sin in general — the practice of sin, or iniquity. Iniquity is perversity, not merely failing one time, but remaining the ‘old man’ within.

The ‘old man’ puts up a good fight. Sure, the flesh is weak to sin but strong against God. That brings up what scripture calls ‘strongholds.” 

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. (2 Cor 10:3-5)

 Now consider ancient warfare. When offensive warfare failed, enemies would most often erect a fortification on a hill so to see the enemy coming. That was a last resort. The fort was their stronghold; it was the last resort to remain in control.

Our flesh, in its war against God, has put up and invisible barrier between itself and God. The warfare waged between self and God is as invisible as God and the soul of a Christian. The war is never ending in this world, but death concludes it; “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Mat 24:13). The flesh is not going to be crucified without a fight and that fight ends only at the death of the flesh.

Ancient warfare was battling from a stronghold, and as was most often the case, the opponent would lay siege. A siege consisted of cutting off all means of nourishment and ammunition as well as outside help.

Our battle from our strongholds, if we are in Christ, is us alone against God. Satan is nowhere to be found because we are strictly Christians that have weak flesh.

Satan will never fight to keep Christians safe but only to perish. Hence, it is Christians against God in that war for everyone else already belong to Satan.

Like in the days of Job, Satan must remain at large and is restricted from killing, so cease saying that Satan is strong! That magnifies him, but the truth is that your flesh is weak, as Paul reminds us.

So, there on his hill is a Christian taking his stand. He has already relinquished so many sins to God that there will be no more pacification.

One person of whom I am thinking endeavored to be a Christian, and was willing to sacrifice much, but refused to sacrifice her sexual independence. Her stronghold was her own flesh. It kept her in bonds in an invisible fort as a last stand against God’s will for her.

Strongholds are not just things that must be overcome, but things that have the possibility of overcoming even Christians. Some will refuse to give up their strongholds even until death do them part! (You will in the end give them up, whatever they are!)

Paul wrote about pulling down strongholds; it is a battle, “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

Paul brought up pulling them down to define what strongholds are; they are vain imaginations and that our thoughts are higher than His Thoughts, which, by the way is pinpointed long ago, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.” (Isa 55:8)

What were the woman’s thoughts and ways? That if God desires her from abstain from sexuality, then her thoughts would exceed His. With that, she would be the ‘god’ and not Him!

The Lord knew physical laws; that for every effect there is a cause, and for every cause an effect. God revealed causation; that your thoughts guide your ways. Your thoughts are the cause and your ways the effects.

The woman’s thoughts were what condemned her. She imagined the pleasure of sexual encounters and just the thought would be her way. Her sin was thinking wrong thoughts, and her flesh just obeyed. Nowhere was Satan to be found in her stronghold because he wanted her to be alone with her thoughts.

Strongholds are more wrong thoughts than wrong behaviors. “Whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Mat 5:28) which points to the thoughts and superior to the actions. (Even Jimmy Carter battled with that, as he admitted.)

‘Fornication’ is not so much the act than the thoughts. The Greek word for it is ‘porneia.’ Porneia is the actions that come from the thoughts of pornographos.

What in modern times is pornographic is images of the real things while the real things are sexual activity, porneia. In other words, pornography is the thoughts that lead to the ways, and thus fornication is first in the mind as people think about what they would like to do, and eventually, it will come to pass because of cause and effect.

Stongholds are against you even as you think they are for you. Sexual ‘independence’ was what the woman wanted and soon it was what she obtained. She sinned against herself, as Paul wrote, “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man does is without the body; but he that commits fornication sins against his own body” (1 Cor 6:18). So, that sexual stronghold is not freedom at all, but as if having chains about you; chains that you have put on yourself.

Now let’s analyze that for a moment. The mind that is on porno is out of control. Recently several men admitted that they were addicted to pornography. Their thoughts controlled them. That is not to say that they were addicted to sexual activities but the thoughts of such activity.

To overcome strongholds requires not only God in control but self-control. “Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Gal 5:23). Temperance is self-control and meekness is realizing that you are out of control.

Think of that as you in the driver’s seat. and you should avoid every obstacle in the way. However, in the background God reveals to you the things that may kill you. His Word is safety but your refusal to listen is you trying to control the vehicle on your own. Your obstinate mind may be the danger — the cause, and death — the effect. God is in control, but in a sense, you are His ‘instrument.’

Ancient strongholds were torn down when the sieges ended. There were two ways to the ending: (1) fight to the death, or (2) submit and hope for leniency.

God will always win! That’s the absolute truth. You may fight Him to your death, but in the end, He remains in control, and you are history. It is God who remains alive and in charge and you that will perish.

The other possibility is to relent; admit that God is stronger than your stronghold. That is to admit, and then to relent self-control to God controlling. With that done, you endure to the end, but not with you in charge, but God. Either way God wins but He wants that you win, not to remain in bondage but be free of the stronghold and Him still having the Authority.

Think on the possibilities of you in charge; it will be like the Hamas whose stronghold is that tiny Gaza strip. They are essentially fighting Israel for a country the size of New Jersey all the while thinking it is Paradise and its virgins that are the reward. Are they really fighting for God or is it the pedophilia — the thoughts of young girls that their fleshes desire. They are fighting for their vain imaginations just as Paul said it! There are not seventy-two virgins and if there were, they would never want maniacs for sexual partners! They are fighting for nothing, and that nothingness are their strongholds.

Each one of us must crucify our flesh. That is to give to God our strongholds and He will take care of them! Most often, the strongholds are secret sins, sins that are so depraved that Christians are ashamed that they have them.

Each Christian has a stronghold. Do not be ashamed because strongholds are genetic. Most often, the stronghold is sexual because many of us believe the first sin was sexual. (The reason for aprons of fig leaves that still left little to the imagination.)

What we can be ashamed of is that they are never submitted to God for Him to end the siege that we have put ourselves into. Given us or God, God will win! So, why fight a losing battle?

The enemy is not God; “We have met the enemy, and they are us” (Pogo).

The devil stands back and laughs at our gullibility. He wants us to think that if we still sin, then the battle is lost. God does not sentence a trespasser for trespassing one time but squatting on His Estate as if we are the owners and Him the Tenant.

Sin can be discarded like a dirty tissue. You just seriously ask for God to dispose of it, and be sorry that you dirtied His Estate, and those trespasses will be forgiven. Satan’s goal is to perish the Estate of God (Isa 14:13-14) and one way to do that is for it to be destroyed by filthy things.

Sin on God’s territory? Don’t even think about it because by doing so, you have already vicariously done so!

 Next, the healing of the multitude will be examined more closely.

(picture credit: CNN; "Gaza Destruction")