This year God has given our congregation a Series of thoughts to focus on. We are calling this THE CONGREGATIONAL SENTENCE. It reads: “Prepare! Prepare! Prepare! Prepare you Spirit (come out of the decay of your strongholds). Prepare your Souls(Prepare to practice and feel compassion). Prepare your facility (your structures, infrastructures and plans). Prepare for the storm (Pray for action plan, Pray for a spirit of perseverance). Prepare your witness (know your gifts, earn the right to speak, build your relationships with those outside the church, build your example). Prepare your hope and faith (think hope, speak hope, act in hope). Prepare your love (love each other, love the people in your towns, love those who disagree with you, love through the doors that open).“

Each week I am going to take one day to speak to one of these thoughts. Today I am writing on:

PREPARing YOUR SPIRIT(COME OUT OF THE DECAY OF YOUR STRONGHOLDS).

HOW DO WE BREAK SPIRITUAL STRONGHOLDS?

Paul the apostle gives us this instruction. “We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. ^4 [a]We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. ⁵ We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. ⁶ And after you have become fully obedient, we will punish everyone who remains disobedient.” 2 Cor. 10:3-6

Fighting the good fight of faith and tearing down strongholds cannot be accomplished by using worldly methods of fighting and resisting. The Art of War cannot help us when it comes to fighting spiritual battles. Anger, aggression, fighting, confronting, rebuking are nearly useless when it comes to spiritual warfare. It is not for nothing that Paul indicates that the weapons of our warfare in Ephesians chapter 6 are almost all defensive.

The real key to fighting spiritual battles and tearing down spiritual strongholds is not found in what we tear down or get rid of but of what we build in place of the stronghold.

Paul writes in Galatians 5 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. …the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

SO WHICH OF THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT ARE YOU GOING TO PRAY OVER YOUR LIFE AND STRONGHOLDS TODAY?