Sermon Tone Analysis

*Breaking Strongholds and Keeping Them Broken!** *

 

Text: 2Cor.

10:3-5 (10~/15~/06)

 

3.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4. (For the weapons of our warfare /are/ not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5. Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

 

 

!

I. Authority

!!  A.

Every Believer’s Right

  1.

Every believer has the right to use the authority of Jesus' name to bind and take authority over Satan's activities.

·         Luke 9:1 “Then he called his *twelve disciples* together, and gave them *power* and *authority* over all devils, and to cure diseases.2

And he sent them to preach the *kingdom* of God, and to heal the sick.[i]

·         Luke 10:1 “After these things the Lord appointed *other seventy* also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, *whither he himself would come*.[ii]

 

  2.

Issue a spoken command to the devil that he is bound and he must leave the stronghold!

  3.

Exercising authority in the name of Jesus will expel the Devil's influence.

·         "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues..." Mark 16:17.

!!! II.

Intercession

!!  A.

Corporate Intercession

  1.

Come together with other believers to pray and intercede against strongholds */until you get results/*.

(This is not a */shotgun/* prayer (scattered)…this is a precise, “heart of God” prayer).

·         *Charles Haddon Spurgeon* -  “There is a general kind of praying which fails for lack of precision.

It’s as if a regiment of soldiers should all fire off their guns anywhere.

Possibly somebody would be killed, but the majority of the enemy would be missed.”

a.

Heb.

*/pagah/* = to light upon a thing; as a lion attacks the water buffalo at the river’s edge.

b.

There is *intensified power* in the gathering of more believers.

·         Lev.

26:8 - And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight…(This is an increase of exponential proportion – *500% increase*)

·          “Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.”

Acts 12:3

  2.

Prayer with fasting */intensifies/ your faith in God*, and faith will break strongholds.

·         "Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast him out?

However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting" – Matt.

17:19,21

 

·         Esth.

4:16 “Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which [is] not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.”

Esth.

5:2 “And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, [that] she obtained favour in his sight…”

 

*III.

Displacement*

/ A.

Establish the Presence of God./

  1.

Where Satan has been commanded to leave, fill it up with God's presence.

·         i.e.

“*The mind*” – “rather than trying to make bad thoughts shoo away, we are told to replace them…”

·         “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, */think on these things/*.”

Phil.

4:8

   a.

Where the presence of the Lord is, the Devil isn't!

   b.

Satan doesn't want to hang around where people are lifting up Jesus in worship, in singing and prayer.

·         “…where the Spirit of the Lord [is], there [is] liberty.”

– 2 Cor.

3:17

 

!!! IV.

Resistance

!! A.     We Must Resist the Devil and He Will Flee 

·         "Therefore submit to God.

Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).

  1.

But the *KEY* comes from our submission to God prior to resisting the devil.

·         “When one doesn’t learn to resist the devil, he or she probably doesn’t know much of submitting to God.” --Greg Manalli

   a.

The Devil runs from submitted, yielded Christians.

! V. Fortification

·         "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" - Ephesians 6:11.

/ A.

Clothe Yourself with God's Armor./

  1.

Take upon you daily, the full array of God's spiritual equipment that you may maintain battle-ready status.

a.

With the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit (God's Word) and the other links of armor Eph.

6:13-17.

b.

You will be ready to resist any satanic assault, and will be ready to engage the strongholds in others.

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[i]/The Holy Bible : King James Version/

[ii]/The Holy Bible : King James Version./