Being Steadfast - Part 2

1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Steadfast (Greek - hedraios) - being firm, steadfast, concluding (a matter) with conviction

2 Corinthians 10:1–6 ESV

1 I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— 2 I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

1. Being Steadfast Requires Follow-through

2 Corinthians 9:1–8 NKJV

1 Now concerning the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you; 2 for I know your willingness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal has stirred up the majority. 3 Yet I have sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this respect, that, as I said, you may be ready; 4 lest if some Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we (not to mention you!) should be ashamed of this confident boasting. 5 Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation. 6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

2. The Internal Struggles are our Greatest Conflicts

Verse 8 gives us a clue as to the Corinthians internal struggle: I’m not going to have enough!

Paul talks about the internal struggle in Romans 7:18-25

Romans 7:18–25 NKJV

18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

Paul is saying the he determines to do one thing, but ends up doing something else because of the internal struggle with the flesh.

The disciples had an internal struggle in the Garden of Gethsemene:

Matthew 26:40–41 NKJV

40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

But Paul ends by declaring the Jesus Christ can give us victory in the internal conflict.

3. Strongholds in Your Mind Keep You Stuck Where You Are (or take you backwards)

stronghold (structure) — noun. a strongly fortified defensive or military structure

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Fort, Fortification

Fort, Fortification. Walls, citadels, and sometimes moats protecting most cities in the ancient world. Fortifications followed the natural contour of the area encircling a city. Early city defenses consisted of simple banks of earth tossed against the walls and outer structures to make it difficult for hostile forces to approach and enter the city. Wherever possible, the site chosen for the location of a city would be a naturally favorable topographical situation, such as a steep elevation in an isolated place or a hill that afforded natural protection. Some sites were so strategic because of ample water supply, good navigation, or a central location at crossroads of traveled highways, however, that they were chosen even if they had no natural defenses. The difficulty and cost of fortifications were then obviously much more serious.

In general, whatever materials were available were used for construction of fortifications, including old debris, rubble, and beaten earth. Those materials were faced with hard-packed clay or lime plaster to prevent an enemy from knowing the quality of the underlying filling. Commonly a ditch or moat was dug or cut out of solid rock in front of the walls. This hindered an enemy’s advance, and made any attempt to tunnel under the walls and into the city more difficult.

Strongholds were often used to protect the Military Leaders and House Important Prisoners

The enemy of our mind digs in a stronghold to hold us prisoner, maintain command over our life through internal struggle, and keep us from affecting his kingdom of darkness

whatever materials were available were used for construction of fortifications, including old debris, rubble, and beaten earth

4. Strongholds are Built on our Environment and Our Past Experiences and Failures

John 8:31–36 NKJV

31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Our environment and experiences - ridicule, abuse, rejection, abandonment, broken trust, poverty

Our failures - past sins, failed relationships, attempts to better yourself that fell flat, such as businesses, investments, jobs

They become strongholds in our mind.

You are good enough!

You aren’t smart enough!

You will never amount to anything!

You will never have anything!

You will always give in to that temptation.

You will always be addicted!

You are just a toxic person!

You will always be alone!

You will always be a loser!

Proverbs 23:7 NKJV

7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you.

Neuroscience and Psychology has confirmed this. They have found that what God’s Word said is true - of course.

The psychology website, Very Well Mind, addresses this with a an article entitled, “What Happens When You Think.”

The article uses the example of a common thought that occurs in most of our minds when the alarm goes off in the morning: I DON’T WANT TO GET UP.

“The first problem with describing what happens in your body when you are thinking is that not everyone agrees on what constitutes a thought. At first glance, you probably think of a thought as something that you tell yourself.

“For example, this morning while lying in bed you might have had the thought, "I don't want to get up."

“Let's take a moment and deconstruct that thought to try and figure out exactly what it is.

“Is the thought "I don't want to get out of bed" something that spontaneously appeared in your mind? Or was it triggered by something? Is it just a physical process of your brain or the manifestation of something deeper like a soul, spirit, or other entity?

“Phew, that's a lot to think about. And, depending on who you ask, you will get different answers.

“While scientists might apply reductionist theory and predict that thoughts are simply physical entities that can be explained by chemical changes in the brain, philosophers or other theorists might argue a more dualistic theory that your mind is separate from your body and your thoughts are not physical parts of your brain.

“All that aside, if we want to consider what happens in our bodies (or specifically our brains) when we are thinking, then we need to at least acknowledge that our thoughts can influence our bodies.

“We know this to be true for a number of reasons. For example:

Stress (or negative thoughts) can worsen physical illness

Fear can lead to increases in certain chemicals that prepare us through the "fight or flight" response

Thoughts start chain reactions that allow us to contract our muscles

“Since we know that thoughts can influence our brains and our bodies, let's take a look at exactly how they do that and what is happening under the hood (in your head).

“Anatomy of a Thought

Let's jump back to that morning thought: "I don't want to get out of bed."

“Scientists would argue first that the thought you had was not spontaneous and random. Instead, your thought was likely a reaction to something around you.

“In this case, it might have been an alarm clock, checking your phone to see what time it is, or hearing something like the garbage truck go by that reminds you of time passing. In other cases, thoughts might be triggered by memories.

“Now, once you have that thought, what happens?

“The brain operates in a complex way with many parts intersecting and interacting with each other simultaneously. So, when you have that thought in the morning, it's likely that all these different components of your brain (prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, neurons, neurotransmitters, etc.) are all involved at the same time.

“If the result of your thought that you don't want to get out of bed is that you throw the covers back over your head, what happened to allow that action? Or, if instead you decided that you needed to get up and got out of bed, what happened differently?

“We know that when the brain is making a decision, different neural networks compete with each other. Eventually, one of the networks becomes activated and produces the desired behavior.

“This happens through nerve cells in the spinal cord called motor neurons that fire and sends an impulse down their axon, which travels to the muscle and causes the action: in this case you throwing the covers over your head or actually getting out of bed.

“Thoughts and Emotions

What about the emotional effects of your thought?

We know that your thoughts can influence the neurotransmitters in your brain. Optimism is linked to better immunity to illness while depressive thinking may be linked to reduced immunity.

So, if you throw the covers over your head, and that triggers other thoughts such as "I'm tired," "I can't get up," or "Life is hard," complex interactions in your brain may send signals to other parts of your body.

On the other hand, if you get out of bed and think, "This isn't so bad," "I'm getting going now," or "Today is going to be a great day," the pathways and signals that your neurons send will obviously be different.

We don't yet know all the intricacies of these processes; however, suffice it to say that your thoughts matter.

Your brain is constantly receiving signals, whether from the outside environment in terms of perceptions or memories from your past. It then activates different patterns through waves in the brain through billions of synapses. In this way, your thoughts grow more complex as they interact with other content produced by your brain functions.

Regulating Your Thoughts

It goes without saying that your thoughts are linked to your emotions in a bidirectional way. How many times have you experienced a shot of adrenaline after having a fearful thought? Have you ever gone to a job interview or on a first date and felt the same?

Whenever you have a thought, there is a corresponding chemical reaction in your mind and body as a result.

This is important to realize because it means that what you think can affect how you feel. And by the same token, if you are feeling poorly, you can change that by changing how you think.

If that sounds a little unusual, go back to the premise that thoughts are physical entities in your brain (and not spontaneous outside forces that don't connect with your body).

If you accept the scientific view that your thoughts are physical parts of your brain and that changing your thoughts can have an effect on your body, then you've just developed a powerful weapon.

But wait a minute: if our thoughts are always just reactions to something, how can we take control and change them?

Of course, your thoughts don't arise out of a vacuum. For example, you are reading this article and gaining new ideas from it that you can potentially put to use in changing your thoughts.

You're starting to think a different way.

You've started to feed your brain different information.

You've surrounded yourself with information that programs your brain to start thinking the way that you want it to.

What this means is that if you want to start changing your thoughts, you need to be aware of the triggers of your thoughts and also the patterns of thoughts that you have in response to those triggers.

The next time you are lying in bed thinking, "I don't want to get up," ask yourself what triggered that thought.*

*What Happens to Your Body When You're Thinking? (verywellmind.com)

From Psychology Today:

Our thoughts are the beginning point of creating our lives, so it is wise to choose our thoughts, and steer them in the direction that we want them to go. Our thoughts send a powerful vibrational message to the other aspects of our being directing how we function. If you concentrate on what is wrong with you and what you lack, you will continue these imperfections and lack. By shifting to positive, encouraging thoughts, seeing things as you wish them to be, you can create the life and health you want.

5. We Have Mighty, Spiritual Weapons to Demolish Strongholds

2 Corinthians 10:3–6 AMP

3 For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, 5 [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One), 6 Being in readiness to punish every [insubordinate for his] disobedience, when your own submission and obedience [as a church] are fully secured and complete.

We have to replace stinking thinking with the truth of God’s Word!

The enemy says: You can figure it out.

God says: I’ll direct your steps.

Proverbs 3:5-6

The enemy says: You are too tired.

God says:I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28-30

The enemy says: It’s impossible.

God says: All things are possible.

Luke 18:27

The enemy says: Nobody loves you.

God says: I love you.

John 3:16

The enemy says: You can’t forgive yourself. God could never use someone like you.

God says: I forgive you and I will use you.

Romans 8:1 NKJV

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 4:7 NKJV

7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

1 Corinthians 6:11 NKJV

11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

John 4:14 NKJV

14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

The enemy says: Everything is working against me.

God says: Everything is working for my good.

Romans 8:28 NKJV

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

The enemy says: You are not smart enough.

God says: I will give you wisdom.

1 Corinthians 1:30 NKJV

30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—

The enemy says: I will never be enough.

God says: You have all sufficiency in all things.

2 Corinthians 9:8 NKJV

8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

The enemy says: You can’t go on. You’re too weak.

God says: My grace is sufficient. My strength shows up in your weakness.

2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV

9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

The enemy says: You can’t do it.

God says: You can do all things.

Philippians 4:13 NKJV

13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

The enemy says: You will never have enough.

God says: I will supply all your needs.

Philippians 4:19 NKJV

19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

The enemy says: I’m afraid.

God says: I have not given you fear, I have given you power.

2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV

7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

The enemy says: You are alone.

God says: I will never leave you.

Hebrews 13:5 NKJV

5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

What is your biggest mental stronghold?

What does God say that refutes the mental conflict?

Rejection.

Jeremiah 1:5 NKJV

5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

1 Peter 2:9 NKJV

9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Psalm 27:3 NKJV

3 Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident.

Psalm 27:4 NKJV

4 One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple.

Psalm 27:5 NKJV

5 For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.

Psalm 27:6 NKJV

6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.