The word "stronghold" in 2 Corinthians 10:4 means a strong-walled military fort or prison. Armies would use powerful weapons and well-equipped soldiers to destroy them. But God's weapons are different. He once destroyed such a stronghold (Jericho) by blowing trumpets and marching peacefully (Joshua 6).
When people form strongholds in their lives, they imprison their thoughts with error, confusion, bitterness, pride, and false philosophies. Even Christians can build such strongholds.
Human reasoning rarely prevails against strongholds.
But God has divine weapons for destroying strongholds including:
1. Love (1 Peter 4:8; James 5:20)
2. The full armor (Ephesians 6:10-18)
Truth, Righteousness, Gospel Peace, Faith, Salvation, God's Word
3. Prayer (Ephesians 6:18)
Whether we find strongholds in our own lives or in the lives of others, let's be careful to use God's divine weapons to destroy them.
* ochuróma
Bible Study
- "wage war" - what kind of war are we fighting spiritually?
- "divine power" - why do we sometimes doubt God's power?
- "take captive" - how can we do this?
- "every thought" - why are thoughts so important? How do they relate to actions?
2 Corinthians 10:3-6: For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.
2. The battle between David and Goliath is good example of fighting with divine weapons.
The story begins with David offering to fight Goliath when the rest of the Israeli army is afraid. Saul tries to get David to wear armor and use a sword (human weapons), but they are too heavy for David. Instead, he takes a sling shot - something which is foolish in the eyes of the world. But David explains why his worldly weapon is not what matters:
2. The battle between David and Goliath is good example of fighting with divine weapons.
The story begins with David offering to fight Goliath when the rest of the Israeli army is afraid. Saul tries to get David to wear armor and use a sword (human weapons), but they are too heavy for David. Instead, he takes a sling shot - something which is foolish in the eyes of the world. But David explains why his worldly weapon is not what matters:
1 Samuel 17:45-47: David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”
copyright 2016, Gail Burton Purath, BiteSizeBibleStudy.com
Am blessed with studies. God bless us all.
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