Strongholds

Therefore I also said, “I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.” Judges 2:3

We all have them if we are not careful. You know exactly that area in your life even before you started to read today’s blog. My guess is that you might even have been tempted to push the delete button.

Don’t do it. Read on, my friend. Listen to what Henry and Richard Blackaby say about strongholds:

When you became a Christian, God declared war on sin’s strongholds in your life. Sinful behaviors and attitudes were firmly entrenched in your character, but God commanded you to tear them down. The Holy Spirit pointed out areas of your life that were resistant to God’s will. Were you tempted to merely establish a truce rather than obliterating every sin? Is anger one of sin’s strongholds? If so, it will rise up against you in moments of weakness. Is there a stronghold of lust in your life? If so, you will succumb to it when caught off guard. In careless moments, these strongholds will still tempt you to continue your past sinful behaviors.

Do not underestimate the destructive power of sin. If there are strongholds in your life that you have never defeated, the Holy Spirit is still prepared to bring you complete victory. – Experiencing God – The Devotional

We can choose to live in denial. We can choose to live in bondage to our strongholds. OR – we can choose victory. That’s His design for YOUR life and mine. Will you be bold enough to talk to Him about it today? He already knows about it. So go ahead! You’ll be glad you did. – Bill Welte is President & CEO of America’s Keswick

You can hear Dr. Richard Blackaby this summer at America’s Keswick. Check it out on the web at www.americaskeswick.org

Team YOU: Job 28-29; Proverbs 4; Acts 13:1-25

Motivations: Live between the guardrails of “Do not quench the Holy Spirit” and “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit”  Bill Johnson

Practice to Remember: Level 1:Philippians 2:3; Level 2: Philippians 2:1-4

Powered Up:  The criterion for our intercessory prayer is not our earnestness, nor our faithfulness, nor even our faith in God, but simply God Himself. He has taken the initiative from the beginning, and has built our prayers into the structure of the universe. He then asks us to present these requests to Him that He may show His gracious hand. Charles H Troutman