Winning the Battle for Us & Them – With Missiles of Beatitudes

Who Occupies Your House – – Christ? Self? Devil?
Mat 12:43-45 “Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. (44) “Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. (45) “Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.“
Man, family house, family line, neighbourhood, entire village, Work Field, City or Nation, Generation

Anatomy of a Stronghold
Luk 13:11-13 And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all. (12) When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.” (13) And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God.
Mix of natural illness & evil spirit of infirmity
Religion said – suffering is your karma, sins of parents
Long occupation – 18 years. Forced to live the past.
Bent double – Cannot arise. Cannot see forward
Jesus – made erect to full height, glorify God

There is a Warfare – Enthrone God or Self
2Co 10:4-6 There is a warfare – spiritual vs carnal/ demonic
1 Weapons of warfare – (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
2 Winning Our Personal War – I need deliverance (5) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
3 Winning the War for Others by our obedience (6) And having in a readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. Job 22:30.

Nature of the Warfare
Gal 5:17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please
Any work of the flesh can become demonic

Five Bunches of Evil Strongholds – Weapons of Evil Warfare
Gal 5:19-21 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are:
1 immorality, impurity, sensuality – Bodily Lusts
2 (20) idolatry, sorcery – Demonic, Religious
3 Enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,
4 (21) Envying, wealth cravings, ambitions
5 drunkenness, carousing – addictions,
and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Strongholds
Found in the NT, only in 2 Corinthians 10:4, “strongholds” are wrong thoughts and beliefs about God, that have been emotionally hardwired into our minds, and hinders the desire “to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 2:4)
Strongholds are lies that have been engrained so deeply into our minds and belief systems, that we believe they are true
Our strongest influences came from our parental house in the first 14 years. Passing 40 yrs they somehow show up just like other generational infirmities – asthma, hypertension, heart disease, glaucoma, Diabetes.

Influences of Parental House
Hard work – worked by Pharaoh or indignity of labour or dignity of labour
Get up early, brush teeth,
Appreciation or depreciation
Acceptance or rejection
Sit down for family meals
Intimidated or intimidate others
Keep peace with neigjbours or fight with them
What did dad tell you about his boss
What did dad tell you about the other race

Spirit Occupying Stronghold
Marriage – spirit of divorce, LGBTQi,
Infertility – Gen 1:28 – spirit of barrenness
Health – spirit of infirmity
Wealth – spirit of poverty, spirit of greed = Mammon
Inheritance – spirit of lock up, conflict,
Relationships – spirit of woundedness< betrayal,
Addictions – spirit of bondage
Bitterness – spirit of grief, unforgiveness

2 We Deliver Ourselves First

2Co 10:(5) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into (lead into) captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
We deliver ourselves first
Imaginations – ambitions, flights of thoughts – contrary to God – lies, wrong beliefs about God
Exalting against God Knowledge – sinful willful actions
Lead your thoughts one by one – hour by hour lead your thoughts into Christ – by the Blood, by the Word, By the Spirit – new strongholds of truth

3 Power of Our Obedience & Godly Sorrow
obedience (2 Cor 10:6) And having in a readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
Avenge – if they repent redemption & restoration
Godly Sorrow – 2Co 7:10, 11 For godly sorrow produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly sorrow produces death.
2Co 7:11 For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong