This is part of a series on breaking down enemy strongholds and building up positive strongholds of faith. Here is an excerpt from a thesis on the subject by the author and preacher.
GOD’S PRINCIPLES OF BREAKING DOWN STRONGHOLDS
Destroying
All principles of God’s strategy for breaking down enemy strongholds are available to those who believe in His Word. His Word is the only true dynamite that will be detonated by our faith, destroying structures built with deception. As God reveals His mighty Arm we will understand more clearly how to operate and work with God to destroy the kingdom of darkness, firstly, in our lives.
For He says in 1 John 3 : 8,
” He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”
Jesus said that He was able to destroy “this temple” referring to Himself, and to build it up in three days. This reveals His power to destroy structures that bind us in our temples in which God must abide.(Matt 26:61, John 2:19,Mark 14:58)
The Rock…Jesus
For some strategic advice on how to destroy the works of the enemy, we look at Jesus’ own words regarding Himself. He speaks of the wicked vinedressers in Matthew 21:41 and it is revealed to those listening that the Owner will destroy those wicked men miserably. Jesus follows on from the revelation to explain the technological process of destruction. Verse 42 states,
“Have you never read in the Scriptures; ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief Cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing and it is marvellous in our eyes?’ And whoever falls on this Stone will be broken, but on whomever It falls, It will grind him to powder.”
Jesus is the Rock of our salvation and if we fall, we fall on Him and the oppressing yoke of lies is broken. However those at enmity with God will be ground to powder by the Rock on which we stand. That is why we can say that the God of peace will soon crush Satan underneath our feet.
God can even destroy an enemy stronghold with a little rock from a nearby stream. God is a great God. Awesome and terrible, able to bring down the high and lofty. One such high and lofty one was Goliath.
David and Goliath
The first lie that Goliath told the armies of Israel was that they were ‘servants of Saul’ (1 Sam 17:8). This lie was taken to heart by the Israelites because they saw themselves as servants of Saul instead of seeing themselves as servants in the army of the Living God, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
The lie will defy God in you if you let it. God does not want His children to be defied, neither do we want God to be defied. So David came and spoke up.
The Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening. The strongman will keep taunting and harassing until he is destroyed. Jesus was in the desert forty days being tempted of the devil. The constant taunting started to drain the Israelites’ strength and determination to fight, not to mention their courage. They focussed their attention on him, morning and evening too instead of inquiring from God what to do.
It took a young man to get a holy indignation against the uncircumcised Philistine and the reproach that came against Israel because of his intimidation. David knew that Goliath overstepped the mark by defying the armies of the living God. He then continued to do as God had prepared him to do before. David took five smooth stones from the brook, and put the in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. His tried and tested tools of war were in his hands.
Then Goliath uttered another lie. He said,” Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beast of the field.” We see that lies have no truth in them, in fact what Goliath said would happen to David, actually happened to him.
David showed his close relationship with God when he came to Goliath. He broke down the first lie noted by reminding everybody in whose army the Israelites were.
1 Samuel 17
” I come to you in the Name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”
David started speaking more truths;
” This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with the sword and the spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and he will give you into our hands.”
David then ran to meet the Philistine showing God’s boldness in him. He put his hand in his bag and took out a stone, and he slung it and it struck the Philistine in the forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead and he fell on his face to the earth.
So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then David cut off the liar’s head with liar’s own sword.
For in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 the Lord explains:
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity, to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”
Remember, David first brought some food to his brothers, obeying his Father Jesse, and then only went ahead to kill the giant for God and his fellow countrymen.
Face your giants in the spirit and address the lies with God’s truth and strike it down in acting prophecy today! To God be the glory who fights for us and delivers our enemy into our hands. Thank You Jesus!