What Causes the Strong-Holds of the Enemy in our Lives?

We get the idea that we can do something FOR God.  This is where sacrifice comes in.  We sacrifice, time, money and talents to do something FOR God.  In the story of Joshua, did Joshua do something for God, or did God do something for Joshua?   God did something for Joshua.  Joshua simply obeyed God, and God broke down the walls and gave them the city.   In the story of Moses, did Moses do something for God, or did God do something for Moses?   God did something for Moses.  Moses simply obeyed God and God delivered the people by his mighty hand.   

We do not see man doing something for God and producing God results.  All man can do is obey God and because we had enough faith to be obedient to God, He moves on our behalf making the impossible, possible. 

God wants our obedience, because obedience is better than our sacrifices.   When we do what the Bible tells us to do we are breaking down strongholds in our lives.  When we disobey the Word of God we are creating a stronghold in our lives.  Obedience breaks the strongholds, disobedience creates them.  How many times does the devil get a hold on our life, and we realize it is because we didn't listen to the warnings of God and the people around us and we continued to do things we should not have done.  Disobedience creates strongholds!  

God said in Isaiah 1
¹⁶ “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
Cease to do evil,
¹⁷ Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Rebuke the oppressor;^[a]
Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow.

“Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.
¹⁹ If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
²⁰ But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword”;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken

 

When we are walking in disobedience to God,  we try to 'do things for him' to ease our conscious and 'make up' for our disobedience.   It makes us feel better, but God is still looking for obedience.  Your disobedience is going to bring more unhappiness and destruction to your life.   How many times are we trying to PRAY DOWN the strongholds in our lives that the VERY DISOBEDIENCE in our lives are creating?   That is like eating oreo cookies all day and then trying to pray obesity out of our lives.  These will be unfruitful prayers.   How much of our prayer life is unfruitful because we are creating our own problems everyday with our disobedience, and then we offer up a sacrificial prayer for help to combat the fall-out of our own actions.  When God says to repent, and live right, he knows what he is talking about.  He only wants the best for you.  Obey God's Word and you will tear down the strongholds in your life!