A few years ago, I preached a series of sermons on “Pulling down Strongholds.”  My contention then, as it is now, is that we all have some heavy chains that bind us and keep us from being all that God would have us to be.  These strongholds come in many forms — addiction, lust, greed, pride, lack of self-esteem — the list goes on and on.  Whatever it is that imprisons us, we must strive to break free. In 2 Corinthians 10:4, we find these words:

“We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.”

Whatever stronghold is controlling our lives, we must give it to God.  We should not be in denial, but we should be truthful with ourselves, others, and most of all with God.  One of my strongholds is the need to please everybody.  This has caused me much pain, and I am still struggling to break free. I have learned that I should try to please God first rather than putting all my energy into trying to please others first.  If we want to be victorious, and live a full life in Christ, then we should start today to pull down those strongholds through prayer, repentance, and faith in God.