“Tearing Down Strongholds” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

TRANSCRIPT

Date: August 26, 2026 Author: Wayne J. Edwards

Tonight at 6:00 PM, we will continue our sermon series, “ Detecting and Destroying the Roots of our Sins,” with tonight’s sermon, “ Tearing Down Strongholds.” Dr. Lloyd Jones once said: “ The problem of sin is not merely that man does wrong things; it is that he is wrong in himself. Sin is a state, a condition, a power that holds man captive. It is a radical corruption of the whole nature, affecting the mind, the heart, the will, and the affections. Man sins because he is a sinner; he is not a sinner because he sins.” Because of this, no sin remains private for long. Hidden sins are eventually exposed, personal habits grow into patterns, cycles, and then bondage, and others, especially those in our family, follow our lead. If that is not corrected, generational patterns are set and become strongholds in the lives of our children and our children’s children. This is what God meant in Exodus 20:5, Exodus 34:7, and Numbers 14:18, when He said a parent’s iniquity can affect the children, even to the third and fourth generation. Join us live at 6:00 PM for the study: www.theheritagechurch.org The sermon will be available on our Website and on YouTube. The YouTube URL: https://www.youtube.com@heriagebaptistchurchperry Please forward this study guide to those you think might benefit from this study! Pastor Wayne

Tonight at 6:00 PM, we will continue our sermon series, “ Detecting and Destroying the Roots of our Sins,” with tonight’s sermon, “ Tearing Down Strongholds.”

Dr. Lloyd Jones once said: “ The problem of sin is not merely that man does wrong things; it is that he is wrong in himself. Sin is a state, a condition, a power that holds man captive. It is a radical corruption of the whole nature, affecting the mind, the heart, the will, and the affections. Man sins because he is a sinner; he is not a sinner because he sins.”

Because of this, no sin remains private for long. Hidden sins are eventually exposed, personal habits grow into patterns, cycles, and then bondage, and others, especially those in our family, follow our lead. If that is not corrected, generational patterns are set and become strongholds in the lives of our children and our children’s children. This is what God meant in Exodus 20:5, Exodus 34:7, and Numbers 14:18, when He said a parent’s iniquity can affect the children, even to the third and fourth generation.

Please forward this study guide to those you think might benefit from this study!

Pastor Wayne

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The sin nature we inherited from Adam includes the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

The Bible describes seven root sins from which all fruit sins arise.

Then, according to Hebrews 12:1, at least one of those seven root sins is a besetting sin for us; i.e., we struggle with it daily.

Every person is born with the same seed-bed or soil of sin, and every person faces the same seven root sins, as well as that one sin that so easily besets them, and each person will stand before the Lord and give account of their sins.

In Exodus 20:5-6, Moses told the Hebrews, “ For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.”

In his sermons from Proverbs 1-10, Pastor John MacAurthur said: “Begin early to teach, for children begin early to sin,” and here are the ten crucial lessons parents must teach their children.

While God is the only One who can save our children, for only the Holy Spirit can lead them to salvation, as parents, we set the example of submission and obedience unto God, or rebellion against Him, and that pattern is handed down to our children, and our children’s children.

In biblical terms, “strongholds” refer to fortified structures or places of defense. In spiritual terms, strongholds” refer to those entrenched patterns of thought or behavior that are resistant to God’s truth and can hinder one’s spiritual growth.

Footholds can be established in any area of our lives: our personal lives, our marriage, our family, our employment, our leisure activities, etc. and it can involve our finances, pornography, drinking, overeating, laziness, lack of discipline, etc., and unless that foothold is recognized, confessed, and fully repented of, including restitution and reconciliation with those affected, that demon will invite other demons to occupy other parts of our soul, and multiple strongholds are constructed in that person.

Five strategies to destroy the strongholds Satan may have built in our minds:

1. Prayer and Fasting – In Mark 9:29, Jesus told the disciples who weren’t able to cast out a demon from a little boy, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” Fasting and prayer demonstrates a willingness to seek God’s power for our personal struggles. 2. Renewing the Mind – In Romans 12:1-2, the Apostle Paul instructed his readers; “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” This is the most important, but most neglected step in the salvation process. 3. Confession and Repentance – In 1 John 1:9, the Bible assures us that confessing our sin is the first step in tearing down any kind of stronghold Satan has tried to establish in our souls. 4. Accountability and Community – The support from our fellow believers is vitally important in this process, for they hold us accountable to our covenant with God. 5. Faith and Trust in God – Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”

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