Stronghold

October 31st has often been identified as a day of evil in this world, a day of monsters, witches, demons, animation of corpses, and spirits of the dead terrorizing the living. Movies are made to worship these manifestations of evil. Stories are told to instill fear. Some of the stories may even be true… Be warned my friends. Don’t let the dramatization of evil distract you. That is not where your attention should be focused.

I have often been told by mission groups returning from Africa that there is a stronghold of evil over the dark continent. I’ve heard stories of witchdoctors traveling hundreds of miles to confront an unprepared mission leader getting off the plane for the first time. I’ve heard stories of demon induced sickness. I’ve heard stories of finding curse devices constructed from dead animals. I’ve heard of physical manifestations of evil that are rarely seen in the United States, and to the unknowing person these would certainly indicate an evil stronghold, only you should not believe it.

Ask yourself this… How much influence does an African witch doctor have? How many people does the extent of his influence reach? A tribe of 50? 100? Perhaps for a few rare cases a few thousand? Is that really a stronghold? It is only recently that I came to understand why you hear so many bizarre stories out of Africa. It is because the evil there is weak, unfocused, and very limited in power, likely because that continent is bombarded with more prayers from true Christians than any other place on earth. Evil does not manifest itself physically because it is strong, rather it does that as a last resort because fear is the only weapon it has left to impose any influence at all.

Now ask yourself this… What about the United States of America? In this country you don’t hear stories about ghosts walking around, demonstrated witch doctor curses, or other manifestations of evil very often. What you hear instead of this is pronounced on every news station from coast to coast, about men and women who control the lives of not just hundreds, or thousands, but millions. Senators, congress men and women, and legislators manipulating this nation according to their evil whim not by the witch’s curse, but by the rule of law, and by the enforcement of men with guns. Talk about a stronghold…

Fortunately we have been given the power to defeat this stronghold…

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 - For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. (NIV)

My friends, when you see our nation bending under the weight of a stronghold do not despair, because we have the promise of our Lord Jesus Christ, that His church is STRONGER than any stronghold of hell…

Matthew 16:18-19 - "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (NIV)

You can depend on these words. The Church will prevail even in this hour. Keep praying and hold on to the faith. God isn’t finished with the United States of America, in fact He has barely even begun…


James :)