Two opposing kingdoms are at war. Jesus’ Kingdom and the devil’s kingdom are both operating at the same time on this earth. We are also in the war and cannot get out unless we bind up the devil and demolish the strongholds.
The War
Ephesians 6:11 tells us to “put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” The devil has tricks; he has more experience than us and is smarter and quicker than we are. There is a host of wickedness—a vast army of satanic beings arrayed in battle against us. The devil has already been defeated and judged, but he’s a renegade on the loose and working his schemes. We must take this seriously.
“We’re either being influenced by the Kingdom of Darkness or the Kingdom of Light.”
There is more than one heaven (Gen. 1:1; 2 Cor. 12:2). The first heaven is what we see in the sky. The third heaven is paradise, as Paul mentions. The second heaven is likely Satan’s dominions, where his kingdom dwells between earth’s first heaven and paradise.
When you pray, you send your prayer up through the first heaven, the second heaven, and into God’s realm starting in the third heaven. We must not be discouraged but take part in the spiritual war that we are in. When Jesus prays, He binds up the strong man, Satan, and demolishes strongholds. Jesus is the stronger man. When we walk with Jesus, we can use his power and authority to do the same things Jesus does.
Breaking Strongholds
We should walk freely in this world, unhindered by Satan because we are with the stronger man, Jesus. The problem is that when we are weighed down by strongholds in our own lives, we cannot go after the big strongholds (over our city, country, government, etc.). We must bind the strongholds over our own houses.
First, you must be in agreement with God to have powerful prayers. In order to have a prayer of agreement, you must find a person already in agreement, or in harmony, with the body of Christ.
The devil works hard to divide us because a divided kingdom cannot stand. When we are divided and not in harmony, we cannot pray in agreement.
We must be agreeable people, who agree with God and His Word, and who others can agree with. Then we can bind up the strong man in our own houses and then demolish every stronghold.
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand."
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them."
Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.
Questions:
Are you fully committed to God’s side in the spiritual war?
Have you bound up the strong man in your life and household?
What strongholds are you praying to be demolished?
