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Here is a Bible study I felt to write up and share with my study group here. I tried to make it into a newsletter. Enjoy!
How to train your mind body and Spirit (one of many with God!)
Question, what does the Bible say and use Strongholds for?
The word strong hold or strong holds are used 27 times in the Bible (KJV)
26 times in the Old Testament and 1 time in the New Testament.
There are many Hebrew words that are used but almost all show a fort, fortification, strength whether figurative or literally it is the defense, the high place, strength it is where we go when we are scared and need to hide.
Where are there mentions in the Bible? 2nd Samuel 5:7 David took the stronghold of Jerusalem. In 24:7 Tyre was a stronghold as well.
Isaiah 31:9 Assyrians flee to a stronghold for fear.
Micah 4:8 God gathers His people to His stronghold
Nahum 1:7 the Lord is the stronghold.
Habakkuk 1:10 God sends Chaldeans to destroy the stronghold
Zechariah 9:3 Tyre’s build its own stronghold and in 9:12 turn to the stronghold (God) prisoners’ of hope
in numbers 13:19 God tells the Israelites to search the land for cities and strongholds
judges 6:2 Israel made dens in strongholds
1st Samuel 23:14 David hid in strong holds, God protected him
in 23:19 David hiding in 23:29 David went to another stronghold
2nd Kings 8:12 God showed His servant He will set fire to the stronghold
2nd Chronicles 11:11 Man fortify strongholds
Psalms 89:40 God brought strongholds to ruin
Isaiah 23:11 God commanded strongholds to be destroyed
“He stretched out His hand over the sea, he shook the kingdoms: the LORD hath given a commandment against the merchant city, to destroy the strongholds there of”
Jeremiah 48:18 destroy the stronghold
48:41 Stronghold surprised
Lamentations 2:2 God Throwdown strongholds
“The Lord hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and hath not pitied: he hath thrown down in his wrath strong holds of the daughter of Judah: He hath brought them down to the ground: he hath polluted the kingdom and the prices there of”
Lam 2:5 God destroys the Strong holds
Daniel 11:24 a king scattering strongholds
11:39 What God will do to strongholds of strange gods
Micah 5:11 God throw down strongholds
Nahum 3:12 stronghold like fig tree. shaken and fall down
3:14 fortify your strong hold (get ready!)
14-15 “draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strongholds” go into clay and tread the mortar. make strong the brickkiln.
There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off. It shall eat thee up like the canker worm: make thyself many as the canker worm, make thyself many as the locusts.”
Nearly all these Verses speak about man strongholds, what happens when they trust in their own strong, what they have built to save them. God shows He is the only true strong hold. And any strong holds against the LORD will be destroyed!
The only time strong hold is mentioned in the New Testament is 2nd Corinthians 10:4 but let me read verses 13-7
3″ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4″ (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5″ casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ
6″ And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience. When your obedience is fulfilled.
7″ do ye look on things after the outward appearance? if any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, Let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ’s even so are we Christ’s
there is much to see here. in verses 1 and 2 Paul greats them as being absent so he can be stern with the Truth. I am away from all of you and my dad named me Paul as my second name so it seems appropriate haha.
Looking at all the Old Testament verses and then 2nd Corinthians it makes sense God wants to destroy the strong holds but before the physical location is built we have these fortresses in our minds and in our imaginations. We have to break these down so God is our only stronghold.
Question, was the Ark of the covenant a stronghold for the Israelites?
in first Samuel 4-18 it shows they trusted in the Ark more than the one who gave it to them! (God)
We think because something saved us in the pass (whether it was of God or man) then we think that thing will always save us. Because of that thinking God comes to get it out of the way for Him to get the glory!
We see there is warfare in 2nd Corinthians 10:4. And we know there are weapons that are not carnal but spiritual in Ephesians 6:10-19
We need to be strong, There is an enemy to fight, we need to put on the armour of God.
BUT!!! How do we train?
If the battle field are men’s souls where do we train?
We read the Word of God, We pray, we speak to brothers in Christ but does that make you sore?
Do you feel a workout in the spirit? How intense is it?
In jail working out is important for your mind and body but physical movement is part of overall health.
I feel more rest in prayer, a place to go when I need Go more than ever, the Bible comforts and convicts me. My brethren comfort but can also correct and admonish me but what can I do to fight my greed, my lust, my pride, my Flesh. How do I train my spirit against the flesh.
Romans 6:19 says
“I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness”
Romans 7:18-25 is a very complicated and repeating verse but here Paul talks about how he does things he does not want to do. and not do things he knows he should do. later I will speak on this for a new perspective.
Romans 8:7 says
“because the carnal mind is enimity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”
Here shows the flesh will never follow Gods law so, we need the spirit to subject the flesh everyday!
2nd Corinthians 7:1
“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God”
Cleanse the flesh and spirit!
Galatians 5:19-25
This is a long list of the sins the flesh entices us to do. It also shows the fruits of the spirit.
Please take a minute to search and read these passages but one i want to point out most of all is verse 24
“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts”
How do we actively fight these sins and desires? Prayer and fasting
Here is the main focus of the newsletter. FASTING!
Prayer is communing with God even supplication to ask God for help but how do we train?
I wanted to read and study more on the science and what happens in the body during fasting but I have not found the right book, so lets see what the bible says on it
First, has any one felt the strength of God’s Spirit? Have you had the Spirit take over during preaching? That is God using a vessel. How did you feel after? Drained, exhausted? Prayer speaks to God, but fasting trains us to be used by God.
I’m using an example in prison to make a point.
How many of us here if we were told go do a muscle up to go home free would try?
If you had one try a month what would you be doing the rest of the time? Training right!
If trials come in your life do you wait until they show up and hope you get through it?
If there is a sin that bothers you do you wait for the next time it shows up to face it?
Or do you prayer and ask God for help?
Often God puts you in the fire when you start asking to remove something from your life. Try asking for patience, see how many frustrating people God send you then!
Think of prayer as God being your workout coach and doing what He says,
Fasting is like taking the book the coach wrote and working on your fundamentals.
the Hebrew says the word fasting means to cover the mouth
in Greek it is to abstain from food.
Here are a few verses that speak on how fasting was used in the Bible
2nd Samuel 12:21-23 David fasting for sick child, petitioning God.
1st kings 21:9-12 Jezebel using a fasting event for evil
2nd Chronical 20:3 enemies surround us, fasting to seek God’s will
Ezra 8:21 fasting to afflict ourselves, choosing to trust God, not man
Esther 4:16 Fasting to prepare for a trial of faith
Jeremiah 14:12 God won;t listen to hypocritical fasting of Israel V 36:9 seeking repentance by fasting. The King.
Joel 1:14 God telling Israel to fast. in v 2:15 He tells them again to fast
Zechariah 7:5 God questioning who they fasted to V 8:19 fasts of the month shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts.
When writing this bible study and newsletter I did not think it would be this long. I will try to finish this newsletter in part 2 next week. If you have problems fasting do think think it is just stop eating for 3 days. I will try to show that it is a processes we need to train to be good at. once we are good at it and we train it we can feel the benefits mentally and spiritually as well as physically. Fasting is a gift from God we just need to learn how to use it and not abuse it. Thank the Lord.
Pray for us and the country, we see that so many people care about themselves more than God. Who will cry out to the people to turn them back to God? Will God find faith when He returns?
Thank you all for your support and prayers. For the food we eat and our families rent and housing it is all thanks to those who donate. God bless you.
A servant of the Lord
Jordan
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