It's Crumbled To Dust, Baby.

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. (Second Corinthians 10:4)

In Sunday's sermon, Pastor Richard made the point that the word demolish carries a particular finality. He said, and I paraphrase here, We are not talking about just making a dent. Demolition means complete destruction, to the point that people will walk by and be unable to remember what used to stand in that location.

Here at Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene, we demolished an area of our property in order to build a new ministry space dedicated to the children and youth of our community. And our pastor reminded us of the demolition process that took place here a few years ago: once the old buildings were demolished, there was no way they were coming back. Every bit of concrete, metal, wood, and wire was broken to pieces and removed from the premises.

In Second Corinthians 10:1-5, the apostle Paul shares an apparent paradox: Though I make this appeal to you in a spirit of gentleness and meekness, be aware that God has given me the power to completely demolish every argument and pretense that is not in line with the word of God. And, this testimony of Paul ought to be the testimony of every believer. God has empowered us to fight: not with our fists, but with our confession of His word. The word of God is the weapon we carry that has the power to demolish strongholds, releasing people from the bondage of sin and sickness.

On Sunday Pastor Richard was empowered by God to make specific declarations, and in doing so he demolished strongholds. People were released from their bondage. We must understand that this is not an action reserved solely for pastors and apostles: it is an action every believer can take.

Are you facing situations that stand in opposition to what God has indicated in His word? Don't despair. Make your appeal in a spirit of gentleness. Pick up your weapons of warfare. Speak the word of God. Demolish the strongholds.

All Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.