Strongholds and the Christian Life

Dr. Couch, what are the "strongholds" in our lives? And is it accurate to describe these in understanding how the Christian life works? ANSWER:  The expression comes from 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. In the NAS it reads "for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh; but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations, and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God."    The charismatics use this passage and say the strongholds have to do with the flesh. While this is true they often do not get to the solution. What Paul is concerned about are the "lofty things" that come against knowing God. This is how we defeat the tug of the flesh. Dan Mitchell in our commentary series writes: "If Paul did not possess divine authority, he could not possess divine power. The real war in which we are engaged today is the war of ideas." The charismatics often do not see the Word of God as the final answer to the pull of the flesh. They hold on to some kind of "power" they think that have within themselves and therefore, they remain defeated. It is the study of God's Word that liberates—the knowledge of (or about) God! The charismatics have "an irrational system, which is beyond the capacity of reason to discover or to fathom to its depth," says the great Greek scholar Nicoll. They work from emotion and not from the objective knowledge of Scripture, and thus fly off in all directions—to mysticism.    Hope this helps.    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (1-10)