Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.

God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. From all nations people came to listen to Solomon's wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.

Strongholds are subtle. Built over time, and strengthened without our intention, often we are unaware of the strongholds that the enemy has in our life. But rather than just coping, or swatting them away, how about destroying them? That is precisely what we are told to do.

The popular reality show, Survivor,  had a tagline of “Outwit, Outplay, Outlast”. This would be a fitting tagline for our lives as followers of Christ. To be aware of the enemy, and to be determined to outwit him. Do you have a strategy?

When it comes to temptation, do you have a battle plan? Are you equipped to fight back? Are you sitting around waiting for temptation to come your way and see how it goes? No way! So, let’s get ready to counterstrike because we are not victims, but victors in Christ!

Satan is the father of lies. His main tactic is deception. However, he is not as powerful as he claims to be. We also have the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of truth to guide us. Spiritual warfare is true, but Christians are on the winning side.

We all “believe” in invisible things, like oxygen and love, for example. But when it comes to a mysterious spirit world, many of us think it sounds a bit too fanciful. Angels and demons? Really?

But the unseen world is real, and by pretending it’s not (or hyperfocusing on it), we run the risk of being influenced unknowingly.

We’ve all got them – people in our lives that drive us crazy. People that seem to sap the energy, rob our joy, and leave us often feeling angry, guilty, frustrated, and confused. What does God say about dealing with the annoying people in our lives?

God has made us all unique, so there’s no wonder that in relationships we will come face to face with others who are in different spiritual seasons and have different preferences and practices. Today we’ll look through the lens of Paul’s words to the Corinthians to see what wisdom from God he had to share regarding a church full of spiritual imbalances.

Relationships are beautiful, yet complex. We thrive when we’re on the same page and in harmony with one another. But when that gets complicated because we feel wronged by a person, bitterness can creep in and create a toxic relationship… with ourselves. Resentment is a powerful emotion that sends us down a downward spiral. There’s only one thing that can pull us out… and that’s what we’re talking about today.