A stronghold is where darkness reigns, it is a thought pattern alien to the Word of God, it is anything in us strong enough to keep us from becoming like Christ in a given area of life, it is a Command Post, which the enemy works in the surround areas, it is a system of logic that is tied to a lie and used to perpetrate the purposes of the enemy in our lives and it is an act of rebellion much like cancer in the human body.

Strongholds can come from 3 sources:

We have weapons at our disposal:

Doubt is something that happens to every believer. We are not exempt from it, and we doubt God’s love, His power, His laws and also our own salvation. Doubt is the Devil’s age old trick, and we see that in various scriptures in the Bible.

Satan was using doubt with Jesus in Matthew 4, in ways not very different from how he tempts us or how he did Israel, the 3 temptations are patterned after Israel’s wilderness, and Adam & Eve.

In part one of the teaching on the armor of God, we were reminded that we are in a battle and God has called us to be soldiers/warriors. In this second part of the teaching, we learn that the armor of God begins and ends with Jesus. The command for the whole armor of God is that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. God gives the believer a full set of equipment, and He sends us out into battle with everything we need at our disposal. Prayer is also a part of the armor.

The full armor of God that Christians are called to put on comprises of the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Gospel of Peace, the Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit.

The enemy’s battlefield is our mind, and this where the battles are fought. Ephesians 6:10-20 reminds Christians about the reality of the spiritual battle and describes the protection available to them. Putting on the armor of God in spiritual battles, helps us STAND firm in God’s truths, and helps us FIGHT the enemy.

If someone were to ask you to tell them the beginning of the original Christmas Story, the story of the first Christmas, where would you start?

This Christmas message is concluded with who the "Word":

God has become one of us and His name is Jesus.

This quote by John Piper best describes the glory of God, “The glory of God is the manifest beauty of His holiness. It is the going-public of His holiness. It is the way He puts His holiness on display for people to apprehend it.”

Questions to ponder on from this message are:

An easter message at Christmas time?! This message is relevant no matter the season. Through this teaching we learn the perspectives of Jesus, the disciples and the donkey. We are chosen, hand picked by Jesus’ grace and for His service. But like the donkey, we are tied to the cords of our past, addictions, inadequacies, background and other excuses that keep us from answering to the call or word of God.

Jesus rode on the donkey to Jerusalem and on this ride he chose to be worshipped and welcomed as a King. Would you allow Jesus to set you free from the "cords", be available and willing to go with him where he leads you and bring glory to Him? We are made of infinite worth when we respond to His call.

This teaching gives a content of what we will be doing as a church in terms of membership. A call to commitment to the church as a follower of Christ requires submission to biblical membership. Acts 20:28-32

The Holy Spirit is a Divine Person. He is co-equal with God the Father and God the Son and is of the same essence. Yet He is also distinct from them. He is called our helper, He helps Christians testify Jesus to the world.