By Chuck Bentley

This is part one of a four-part series on financial strongholds. Many people have been taken captive by financial strongholds in their lives and are likely not even aware of it.

Listen to 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 carefully…

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ….

What are these “strongholds” we face? In this verse, Paul interprets the metaphor of a stronghold as “arguments against the knowledge of God”. In other words, these are the philosophies, reasonings, and schemes of the world. The “pretensions” have to do with anything proud, man-centered, and self-confident.

We often run for safety into the fortress of human reasoning and the pretense of logic. And there is the pinnacle of pride, in which the human heart revels in thoughts of its own excellence and sufficiency.

The victorious Christian escapes from these strongholds by identifying every false theory, every human philosophy and every prideful thought that have controlled us and replaces it with Truth.

Money will not destroy a financial stronghold. Only by the power of God’s Spirit and Word can we escape these false philosophies that hold us back from God’s plan.

Originally posted 8/24/15. Click here for part 2.