Mark 3:27 "No man can enter into a strong man's house and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house."
The Greek word for "spoil" in this passage is "diarpazo" which means to plunder, seize, or snatch away. The Greek word "house" is “oikos” meaning "dwelling place." The powerful enemy that Jehoshaphat faced was not just "bound" by God's people, but they were "spoiled" by a complete conquest. If you seek total victory in the circumstances you face then "binding" the enemy is not enough. You must learn how to "spoil his house."
Satan thinks your house, your mate, your children, and your finances belong to him. As the enemy threatened Jehoshaphat, Satan also threatens to "steal, kill, and destroy" what is yours. Simply binding the work of the enemy does not yield total victory because if you let your guard down, he might get loose again. You must totally "spoil" his house.
God told the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:10:
"See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant."
Jeremiah was directed to put his spiritual axe at the root of evil and terminate its growth, and, in so doing, destroy spiritual strongholds. A stronghold is any area where Satan has seized control:
-It may be addictive, destructive habits which you seem unable to conquer.
-It may be uncontrollable emotions of anger, rage, and bitterness.
-It may be a tendency towards violent, criminal behavior which has surfaced throughout successive generations in your family.
These "strongholds" are passed on through what we call "generational curses." Satan seizes control in one generation, and the curse is passed on to succeeding generations.
The Bible reveals that the forces that determine all events in this world fall into two divisions: Visible and invisible. Blessings and curses are invisible forces of spiritual power which are transmitted by words because "Death and life are in the power of the tongue " according to Proverbs 18:21. You speak either a blessing or curse and the words you speak produce either good or harmful results.
Most people readily accept the concept of "blessing" as valid and Biblical, but are skeptical about this subject of "curses." They think the word conjures up images of the dark ages, witches, and voodoo dolls. But just as the opposite of good is evil, the opposite of blessings are curses.
The word "curse" occurs about 230 times in the Bible. It means to speak evil over, pray against, or wish evil against a person or thing. Cursing is a pledge, oath, or commission that is devoted to destruction. The first occurrence of this word was when God cursed the serpent and the ground:
Genesis 3:14, 17 "So the Lord God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.” Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life." These two curses in Genesis 3 contrast the two blessings spoken over man and the earth in Genesis 1:22 and 28.
The Bible indicates that "the curse causeless shall not come" in Proverbs 26:2, meaning that behind every curse there is a spiritual cause. Deuteronomy 27:15-26 lists moral and ethical sins that create spiritual breaches that open you up to strongholds of Satan. A summary of these includes worshiping false gods, disrespect for parents, all forms of oppression and injustice, all forms of illicit and unnatural sex, and rebellion against God's Word.
Other Biblical references contribute to this list of sins that bring a curse:
-Galatians indicates that those preaching "another Gospel" (apostasy) will be cursed-Galatians 1:6-9.
-Jeremiah notes that those who trust in "flesh" (works) instead of God are cursed-Jeremiah 17:5.
-Robbing God of tithes and offerings brings a financial curse-Zechariah 5:1-4, Haggai 1:4-6, and Malachi 3:8-9. -Anti-Semitism is also dangerous spiritually because God promised the Jewish nation "I will curse him that curses you" in Genesis 12:2, 3.
Deuteronomy 28 reveals seven indications of the operation of a spiritual curse or stronghold.
-Mental or emotional breakdown.
-Chronic sickness.
-Alienation and breakdown of marriage and family relationships.
-Barrenness or a tendency to miscarry.
-A cycle of poverty.
-A history of unnatural or untimely deaths.
-Continual defeat by the enemy.
Curses are perpetuated through negative, hateful, bitter words that have the power to bring emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and even physical death. There are curses instilled by authority figures through their words or operate because of personal violation of God's Word (sin). Curses also operate through strongholds established by Satan in your ancestors which are passed down through generations.
You may ask, "When I accepted Jesus as Savior, weren't all of these curses broken over my life?" When you are born again, you are forgiven of your past sins and the shed blood of Jesus has the power to break every curse. As in the story of Jehoshaphat, however, Satan will return through "bad reports" and "great multitudes" to try to bring curses back on you. Like Israel, when you begin to praise God the strongholds are broken and the curse is reversed upon the enemy because the positive force of praising conquers the negative force of cursing:
Deuteronomy 30:19 "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live."
You choose "blessing" when you praise God and your worship literally "spoils" the enemy's house:
2 Chronicles 20:23, 24 "For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another ...So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped."
Praise will disarm the enemy forces arrayed against you and reverse every diabolical curse and stronghold that threatens and controls your life. Don't wait until you see the hand of God moving and your victory is assured. Begin to praise Him, even while you hear the sound of advancing troops echoing across the dessert plains of your life. Begin to sing in the face of adversity when, like Jehoshaphat, you don't know what you are going to do about your circumstances. And don't be surprised when you get to the battle field if all you can find is the disintegrating carcass of your problem.
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