Tearing Down Strongholds | Mike Troyer

I want to start with a story.

There was this large, shaggy dog named Max and he did not leave his yard.

Cars would zip past and he desperately wanted to run and grab hold of one of the bumpers and tear it off.

And then occasionally kids would play in the streets beside him and a ball would roll up to the curb and he desperately also wanted to go after the ball and just run away from the kids, but he couldn't.

And then this cat would walk past him.

Max couldn't imagine the nerve that this cat had because in his mind, in his dog mind sorry to you cat lovers in his dog mind, cats are evil and they are only on this earth to do Satan's work.

He so desperately wanted to chase after the cat and run it up a tree.

Why couldn't he run after stuff?

Well, he had an electric fence in his yard.

His owners had put an electric fence in and after trying countless times of getting zapped, he gave up trying to go outside his yard.

The interesting part was, or is, that Max's owner actually took the fence out a few years ago because it had somehow shocked a kid that had entered into their yard, and so actually there isn't any fence in, but Max thinks it is, and it's been several years and he still thinks that way and he associates life outside of his yard with pain, because when he got close to that he got zapped.

He didn't have any idea that the lie in his brain was the only thing that was keeping him from going outside and actually enjoying life to the fullest of chasing cats and tearing off bumpers and going after kids balls.

We kind of chuckle about that.

But I just want to ask this question.

I think sometimes we're pretty close like Max and we're also prisoners to the way we think because of the things that have shocked us in our life.

We also desperately want things but we just can't do it.

We crave a close relationship but as soon as we start thinking about that, fear and rejection set in and it cripples us.

We want to lose weight, but we've eaten enough donuts and it's piled up to the effect that we just there's no hope.

We want to be free of debt, we want to give more and but in our mind we've kind of signed off our life.

We're going to be paying our mortgage forever.

Why do we struggle with mindsets like this?

Because the enemy in key times of our life has placed jolts or shocks and has hurt us in painful ways, and those shocks have created this negative mindset of we can't do that, we can't fully achieve life or the life that we want to go because of what happened in those painful moments.

And the crazy part about our minds is you create different paths in your brain, the way you think.

The neuropathways can change over time, but it takes a long time to get it to change and the ruts we've worn in there, they're not permanent, but oftentimes it seems like that.

It seems like that, and so that's why I say I want to talk about tearing down strongholds is because it's keeping us from living to the fullest of what God wants us to live.

I knew I had some lies stuck in my head, but they really became apparent to me when I got married.

I'm only married a year and a half and it's amazing, but it really has shown me and it's been very exposing of how negative I think, and then I also project that onto the people close to me, and so I'm doing this for myself.

First of all and it's only what I'm learning is what I want to talk about, of how to deal with lies that are in our mind that are hindering us.

Lies that you believe affect the way that you treat your family.

It affects the way you lead out at work and in different places, and they also affect your view of God.

Lies will only divert you from your purpose, distract you from God's voice and destroy your potential.

And destroy your potential.

I want to read 2 Corinthians, 10, 4 through 5.

That's kind of my theme verses that I want to dwell on today.

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God.

For the pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

Am I willing to tear down those things that are holding me back?

Another interesting passage that I want to read to you is one that Paul wrote, and it's interesting that way back in the Bible time Paul had figured out how our mind works.

It's like way before the scientist figured it all out.

It's like way before the scientist figured it all out.

It's Romans 7, 15 through 24.

Romans 7, 15 through 24.

For what I am doing I do not understand.

For what I will to do, that I do not practice, but what I hate that I do.

If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good, for now it is no longer I who do it, but the sin that dwells in me, for I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, nothing good dwells, for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find is good.

I do not find For the good that I will to do I do not do, but the evil I will not to do that I practice.

Now, if I do what I will not to do, it will no longer.

It will no longer I who do it, but the sin that dwells in me.

I find, then, a law that is evil, a law that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good, for I delight in the law of God according to the inward man, but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into Primarily.

He's saying what I want to do, I can't, and I'll just do the worst thing.

And he's primarily saying I can't and I'll just do the worst thing, and he's primarily saying I can't get out of the rut that I've worn in my mind.

The first step in dealing with a lie is to identify it.

You might be thinking well, that's simple.

Some of you might have that figured out.

It took me a while to figure out what kind of my core lies are that are stuck in my mind, and often this can be unsettling because a lot of these lies have pain attached to them of what has happened in the past.

I want to share the three kind of core lies that I struggle with, just to give you an example and I'll use those further on.

The first lie that I have is I'm not worth anything.

The second lie is I'm not smart.

And then the third one is if I'm not in control, I will get hurt.

I just want to pause and I want everybody to close their eyes and just spend a moment in silence and just ask God what those lies are.

That he would reveal that to you because it's holding you back, heavenly Father, To you, because it's holding you back, heavenly Father, I just ask that you would come into our presence and would you just show us those things that are holding us back.

Would you just make yourself known.

I just ask your Holy Spirit to come down, okay, okay, and you might not have figured them all out, but if you have, write them down and then go home and do the rest of what I want to show you.

After you've identified the lies, you need to replace it with a truth, and usually it's a Bible verse or something that is kind of the opposite of what the lie is, of what the lie is.

And I'll use the three lies that I was talking about myself as an example for you guys.

My first lie is I'm not worth anything, and the truth that I have is Psalms 139, 13 through 14.

For you form my inward parts.

You covered me in my mother's womb.

I will praise you for I'm fearfully and wonderfully made.

Marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well are your works and that my soul knows very well.

And then I have a declaration that's just emphasizing the truth and it's kind of, in my own words, and kind of what the verse meant to me.

God formed me and made me into a marvelous way.

That means I'm worth a lot, into a marvelous way.

That means I'm worth a lot.

It's not what others say that I am, it's what God says, and he says I'm his beloved and kind of.

The shock of what created this lie was an absent father.

I have a dad, but he wasn't there.

There's still moments in life that I that I want to hear just for one time from his lips that I mean something to him.

I never heard that, but in the end it's what God says, that I am.

My number two is I'm not smart.

Isaiah 41.10,.

Fear not, for I'm with you, be not dismayed, for I'm your God.

I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you.

I, you're always by my side and you give me the strength and the knowledge that I need to do the work that you want me to, that you want me to.

This shock in my life came from just having a hard time in school.

I barely passed eight grades of education and I had a lot of Fs throughout the school as my score, and I really have to work at not letting that get into my head because it affects the confidence that I have in the different things that I do, the different things that I do Lie.

Number three is if I'm not in control, I will get hurt.

The truth is 1 Peter, 5, 6 through 7.

Therefore, humble yourself under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time, casting all your cares upon him, for he cares for you.

And the declaration is God, you're in control.

I give you everything my desires, my needs and my body.

I trust that you have my back back.

This shock came from experiencing sexual abuse when I was younger, and this one's really strong.

After you've gotten a truth and a declaration for the lies that are stuck in your head, you also need to reframe or rewrite the narrative that it's been telling you, because just a truth isn't good enough, or, for myself, this is kind of the why behind why you do, of finding the truth and why you need to reframe it, as, as people that experience bad things get stuck and frozen in those moments, and it's hard to put on a different pair of glasses because the glasses that you're wearing are tainted with these experiences.

So the goal is to reframe it and to have a different outlook of these circumstances.

And this is really where the rubber hits the road, because the question you have to ask yourself is can we thank God for what he didn't do and it doesn't have to be this specific one but, primarily, how can we accept what we experienced?

How can we accept what we experienced?

This is also really hard because it's way easier to play the victim role than to do the truth and to reframe it, than to do the truth and to reframe it.

Being the victim feels way better.

It's keeping hold of those truths and it feels like you're in better control or in control.

But in the end it's actually controlling your life and if we can thank God for what he didn't do or that over time he can take that wound and make it into something nice or something that will glorify him.

We might some experiences.

The scar or something won't ever go away, but it will hurt less and you can talk about it and you can bring glory to God by your testimony, can talk about it and you can bring glory to God by your testimony and by changing our narrative.

It means we have to release the people or the situation that has hurt us and in the end we're going to be a lot more free this way than holding on to and having the victim mentality.

It doesn't mean one thing I want to clarify.

It doesn't mean that you have to forgive and forget.

That doesn't work.

It will come out in other ways.

You do need to forgive and let go.

But it's a process and it's okay if you grieve over the loss or whatever you're going through.

You can't just stuff down your feelings.

I've experienced in that and it will come out in way worse ways.

You have to go through the process of grieving the loss and that will set you free.

And as I was studying I was thinking I struggle with this because everything inside me still wants to hold on to the thing of not letting dad go or the person that abused me.

I don't want to let that person go and there is a struggle.

But the question that I ask myself is do I want to be held back by those lies and those experiences or do I want to let it go and let God tear down those strongholds and for my potential to come out to its fullest?

I just want to read these verses again.

I just want to read these verses again, for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God, for the pulling down of strongholds, casting down arguments in every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

And this convinced me again that it's worth it to be willing to let go, to forgive and go through the process.

Now I want to talk a little bit about.

This was all stuff that might have happened to you in the past.

But what do you do with a current situation where everything inside of you is not calm, everything is freaking out and your head, like you, can't think straight anymore.

Your anxiety is through the roof.

You can't sleep.

What do you do if you have a situation like that?

First of all, you need to be aware that your amygdala, which is a small part of your brain, it's in the middle somewhere and it's your emotions and reaction part of your brain.

It's really helpful If you see a snake going past you.

It helps you to jump back, it helps you to not crash into other people, but if it gets control, it can wreak havoc and the amygdala will shut down the free frontal cortex, which is your logic part of the brain, and it will override that.

And that's often what's called a hijacked amygdala, and the first thing to do is prayer and that seems like, oh, come on, like that won't calm anything down, and I've experienced it.

It doesn't always, but still give it to God.

And one story to exemplify this is Elijah when he, after his day of killing all the Baal prophets and doing great wander, of showing God's people who God really was, that night he heard that Jezebel was coming after him and wanted his head.

And he ran for the mountains and you ask like come on, elijah, you did all this miraculous stuff.

And you're like there's part of me saying that and the other part is like, yeah, right, like Jezebel was really evil.

She was like really close to the North Korean leader I forget his name, but I think they're similar and and we kind of laugh at Elijah but he had reasons to be freaked out and he ran up to the mountain and was in that cave and he didn't see God in the windstorm and in the earthquake and all those big things.

But he saw, or he heard God in a still small voice.

And my point is pray to God.

Prayer is deciding to turn and surrender our feelings and control of our life to God.

It's giving him the controls.

Hebrews 4.16 says Let us approach God's throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.

Then, after prayer, comes praise.

And oftentimes when we're in this state of mind, we do not like to pray or we don't feel like to pray and to praise, but if we praise, it's kind of like saying God, you're going to do this, and it's projecting it to a positive.

If we praise God, he shows up.

And sometimes we don't believe this, but even in our unbelief he shows up, and sometimes we don't believe this, but even in our unbelief he comes through.

That's the powerful thing.

One example in this is Paul and Silas in prison.

When they were in prison, they were bound and I'm not sure how the conversation went, but one of them had this great idea of praising God and they were like beaten, they were bloody and like common sense tells you, like come on, try to sleep or something, and they probably couldn't.

That might have been the reason, and they praised God and an earthquake happened and mighty things did happen.

They might not always, god, might not always show up in the way that you want him to, but he'll show up.

And so, in conclusion, I just ask this for myself and for you Am I willing to let my negative thoughts be in control, negative thoughts be in control, or am I, with God's help, capable of taking them captive?

Am I willing to dwell on true, noble, right, lovely and excellent and praiseworthy things.

God doesn't want us to stay in our lawn.

He wants us to go way further than that and for us to go to our full potential.

He wants us to live in victory and to run the race that he's given us to run.

It's not easy work and it takes time, because your brain doesn't always.

It's not going to instantly go to these new ruts that you need to build, but I would encourage each one of you to try them and to be faithful.

It's not going to instantly go to these new ruts that you need to build, but I would encourage each one of you to try them and to be faithful.

I'm only learning this.

I do not have everything figured out.

Just see how much through all of this, how great God actually can be.

In closing, I want to read this verse one more time 2 Corinthians, 10, 4 and 5.

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God, for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments in every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

I just want to bless you all.

This is all I have.

So, randy, I'll turn the time over to you.

Amen.

Thank you, brother Mike, for sharing that sermon with us and just sharing from your heart some of the