Florida Bible Institute

Bible Basic Training

Lesson Five

 

Obstacles to Sanctification - Part I

 

Intro:  For those of us and as many of us as served in the Armed Forces, we were made aware of the Obstacle Course. Make no mistake about it, now that you have been Born Again, and become a Child of God, you are involved in Spiritual Warfare and, as such must understand that Satan, the enemy of your soul does not want you to become strong in the Lord and the power of His might. (Ephesians 6:10) In order to keep you from becoming strong in the Lord and the power of His might, Satan will place every obstacle he can in your path in his attempt to discourage you and defeat you. You must learn how to overcome the obstacles in the Spiritual Obstacle Course.

 

As we discovered in our last lesson, salvation is an event, in which one believes in the

Lord Jesus Christ as the Messiah, as their Lord and Savior when they are Born Again.

 

However, sanctification is a process by which one who has been Born Again becomes

increasingly like our Lord and Savior, which is the will of God for all Believers.

 

But, make no mistake about it, - now that Satan has lost his legal ownership of you, he will now employ every strategy that he can in order to keep you from becoming increasingly Christ- like, Gods will for your life.

 

In this lesson we will discover some of the strategies, the wiles and devices that Satan uses against Believers, and especially against the New Believer trying to keep them from becoming Christ-like!

 

I.         Strongholds in the life can and will pose obstacles to the process of sanctification.

 

1.         What some people call habits or addictions are in fact strongholds in the life. A stronghold defined is a practice in the life that has a strong hold in the life of the individual. A stronghold in the life of an individual may manifest in the life as an addiction to drugs, alcoholism, nicotine, pornography, lust, lying, stealing, homosexuality, adultery, or any number of other sinful practices over which the individual acknowledges that they have no control.

 

The Word of God speaks to this in 2 Corinthians 10:3 - 5.

 

2Co 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

2Co 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

2Co 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

 

1.         Note carefully in 2 Corinthians 10:4 that ....the weapons of our warfare are not carnal...

(that is, they are not human) they are however mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.

 

2.         This tells us that weapons are needed to pull down these strong holds and that we are in a warfare, that is to say a spiritual warfare.

 

3.         Strong holds are not built into the life overnight, but, over a process of time as the same sin is committed time after time, over and over again.

 

4.         While some strong holds can be torn down almost instantly, or, very quickly, generally, there is a process of time involved in tearing them down, depending on their nature, and, how long they have been present in the life of the individual.

 

5.         Strong holds are almost always influenced by evil spirits - demons.

 

II.        The Word of God further describes this warfare in Ephesians 6:10 - 12.

 

Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

 

1.         We are put on notice that this warfare cannot be won using human methods.

 

2.         We are informed that we are actually in spiritual combat against evil spirits of different ranks and strengths.

 

3.         These provide obstacles to the process of sanctification, but, as we have seen in the Word of God, we are provided with that which is necessary to gain our freedom from such unclean spirits and strongholds.

 

III.      The Sins of the Fathers can also provide obstacles to sanctification as revealed in Exodus 20:3 - 5.

 

1.         This did not mean that God would punish the child for the sins of the father, however, it did mean that:

 

(1)       As our ancestors, as an act of their will sinned against God, against the known will of God, they gave legal access to unclean spirits (demons) to gain access to the family blood line and to operate in the family blood line for continuing generations until - someone in the blood line through the power of the Holy Spirit

after having been “Born Again" chooses as an act of their will through submission

to the Lordship of Jesus Christ to be free and breaks their power in the bloodline.

 

(2)       As children saw the fathers committing the sins of idolatry, or other expressions of sinful practices, and as they the children, were influenced to commit those same sins as their fathers had committed, they placed themselves under the same judgement as their fathers, by themselves giving legal access to the same unclean spirits. Just as surely as we find such conditions as cancer, diabetes, heart conditions and other medical problems in family blood line, the same is true in a variety of sinful conditions in blood line, because of the sins of the fathers.  (This biblical truth is also found at Exodus 34:7, Numbers 14:18, and Deuteronomy 5:9)

 

(3)       Evil spirits that gain access to a blood line through the sins of the fathers, will often seek to remain in the blood line, influencing the descendants in that blood line for generations - which we see in ample cases in scripture and in lives today.

 

With these truths in mind, answer the following questions as best as you can.

 

1.         In your own words explain your understanding of 2 Corinthians 10:3.

 

2.         Explain your understanding of 2 Corinthians 10:4.

 

3.         What is your understanding of 2 Corinthians 10:5?

 

4.         In your own words explain your understanding of Colossians 1:16.

 

5.         What truth do you learn from Ephesians 6:10?

 

6.         What truth do you learn from Ephesians 6:11?

 

7.         What is your understanding of Ephesians 6:12?

 

8.         What lesson do you learn from James 4:7?

 

Most likely, every person coming to Christ for salvation has one or more strong holds in their life when they are Born Again. The individual who truly wants to be free from these Satanic strong holds can be free. One must understand that the Christian walk is not a cake-walk.

Satan will resist your becoming free of his strong holds in your life, some of which have been in your blood line perhaps for generations. Having lost his legal ownership of you, he will try to retain enough influence and control in your life to keep you from walking in all the liberty and freedom that Christ Jesus purchased for you on the Cross.  Be encouraged, as you submit and surrender yourself to the Lordship of Jesus Christ through discipleship, you - can be free!

God Bless you!