I want us to begin tonight by going to the text of 2 Corinthians chapter number 10. Read the three verses. Really our text for this series talks about strongholds. 2 Corinthians chapter number 10, verse number 3. says, For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Now in our first message, we said that when we refer to strongholds, we're talking about habits or patterns of behavior that can really become destructive in our lives. In other words, it's those sins that just seem to keep cropping up in our lives. Hebrews 12-2 refers to the sin which does so easily beset us. We know there are such things, don't we? We know those things. because we've experienced them at times. These strongholds can be addictive or they can be recurring behavior of any sort. And these things can not only be destructive to us, but they can also affect those that are around us, others around us. We said that we all have areas of our lives where we need help in overcoming strongholds. We just released a three message series, a mini series, you might say. We'll finish this up, Lord willing, we'll wrap it up next week. And it's designed to help us deal with strongholds in our lives. And we began to give you some principles that are necessary for us to gain victory over the strongholds in our lives, a total of ten. that there are, and we've looked at verse 3. Know where sin originates. We've talked about sin originates in the heart, and that's why it's so important for us to guard our heart. Guard your heart. The Bible says our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked, and we know that. The Bible says that our hearts can be guarded with diligence, should be guarded with diligence. And the Bible says that our hearts are to be guided in the way And we also saw that we need to take God's attitude towards sin. Sadly, too many take a light attitude towards sin. Oh yeah, I messed up, so I'll confess and pretend. We'll just go on with life. Take God's attitude. If God's against it, we ought to be against it too. We're to abhor and hate evil, and we're to depart from evil. And then thirdly, we saw that we need to understand that it's better for us to keep our heart clean than it is to try to clean it after it's been defiled. Because we allow sin to foothold in our life, it brings with it consequences. You can sin, consequences always follow sin. We can choose the sin, but we cannot choose the consequences. Now, let's look at the next four things. that we want to deal with tonight. The first one is found in James. I'm going to ask you to turn to James. We'll take a look at this. James chapter number one. James chapter number one. And what we want to see tonight is first of all, know that it's usually impossible to fight a fleshly appetite while indulging in it. I'll give you a for instance. You know, if you're going to quit drinking, you don't quit drinking a little at a time. You don't quit smoking a little at a time. You don't quit any kind of sin a little at a time. You can't fight a fleshly appetite while you're actually indulging in it. In James 1, verses 14-15, it says, But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. And when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin. And sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Now, that desire uh... that habitual warning of whatever it is you have there. You're talking about uh... every man's tempted when he's drawn away of his own lust. You want to do it. You're enticed to do it. And it ought to make sense to us. If you think about it for a minute on another level. Let's say you're not supposed to eat something. Let's say like ice cream. You're not supposed to eat ice cream. My doctor don't like me eating ice cream. I thought I'm going to die of something one day. So I'm going to enjoy my Friday ice cream. But it's not a sin. It's not really hurting me. But suppose you're not supposed to eat something. Let's say like ice cream. Is it going to help me or hurt me to sneak around and eat ice cream when Susan's not looking? It's going to hurt me, isn't it? Is it going to increase my desire or decrease my desire to sneak around and eat it? Well, the answer for that is twofold. For the immediate term, it may increase my desire to indulge in more and more immediately, and that is until my flesh has had its fill for the moment. I can't get sick of ice cream, eating enough of it. But for the long term, what happens is you fertilize the urge. Fertilize my urge, so to speak. That taste that I love is so firmly embedded in my mind that once again, in a greater way than it was before, because of my indulgence. I indulged, and so it's firmly more implanted that, boy, I've got to have my ice cream. I want some more ice cream. And the same thing is true when we're fighting sin. The same thing is true when we're fighting any fleshly appetite. Think about any fleshly appetite. Ecclesiastes 5.10 says, he that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver, nor he that loveth abundance with increase. This is also vanity. But you know, that principle really applies to just about anything tied to a fleshly appetite. Think about it. He that loves alcohol, is he going to be satisfied with alcohol? No. He's going to want more and more of it. He that loveth drugs, not going to be satisfied with drugs, are they? You usually have to get more and more and go to heavier drugs. Folks that love cigarettes are not satisfied with cigarettes. They can advertise that these things satisfy them. They don't satisfy them. You want more, over and over again. He that loveth pornography shall not be satisfied with pornography. Know that that principle really applies in different circumstances. So know that it's unusually impossible to fight a fleshly appetite while indulging in it. So basically you need to quit cold turkey. You just need to. I know it's difficult, but just what you have to do. Number five here. Know that small compromises in our lives can lead to great disasters. We might also say this along with that. Little sins can lead to big sins. Right? Little sins can lead to big sins. In fact, Luke 16 verse 10, the Lord said, He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much. He that is unjust in that and the least is unjust also in much. In Romans 6.16, the Apostle Paul said, No ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness. Petty theft, we know, can lead to grand theft eventually. Smoking first cigarette can lead to a two or three pack a day habit. expensive habit anymore. This really is. Drinking a few beers can lead to drinking a case of beer. I can tell you the number of people I was in school with who got caught up in drinking and it took over their lives and it destroyed many of their lives. Drinking beer can also lead to drinking hard liquor. Drinking alcohol can lead to experimenting with other drugs. Experimenting with drugs can lead to doing harder drugs. Viewing pornography can lead to physical immorality and adultery. Think about uncontrolled anger. Uncontrolled anger can lead to murder. Don't believe that? Look at Cain. Cain killed Abel. But it started with anger. He got mad because His often wasn't accepted, and Abel's was. Covetousness can lead to lying, cheating, and stealing. Achan. Think about Achan's sin. He coveted that he stole there in Joshua chapter 7. You know, the evil thoughts can lead to evil deeds, which is why we need to guard our thoughts, guard our hearts, guard our thoughts, guard our minds. Think about Lot for a minute. Lot began with covetousness over a well-watered plain. Remember that discussion you had with Abraham? They were looking at the land and he got worried. Man, I'd really like to have that over there. And Abraham obliged him and allowed him to have that. It eventually led to his vexing his righteous soul with the immorality that surrounded him and Sodom. It began with covetousness. It ended in disaster in his life. Think about David. I just imagine that David probably never envisioned that his adulterous affair would lead to murder. But it did. It led to that, to try to cover up his affair. Think about the Herod who ruled at the time of the birth of Christ. It started out with jealousy and pride. His just thinking about somebody that was born king of the Jews. Well, doggone it, I'm the king of the Jews. It was his idea there. Then you think about the jealousy and pride eventually turned to mass murder of infants. The Herod who ruled at the beginning of Christ's ministry started out with adultery with his brother Philip's wife. And where did that lead him? Wound up chopping John the Baptist's head off. Killed a preacher over it. Sad, but that's what sin does. It leads to greater sin. Judas. Think about Judas. We know from reading the scripture that Judas was a petty thief. He would steal out of the bag. He kept the bag for the disciples, the treasury bag that he was in charge of. They had no idea what was going on. Jesus knew it the whole time. He wound up taking bribes to deliver Jesus to the chief priests and elders and wound up committing suicide in the end. You never know where sin is going to lead you. You see, small compromises can lead to great disasters. And small sins can lead to bigger ones. So know that small compromises can lead to great disasters. Another thing here is know that those who do not love the Lord will not help us serve the Lord. Now this is a big one. We really need to watch who we hang around. Be careful of the company that you keep. Watch out who your close associations are with. I can't tell you how many times I've seen someone who was following the Lord who got in with somebody they never should have got close to and wound up getting pulled away from the Lord and their lives becoming a disaster because of that very thing. We know in Judges 16, Samson let his lust for beautiful women get the best of him. He lay his head in the lap of Delilah who deceived him with her love. Yeah, it wasn't really love. She knew that she could manipulate Samson. He lost his power with God. He found himself blinded and in bondage and eventually paid for his indiscretions with his very life. This was something that Young people need to understand that there's more to look for in a mate than just physical beauty. If you just look on the outward appearance of someone without taking into account their spiritual makeup, whether they're good materials to marry. I fear for my grandchildren. in that area. You want them to date right and marry right. Young people need to understand there's more to look for than just physical beauty. In fact, Proverbs 31.30 tells us this. It says, A favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain. But a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Now, in 2 Samuel 13 verse 3, It says these words. It says, but Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimei, David's brother. And Jonadab was a very subtle man. And we know that Amnon getting hooked up with Jonadab was not a good thing. You read the whole story and you'll find that Jonadab gave Amnon a plan for fulfilling his lust against his sister. that he had. Amnon wound up raping Tamar and then he was killed at Absalom's command. Places that sin will carry you. You just don't know. You think if Amnon had realized where it was going to carry him that he would have got wrapped up with Jonadab? I don't think so. What I'm saying is we need to be careful of the company we keep and those that we befriend. Listen to Proverbs 28, verse number 7. It says, Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son. For he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his father. Proverbs 13, verse 20. He that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. Who makes a good friend? How about someone who is God's friend? Not the world's. Amen? James 4, verses 4 and 5 says, Adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Psalm 119, verse 63. The psalmist said there, he said, I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. You know, each of us are followers in some respect. Therefore, it is imperative to have the right kind of companions. And I know that there's followers and there's leaders, but we all to a certain extent We're a follower at one time, even if we may not be so now. But to a certain extent, we are followers of someone. We need to be careful of who we follow. Here's the seventh thing. Know that our sinful habits hurt those who are following us. This is very important. Just as each of us are followers in some respect, each of us are also leaders in some respect. Somebody is looking up to you. Somebody is looking at your life. And Romans 14 verse 7 gives us a great truth for that concept. It says, For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. You can't live without affecting someone else. You've probably heard the expression, no man is an island. And that's true. Each of us exacts a degree of influence on the people we come into contact with in this life. My wife and I, we influence one another. Those of you that are married, husbands and wives influence, have an influence on each other's life. And some of that influence, depending on the relationship, can be good. Some of it may not be so good. That's why it's important in choosing a spouse. Amen. Parents can have influence on their children. We try to have a great influence on our children. We pray that our daughter has a great influence on the ones that she has, and our son has a great influence on the two that he has. Because parents can have an influence on their children, and that influence can be either positive or negative, can't it? It just can't. Children can have influence on their siblings. You know, one sibling can decide that they're going to go astray. You know, they've been up under mom and dad a while. They turn 18. They graduate from high school. Well, I'm going to do my own thing. Well, what do you think that does to the one up under them? You know, they see that and say, well, maybe I'll just a couple of years from doing my own thing. What I'm saying is children can have an influence on their siblings. Workers can have an influence on their co-workers. Hopefully, we're the ones giving the influence, a positive influence, and not allowing the influence to come our way from others who may be not walking close with the Lord. If you're going to school, students can have an influence on their fellow students. And any of these influences can be positive or negative depending upon how your influence is. We could go on. The fact is, each one of us has a circle of influence. You've got a circle of men with you. You've got a certain number of people that are around you that your life touches their life. And that means that you can't just think that you're going to be, well, I'm going to be myself and my life doesn't affect anybody else. It does. It does. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10 verse 23 and 24, He said, all things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. Let no man seek his own, but every man another's will. That's the concept of that agape love. We seek the highest good for others, not for ourselves. So what are we saying tonight? Listen. What I want you to understand, take away from this, you'll never get victory over something by continuing to indulge in it. You will never get victory over it. Don't think that you can stop a habit a little at a time, because more likely than not, it's just not going to happen. And you've got to go cold turkey on that, because it's usually impossible to fight a fleshly appetite while indulging in it. And we've seen, don't be deceived, because small compromises can lead to great disasters. Little sins can lead to big sins. And Satan will try to convince you that you are not hurting anyone with those evil thoughts that you have. But don't kid yourself. Those evil thoughts are going to lead you in a bad direction. And then when you hit that bad direction, it's going to affect other people. You better look out because it can lead to great disasters in your life. Let's think about what kind of friends that we're keeping. Are they really your friends? Yeah, I had some when I was growing up. They didn't have Christian school back when I was growing up. I grew up in secular schools, public schools. I wish I had been a better influence on others than they were on me. But think about what kind of friends are you keeping? Are they really your friends? Because if they don't love the Lord, if they're not His friend, what it means is they can lead you away from Him if you're not careful. Anytime there's a possibility of someone leading you away from the Lord, that's not a good thing. Who else are you hurting by the sinful habits that you choose to cling to? Don't think that you are only hurting yourself. We must think about our circle of influence. Amen? If you call yourself a Christian, the question is, are you living like a Christian? Somebody put it this way one time. This is not original with me. You've probably heard it. You've probably heard me quote it before. Your talk talks and your walk talks, but your talk doesn't talk like your walk talks. Say that again. Your talk talks and your walk talks, but your talk doesn't talk like your walk talks. What it gets to is your walk speaks a lot louder than your talk does. And that's especially true with our children and grandchildren. What do you think makes more of an influence on them? What you say or how you live? How you live. Amen. Let's look to the Lord and look to Him to help us with these things. Because none of us are adequate. We all have strongholds at times to try to get a hold of us. Let's keep these things in mind. We have three more to go over. Didn't want to get them all at one time. We'll take a look at those next week, Lord will. Let's pray. Father, thank you so much for