Demolishing Strongholds: Intimidation - Faith Fellowship Church

Demolishing Strongholds:
Intimidation
2 Timothy 1:3-7
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy
Faith Fellowship Church

Strongholds –
Areas of life we have
surrendered to the Enemy in
which he can gain easy access
and victory over us.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5

• Thoughts, imaginations, arguments,
and belief.
• We have weapons of divine power to
demolish strongholds (2 Corinthians
10:4).
• We demolish arguments and
imaginations and take captive every
thought to make it obedient to Christ
(2 Corinthians 10:5).

Intimidation

Winning through Intimidation

Live in a world
that often
relates
through
intimidation.

Can start very young…

Something that can paralyze us…

2 Timothy 1:3-7
I thank God, whom I serve, as my
forefathers did, with a clear conscience,
as night and day I constantly remember
you in my prayers. [4] Recalling your
tears, I long to see you, so that I may
be filled with joy.

[5] I have been reminded of your
sincere faith, which first lived in your
grandmother Lois and in your mother
Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives
in you also.

[6] For this reason I remind you to fan
into flame the gift of God, which is in
you through the laying on of my hands.
[7] For God did not give us a spirit of
timidity, but a spirit of power, of love
and of self-discipline.

God has a plan for you.
• Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans
I have for you," declares the LORD,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm
you, plans to give you hope and a
future.

• Ephesians 2:10 For we are God's
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do.
• The Enemy hates the idea that you
will be used to further the Kingdom of
God.

If the Enemy cannot stop you
through a stronghold of
temptation and sin, he will
intimidate you so that you are
paralyzed.

Paul knew that Timothy was
prone to intimidation.
[6] For this reason I remind you to fan
into flame the gift of God, which is in
you through the laying on of my hands.
[7] For God did not give us a spirit of
timidity, but a spirit of power, of love
and of self-discipline.

deilia - di-lee'-ah –
• timidity - different from the Greek
word for fear.
• Intimidate - to render timid, to inspire
fear; to discourage, coerce, or
suppress.
• The text speaks of a “spirit of
intimidation”.

The Enemy…
• The Enemy uses intimidation to
restrain you from action or to coerce
you in to submission.
• He will attack us by way of thoughts,
imaginations, visions, circumstances,
or people under his influence.

The gifting in you becomes
inoperative and your authority is
stripped away.

1 Kings 17 –
King Ahab and Jezebel.
• Elijah announced a drought that
lasted 3 ½ years.
• Elijah was fed by ravens and then
miraculously fed by a widow.

1 Kings 18:17-18 –
Elijah was not intimidated.
• He showed remarkable boldness in
the Lord.
• Called on Ahab to gather the false
prophets on Mt. Carmel for the
greatest showdown in the Bible.

1 Kings 19:1-2
• Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah,
saying, "So let the gods do to me,
and more also, if I do not make your
life as the life of one of them by
tomorrow about this time."
• Elijah was intimidated by those words
and ran!

1 Kings 19:3-4 –
And when he saw that, he arose and
ran for his life… And he prayed that he
might die, and said, "It is enough! Now,
LORD, take my life, for I am no better
than my fathers!"

Elijah
• Was confused, depressed, hopeless,
and lost his vision.
• These are the symptoms of a person
who is under attack by a spirit of
intimidation.

1 Kings 19:5-9 –
Then as he lay and slept under a
broom tree, suddenly an angel touched
him, and said to him, "Arise and eat."
• The Angel fed him and cared for him
for 40 days.

The LORD God: "What are you
doing here, Elijah"
• “I was a very zealous for You but now
I am left alone and they are chasing
me down to kill me.”
• God Revealed Himself and Elijah said
the same thing.

God sent Elijah back.
• Baal worship was restored in Israel
because Elijah was intimidated and
did not finish the job.
• 2 Kings 10:28 - Thus Jehu destroyed
Baal from Israel.

RESULT
• Intimidation gets our focus on
ourselves and we become confused,
depressed, and hopeless.
• Intimidation paralyzes us in the realm
of the Spirit.

1 Samuel 17
The Giant Goliath
• Over 9 feet tall.
• He mocked the army of Israel for 40
days.
• Bronze helmet and armor.

"Why do you come out and line
up for battle [8]
• “I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a
man and let us fight each other."
• On hearing the Philistine's words,
Saul and all the Israelites were
dismayed and terrified.

David
• Came to bring bread and cheese to
his big brothers and the Commander.
• Ran to the battle lines and greeted his
brothers. [22]
• Goliath shouted his usual defiance
and when the Israelites saw the man,
they all ran from him in great fear.

David asked…
"What will be done for the man who
kills this Philistine and removes this
disgrace from Israel
“The king will give wealth, his
daughter, and his father’s family will be
exempt from taxes.

Eliab – David’s oldest brother.
• "Why have you come down here
And with whom did you leave those
few sheep in the desert I know how
conceited you are and how wicked
your heart is; you came down only to
watch the battle." [28]
• "Now what have I done" said David.
"Can't I even speak" [29]

David spoke with Saul
• "Let no one lose heart on account of
this Philistine; your servant will go
and fight him."
• When lion or bear came for one of my
sheep and I killed it with my hands.
• “This uncircumcised Philistine will be
like one of them, because he has
defied the armies of the living God.”

David went without armor.
"You come against me with sword and
spear and javelin, but I come against
you in the name of the LORD Almighty,
the God of the armies of Israel, whom
you have defied. [46] This day the
LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll
strike you down and cut off your head.

Today I will give the carcasses of the
Philistine army to the birds of the air
and the beasts of the earth, and the
whole world will know that there is a
God in Israel. [47] All those gathered
here will know that it is not by sword or
spear that the LORD saves; for the
battle is the LORD's, and he will give all
of you into our hands."

David ran straight at the Enemy.
• Whirling his sling.
• Planted the smooth stone in his
forehead—then killed him with his
own sword and cut off his head.
• When the Philistines saw that their
hero was dead, they turned and ran.

David
• Did not display a human boldness or
a self-reliance.
• He displayed a righteous offense
regarding the mocking by the Enemy.
• He displayed a confidence in the
Name of the Lord Almighty, the God
of the armies of Israel.
• He declared the victory of the Lord.

Timothy was a godly man but he
was easily intimidated.
• Intimidation can cause us to
compromise what we know to be
right.
• We tolerate what we under other
circumstances wouldn’t stand for and
become lukewarm in our Christian
living.

An intimidated person honors
what he fears more than he
honors God.

What is the answer

1 - Fan into flame the gift of God
within you.
• Repeatedly stir up the fiery lightning
of the gift inside of you.
• Do not neglect what has been given
to you for the purposes of God.

2 – Recognize intimidation for
what it is.
• It is not from God.
• He did not give you a spirit of timidity.

3 - Receive from God His
boldness.
• The boldness of God is not the
boldness of man.
• The boldness of man is exterior and
does not run deep.

• A godly boldness is awakened in a
believer when he recognizes and
walks in the spirit of power, love and
self-control available in him.
• "power" – dynamis; "love" – agape;
"self-discipline" – sophronismos -
"self-control".

Bunker Busters
• Psalm 27:1 – The LORD is my light
and my salvation-- whom shall I fear
The LORD is the stronghold of my
life-- of whom shall I be afraid

• Psalm 46:1-3 – God is our refuge and
strength, an ever-present help in
trouble. [2] Therefore we will not
fear, though the earth give way and
the mountains fall into the heart of the
sea, [3] though its waters roar and
foam and the mountains quake with
their surging.

• Psalm 112:7-8 – He will have no fear
of bad news; his heart is steadfast,
trusting in the LORD. [8] His heart is
secure, he will have no fear; in the
end he will look in triumph on his
foes.

• Acts 4:31 – After they prayed, the
place where they were meeting was
shaken. And they were all filled with
the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of
God boldly.

• 1 Corinthians 16:13 – Be on your
guard; stand firm in the faith; be men
of courage; be strong.

• Ephesians 6:19-20 - Pray also for me,
that whenever I open my mouth,
words may be given me so that I will
fearlessly make known the mystery of
the gospel, [20] for which I am an
ambassador in chains. Pray that I
may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

• Hebrews 4:16 - Let us then approach
the throne of grace with confidence,
so that we may receive mercy and
find grace to help us in our time of
need.