“Saul, are you a pirate or a Roman?” As a young boy, this would have been a typical question that Saul of Tarsus would have been asked. The reason is that Tarsus is in a region of Asia minor known as Cilicia, and if you Google Cilician wars, you can read about the three hundred years of terror that the Cilician pirates of that region rained down on the shipping and caravan trade. Eighty years before Saul (later Paul) stepped onto the world’s stage, the bold and powerful Roman General Pompey went to war against the pirates of Cilicia with the goal of completely destroying every stronghold, lair, warship, and hiding-place. This was perhaps the most important introduction of the Mediterranean world to the concept of “PAX ROMANA”—Roman Peace. Rome wanted free trade from end to end of its borders, and the deeply entrenched Cilician culture of thieves, robbers, and pirates stood in the way of that goal. During that war, 120 “strongholds” (same word as in 2 Corinthians 10:4) were destroyed by Pompey’s forces, and peace and freedom were restored to the waters of the Mediterranean. 

The Apostle Paul would never let a good analogy go to waste! The early Corinthian church had played soft with sin. Sexual sin, devotional duplicity, pride, egotism, leader-worship, and sophistry all plagued this early church. The leadership did little or nothing to address these strongholds, and as a result, relationships within the local Corinthian congregations were being robbed of the riches of Christ. Instead of love, joy, and peace, there was bitterness, strife, broken homes, and even lawsuits! Paul drops the hammer and threatens a BOLD return to Corinth. Paul knew what the Corinthian church needed was a clear victory over the pirates who had come out of these ancient cultural strongholds and were robbing them of the peace that can only come from a pure and undefiled relationship with God. Paul knew that if those strongholds of sin could be exposed for what they are and pulled down in the minds and hearts of the Corinthians, they would be drawn back to the simplicity and security of peace with God. The message of the Cross, where sin’s grip on humanity was broken, and the restoration of God-mankind fellowship was restored, was Paul’s weapon (1 Corinthians 1:17-25). In light of God sending Christ to die for our freedom, how can we EVER play soft of sin or let strongholds remain in our lives? 

BOLDLY and honestly write down in your journal the three biggest sin-strongholds in your life.

Write or pray out a strategy for rendering each of these strongholds powerless.

(Examples: Father, TODAY I’m signing up on Covenant Eyes to bring accountability to my problem with online porn. /OR/ God, my covetous heart has put me in debt (slavery) to credit cards… TODAY, Father, I want to burn those cards and with Your help begin to save, give, and use what resources You have entrusted to me responsively and for your glory). 

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PREPARE FOR THIS WEEK'S ACCOUNTABILITY GROUP:

1. Look back over the devotions from the past week. Which devotions were most meaningful to you?
2. Why?
3. What is God teaching you about living a bold, courageous life?