Always: A 5-Day Devotional With Chris TomlinSample

## No Weapon Will Prevail > “ No weapon forged against you will prevail …” Isaiah 54:17 (NIV) Ink stains are some of the most stubborn ones to remove because once ink penetrates cloth, the fabric quickly absorbs the color, which then spreads and causes an even larger blemish. Sin works the same way. We do something once that we might categorize as a minor indiscretion. We, seemingly, get away with it. Then, we quietly do it again. Soon, that little lie or small lapse in judgment has been absorbed into the fabric of our lives, and what once appeared harmless is now a large stain we think we’ll never be able to wash out. That’s how strongholds form in our lives. Gradually, those strongholds live up to their name, forming walls around us that even those closest to us can’t penetrate. The word stronghold comes with a trio of definitions: a fortified place, a place of security or survival, or a place dominated by a particular group or marked by a particular characteristic. Strongholds can be anything that chain us and rob us of our freedom. Often, we don’t even realize something is holding us captive until we find ourselves in a bind. We think we’re simply numbing pain or pushing down feelings, when we’re really cultivating cycles of addiction and patterns of poor decisions. Strongholds serve as weak protection when they’re rooted in toxic emotions and unhealthy behaviors that contradict God’s Word. At best, the strongholds that fortify our hearts are simply Band-Aids, keeping the bleeding at bay, but ultimately, never fully healing the wound. What if I told you there is Someone who has the power to heal every wound? What if I told you there is One who can break every stronghold in your life? His name is Jesus, and He alone holds the keys to freedom. The victory already belongs to the Lord, and when we surrender our strongholds to Him and allow His power to work within us, He will wash away every stain and break every chain. Over the next few days, we’ll look at three stories in Scripture where God broke strongholds and allowed His children to declare victory over obstacles standing in their way and preventing them from living out their God-ordained purpose.