EPHESIANS 6:10-12
We all have struggled strongholds, so how can we break strongholds in our lives and walk in the freedom and victory we have in Christ?
Have you ever found yourself stuck in a negative cycle? A seemingly endless tailspin that leaves you hopeless and discouraged?
Do you find yourself constantly trying to find freedom from an area of your life that continually plagues you?
What is a stronghold in our lives? What a spiritual stronghold is and how we can break these strongholds in our lives? Here are examples of positive and negative strongholds.
A spiritual stronghold is anything that has power over you. Ideally, it’s Jesus. But throughout our lives, we will all come up against strongholds that are desires of our flesh.
We see the word “stronghold” in 2 Corinthians, where Paul is talking about spiritual warfare.
3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10: 3-5
A spiritual stronghold is more than sin; it’s bondage. A stronghold in this context is a natural desire in us that Satan twists so that sin has control over us.
We often keep our spiritual strongholds secret. As a result, the enemy uses our stronghold and secrecy around it to invoke shame and fear from us.
Some are obvious such as an addiction, but some are not, such as materialism.
Our strongholds are sometimes masked as something good, so we may not even know what the enemy is using against us. It can be something you don’t trust God with or something you’re striving to fulfill within yourself.
Examples of Strongholds:
Bitterness or unforgiveness: you think of revenge or feel hatred towards another. You’re often angry and feel resentful.
Obsessive worry, fear: Worrying about your kids or future or finances to the point it steals your joy.
Jealousy, addiction. All types of addiction, such as substances or even being addicted to attention or praise. Lust, adultery, selfishness, or a fragile ego. A complaining attitude or such low confidence it prevents you from living for God. Discontentment. Lying, people pleasing, gossip, judgmental thoughts or feeling little, and many, many more.
How Can We Overcome Spiritual Strongholds?
A stronghold isn’t something that can be overcome by “trying harder” or “being good.”
We need to invite the Holy Spirit’s power to work in us to help us overcome spiritual strongholds.
Strongholds are spiritual; they must be fought in the spiritual rim. In Ephesians 6:10-17, Paul explains the battle that happens every day in the spiritual world.
We must acknowledge our stronghold. Confess to God. Pray to God by renouncing the sin that has become a stronghold. Proclaim in the power of Jesus, denounce the stronghold. Ask for guidance from the Holy Spirit while in prayer and from now on. Find another believer to confess your stronghold. These steps bring your sin out of the dark and into the light.
Telling someone else your stronghold is an honor and should be treated as such. Talk to someone you trust to pray with you and someone you won’t feel shame or worried that they’ll tell someone else.
Replace the void in your life with Jesus. Spend time in His word. Memorizing scripture is one helpful example.
God Is Your Stronghold
A stronghold isn’t always negative.
In the Old Testament, a stronghold was a physical place or structure to seek refuge. Think of a fortress, a place where someone would find shelter.
Just as God is our “rock,” he can (and should) also is our stronghold.
God’s word is Our Stronghold
The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. Nahum 1:7
The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Psalm 9:9
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2
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 27:1
The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. Psalm 37:39
But the Lord has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge. Psalm 94:22
He is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me. Psalm 144:2
The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless, but destruction to evildoers. Proverbs 10:29
Pray these scriptures in Jesus Name!
WHOSOEVER WILL WORSHIP MINISTRIES
www.wwwmjesus.net
Assistant: Pastor Wesley Fulton
429 Bayou Rd, La Marque, Tx.77568
Need prayer Ch. Ph: 409/933-9878
1 comment
Thank you for this marvellous work you do through God for His people.
You helped me to see a sin becomes a stronghold when, it becomes, a consistent act one cannot seem to to break free of.
I could not understand,why not how is it that God delivered me from alcohol, drugs, immorality, but not nicotine.
He filled me with His Holy Ghost, made me not love Him, but fall in love with Jesus; I’m held in bondage by something, I actually hate to smell.
I’ve prayed, cried. I do not believe the Spirit can dwell in an unclean body. I love Him so much. More than self, children or anything or any one. So why is my question?
I believe, there’s a testimony of victory somewhere in this suffering to be totally free.
Since, I don’t fear Satan nor his demonic devices, nor do I have fear of no man when I’m standing firm, unmovable on God’s word and principles, even before the pastors, and scholars. I love Him that much.
Please, pray for me. I’m obedient as well to those He called as yourself. Speak, I’m listening. God bless you afresh each day. Yours in Christ- Sister, Sherrie