Spiritual Strongholds Part 2

2 Cor. 10:3 "...On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 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"

Paul describes strongholds as arguments and pretensions. As I said in my previous post wrong teaching and damaged emotions can lead to wrong thinking and behaving. Therefore strongholds are areas of our live in which we have been persuaded to believe and follow something contrary to God’s word, they set themselves up against the knowledge of God. How can we demolish these strongholds?

Firstly, remember that Jesus has already won the victory "He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." (Col 2:13- 15). Jesus has done it all, any and every demonic power has been disarmed. The only weapon they have against you is deception and lies.

Secondly, because we are demolishing wrong thinking we need to demolish it with the truth. Strongholds are such an effective weapon of the enemy because so many people in the west know the Word of God. By reading, learning and meditating on the word of God we allow its truth to shape our thinking. Paul calls us to allow our minds to be renewed (Rom 12:2) . We take every thought captive to Christ when we seek to bring our thoughts and motivations to be in line with the will of Christ. This happens when the truths of God’s word are applied into our lives by the Holy Spirit. David Devenish in his book ‘Demolishing Strongholds’ lists some basic truths of scripture that are foundational for every christian in demolishing a stronghold;

1. We have been born again (1 Peter 1:3)
2. When we are, we are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17)
3. We are fully accepted by Jesus (Romans 15:7)
4. We are not condemned (Romans 8:1)
5. We are secure in our relationship with Him (Romans 8:38,39)
6. We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3)

Thirdly, we then begin to live by the truth of what we believe. This takes a combination of prayer and action. If you struggle with feelings of rejection learn to live and act according the truth that you are accepted by God. Let that thought be the one that counteracts all the negative thoughts of rejection. Which version of your life will you live by the one you have been persuaded to believe by the enemy, who is the father of lies, or the one that is described by God in scripture, who is the source of all truth. This also takes prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to help live you by the truth revealed in the Bible. He is the one who walks with us to lead us into all truth (John 15:13). It is the truth that will set you free (John 8:32).

Today, why don’t you take some time out to reflect on the scriptures above and begin to allow them to shape your thinking about who God is, what he is like, who you are and what you are capable of.