Spiritual Warfare
Spiritual Strongholds
2Cor 10:4-5
4) For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
A stronghold is an area of darkness within our mind or personality that causes ongoing spiritual, emotional and\or behavioral problems. We can be genuinely born-again, and sincere in our faith, but have an ongoing struggle with thoughts, emotions, and habits that wage war against our relationship with Christ. We pray, we study, and we attempt to discipline ourselves, but often find our “problem” is resistant to real change.
A Stronghold is the Fruit of an Inward Lie
A stronghold is a lie which we have allowed to distort or confuse our thinking. A lie, with our permission, can gain control over our emotions and our behavior. If we allow a lie to reside within, then that lie, like a seed, will produce its fruit which will distort the way we see and think.
The fruit of an inward lie will ultimately affect our faith and interfere with our ability to possess the truths of the Gospel. The Scripture tells us the devil is the Father of Lies, so we know that every lie is rooted in Darkness and will eventually reflect the nature of Darkness.
As Christians, the spiritual armor we first put on is the Belt of Truth. We are told to put on the full (complete) Armor of God that we might stand against the devices and strategies of the Devil, and we begin with truth.
Our battle with the Devil is a battle with lies and our victory is Truth. Our fleshly nature willingly opens the door to lies for Darkness brings a message that is pleasant to Self; the Word brings a message of death to Self and life to God.
These lies then seek a place of control within our personality; our emotions, our ambitions, our motivations, our priorities, and our desires become the focus and target of lies.
Once the lies of darkness have found a secure place within our personality then like seed they produce fruit. Its fruith will affect our values, our thinking and our relationship with the Lord. Our battle with evil is not theoretical but real. The battle is inward, it is spiritual, it is intense, it is relentless, and only as we take up the weapons and defenses provided by Christ and His Word, can we be victorious over all the lies and deceptions of our enemy.
Emotional Trauma
One of the most common causes of spiritual and emotional strongholds are the sins of others who have sinned against us. People can say or do something that have the potential to forever and permanently change us. A single word of rejection, if not managed appropriately, can fester and grow and have a major impact on us emotionally and spiritually. We have to remember we have an enemy who lies in wait to take advantage of our weaknesses, and if given an opportunity will speak his lies into our lives. His lies can then turn a small hurt into an emotional or spiritual bondage.
Memories
People who suffer serious emotional trauma are prime candidates for spiritual strongholds. Ongoing memories of painful events prepare the heart to accept the suggestions and wisdom of Darkness. If we're preoccupied with our painful past then we will not be able live out the redemptive victories of Christ; we will not be able to grow in faith and we will not be able to possess and walk out our New Identity in Christ. Painful memories can and will drive us to bitterness, hatred, anxiety, or depression, but the Word of God will bring us healing. Even when we forgive the person or people that have hurt us, if the painful memories continue to recycle, then we can remain under the influence of those painful memories.
Christ gives a sound mind, which means we are given the ability to see life with a healthy self-image. Everyone has memories, and we do not forget the past, but in Christ we put on the New Creation who is not controlled by the painful past.
In Christ, we are given a new future and the power of our past is broken. The only power our past has is the power we give it; our past has no inherent power to control us. As a New Creation in Christ, we need to enforce, possess, and walk out the victories won by Christ for us. See Warfare Prayer
It is the recycling of painful memories that plows and prepares the heart to receive the seeds of darkness. Lies that repeat within our mind evolve into spiritual strongholds which lead to more lies, more dysfunctional thinking patterns, which in turn lead to more powerful strongholds. We then find ourselves unable to escape, disillusioned, discouraged, often depressed, going in circles, wondering what has happened.
The Danger of Recycled Painful Memories
As we recycle painful memories the devil speaks to us, he flourishes in an environment of negative and painful thinking. He wants us to remember every failure, every personal defect, every offence, every unkind word, every difficult relationship, and he especially wants us to remember the unfairness and inequalities of our life. He will remind us of all the things we are missing; He wants us to be unhappy, uninterested, unfulfilled, unresponsive, unthankful, and unbelieving. If our heart becomes fertile ground for his lies then he will determine and order our destiny.
Medicine for our Soul
Just as fruit produced by lies tends to destroy, fruit produced by truth will heal. Truth is of God. Truth is anointed of the Holy Spirit, and will defeat the Devil and his plans for our lives. If we make the Word of God our daily bread, it will provide the spiritual nourishment of Truth, which has the inherent power to defeat all the lies of our Enemy. God's Word is alive and He sends His Word, not only to nourish, but to heal.
His Word is the medicine and power for our soul. The Lord tells us that we do not live by bread only, but “by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Life is more than nourishing the physical body, more than meat and drink. Life is knowing the Lord by allowing His Word to live in us.
All Emotional Trauma Can be Healed by the Word of God.
The comforts and encouragements of God, through His Word, are greater than all lies and all distortions of truth. Our encouragement has to do with the nature of reality, i.e. God is, and our lives are in His hands. He alone is security, provision, comfort, peace, and life. In Him we are safe and only in Him do we have protection from all the devices and lies of our Dark Enemy.
The future for the Christian is good, it is bright, and it is secure. Today we suffer with Him, tomorrow we share in His glory. Today, we war against our Dark Enemy, tomorrow we will delight ourselves in the abundance of peace.
Christians are given the Helmet of Salvation to protect their minds from the lies of the Devil. Salvation is the source of optimism. Our optimism is greater than all the fear, stress, and turmoil this life can bring. Our Enemy hates optimism for it speaks of our future and his destruction. Let’s put on optimism and hope, by allowing the Word of God to speak louder than all the inward voices of negativity and fear. Jesus does not speak negativity and fear, He says, “in the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” He tells us to be light hearted and happy, that we have won, and our day of rejoicing is secured for us.
Keep your faith, lay hold on eternal life, put to death fleshly lusts which war against the soul. The Lord is at hand, everything that can by shaken will be shaken, judgment must begin at the house of God. Keep yourself unspotted from the world so that at His coming you may be found in peace, blameless, without spot or wrinkle. The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
See Warfare Prayer
God bless you,
Jim
