3 Characteristics and Strategies for Overcoming Strongholds
When the Apostle Paul said that we “wrestle not with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers,” what did he mean? The verse found in Ephesians 6:12 makes something very clear. Paul did not believe his warfare was a battle with people, political institutions, or even personal circumstance. Our warfare, like his, is an intense, personal, and close wrestling match with disembodied spirits.
- How do you know you are under attack? One of the things I’ve noticed is that when I am in warfare I don’t feel like myself. I feel disconnected, awkward, and inauthentic. I’m not myself and I don’t even like who is showing up. Do you ever feel like this? It’s like you’re someone else. Something is trying to take over your thought process. Remember: the battle zone is in your thought life. The secret is to catch the enemy when he attempts to slip into your thought life like the serpent in the garden. Don’t let the thought take hold. For this reason Paul says one of our primary weapons is the power to inspect and take thoughts captive as they enter your mind. Paul describes an interrogation process, in which we take a thought captive “at the point of a spear.” Notice the language he uses to address strongholds: “Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God” (2 Corinthians 10:5).
- What is a stronghold? Think of it as a house made of thoughts. It’s a pattern of thinking that has a “strong hold” or grip on your mind. And let's be honest: if it's a pattern of thinking it is also a pattern of feeling and behaving. A stronghold is something that exerts an influence or leverage over the thought patterns that play in your mind. They produce a harvest of consequences. The devil is trying to rob you and your children of God's inheritance. He does this by working to get you to compromise and bow your knee to unbelief, apathy, fear, lust, addiction, depression. Don’t let him succeed. Put up a FIGHT!
- What is God’s goal for you? The Spirit of God wants us to be thinking beings who operate out of freedom!—NOT robots. The Holy Spirit is busy right now setting us free from CONTROLLING SPIRITS. This includes all addictions and compulsions. As a believer, you are not under the dominion of darkness (Ephesians 6:12). God created man in His image and in His likeness and gave him a territory called a garden. In that sphere of influence man was in charge. He had authority over the snake. God has put you in the garden of your life. He wants you to be free to flourish, create, and expand dominion. God made you in His image and wants your mind free to see, sense, discern, and judge.
How can you dismantle these strongholds?
Strongholds are like fortresses that must be torn down one brick at a time. Every thought that hits you needs to be countered by another thought! Lies need to be answered with TRUTH. You need a proclamation in your mouth—there is an “IT IS WRITTEN!” for every battle. These truths need to be meditated upon and literally “engrafted” into your soul. In this way God uses our warfare to do something that totally frustrates the enemy. It makes us stronger! This connects us to the lineage of overcomers described by the writer of Hebrews who said: “Out of weakness they became strong!” (Hebrews 11:34)
Question: What lies do you need to refute in your mind? What truths do you need to stand on for daily victory in the spiritual realm?
Comment below and tell me about it!
As One!
Lance
Thank you for your message. I have been going through deep depression and feeling overwhelming sense of sadness. I have prayed for God to remove this stronghold. I pray for the spirit of joy and laughter. I have lost my family (abandoned me due to bad choices I’ve made) the thing that I hold dear to me. I feel very alone. I am currently seeking a new church in my area. I am dreaming and, I have heard God’s voice but, I still feel a foreboding heavy weight on me that I’m praying for God to lift from me. I will be attending a conference in Ohio called the Prophetic Glory that will be lead by Bobby Connor and I am praying that being in a corporate setting with all saints gathered together in prayer for one another will help remove this sadness. God Bless you!
I am praying for you Catherine that God will meet you in that conference and overwhelm you with His Love. As you enter into corporate praise and worship I declare that all depression and sadness will leave you. I declare that you are redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb out of the hand of the enemy!! Thank you Lord that you are reconciling all of Catherine’s family relationships.
Amen!!
These too are spirits, use your authority and give any anger to the Lord by faith. Anger and disapointment can be an open door for that type of harassment. Also forgive yourself precious, there is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
Shalom
Thank you very much man of God your message has really touched me for we have to recognize where we are positioned in the battle field and to what weapon are we holding in our hands to be ready for defensive AMEN PST JOHN
Just completed watching dream trip !
An amazing experience, envigorating and opening new hope in me and my family.
Thank you, Lance, Annabelle and great team.
Vince
Thanks for this post Lance! It was funny how as I was reading your paragraph on How to dismantle strongholds I was distracted in thought numerous times. However, as I persisted to reread the paragraph light kept seeping through. Then I got it – clarity! Loved the Hebrews chapter reference. So one lie – fear of man. One truth – Ps 118:6-7 The Lord is for me so I will have no fear – what can mere people do to me? Yes, the Lord is for me He will help me.
I agree with you.
Dismantling personal strongholds robs Satan of the traction he needs to ruin us personally and our nation corporately !
It’s amazing how revelation comes through simple truth communicated at the right time to the right people.
One very important thing the Holy Spirit downloaded to me one day was that the enemy will do anything and everything to take your eyes of God. Satan is the sworn enemy of God and he doesn’t care what he does to get you to look at him. If your eyes are stuck on him you are not looking at The Lord your God. So if he can get you to look at fear, shame, calamity, hopelessness, fatigue, your failures, and any other of our human failings. You are looking at him essentially and not your hope and Salvation. I hear people say, “the devil this….” If we do that guess what we do. James says, 4:7
Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. For years I read this as if resist the devil was the emphasis. One morning as I read this the Holy Spirit fixed the emphasis. Submit, draw near, place all your mess in His tender hands. Then resisting is easy. But as soon as you start that, self sufficient stuff again your back to resisting the enemy in your own failed power…..
The lie that I am standing against is that my life in Christ is not supposed to be one huge loss after another. I have been saved for 39 years and spirit filled for 34 years and the losses do not line up with He promises for those who love Him..really wanting to see Psalm 91:16 fully manifested in my life.
Barb…I understand your frustrations! I myself have been having major issues for years…I feel like the enemy wants us to think God has pushed us to the back of the line. But this is not true…it is our journey with the Lord…the wealth is the depth of our relationship with the Father over these years…You are a pioneer in the Spirit and are paving the way for many to walk in your footsteps of victory and stealth in your walk…We are victorious because we’ve already won because Jesus finished ALL the work, so we are just walking it out…but remember your Helper Holy Spirit is with you…never to leave..never… I pray God gives you a fresh downpour of His love and revelation and that doors begin to swing wide open for you to step into destiny! For we have so great a cloud of witnesses cheering us on…..I sing over you…”ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIER….” press on and push past the barriers..keep on walking….and remember…..WE ARE THE WINNERS!!!
fighting fear which has plagued me since eviction. many jobs ended due to closing of companies and other assaults. i pray in tongues when i have the energy. physical and spiritual strength is low.
Wow..Lance…this is a powerful Truth! My life has been a cauldron these past 6 months with many physical issues…but my mind was the one thing that I battled with….because of deep depression I was inches away from suicide…I felt like I had lost “HOPE”..and the torment just kept on and on..so many times I thought of ending my life because I felt so low…the thing which saved me were the TRUTHS from scripture that I knew…I write..well journal a ton and it has been my salvation to write and read my own revelations the Holy Spirit revealed to me…one was about HOPE…He said I can never lose HOPE because my HOPE is IN Jesus…IN Him..and that I was IN Him and HE was in GOD….so HOPE was securely hidden, never to be lost!! What a change that began for me about 6 weeks ago..and this week I FEEL my spirit being released from the grips of the enemy…Yesterday I was responding to a post and I had a download from God…I saw myself walking on a worn path in a jungle..and I knew the Holy Spirit was walking next to me and I understood He was leading me out…the worn path was there and I understood that many have walked this path before me… My life has been like a jungle these past 6 months which led to this battle with the spirit of suicide and fear….But..as usual…God had it all under control! Praise His Name forever!!! I hope someone is encouraged by this testimony…God IS an ANCHOR when life tries to rip you to shreds…He WILL keep your head above water… blessing upon blessings to you and your family!
Had a conversation Thurs evening, and again this morning on exactly this! Friday, a daily devotional I get emailed to me made the point that fear is not just a feeling, it’s a powerful spiritual force! The Lord is helping us SEE what’s in us, so we can deal with it so that we can eventually make it to the top of our mountain!
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