Cross Waves Church
Coaches Corner
Dealing with Strongholds
Romans 13:12. The night is far spent, the
day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put
on the armor of light. In this Coaches Corner, I would like to talk about how
you can pull down the strongholds that Satan has built-in your lives. I would also like to talk about the kind of
stronghold that we can build that will not allow Satan to gain any kind of a
foothold in your life.
What does the Bible have to say about
Stronghold? Let’s start with the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, a
stronghold was a fortified dwelling used as a means of protection from an
enemy. We find that David hid from King
Saul in wilderness strongholds at Horesh. 1 Samuel 23:14,19 And David stayed in
strongholds in the wilderness, and remained in the mountains in the Wilderness
of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his
hand...Then the Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, "Is David not
hiding with us in strongholds in the woods?, in the hill of Hachilah, which is
on the south of Jeshimon? A stronghold can be a source of protection for us
from the devil, as is the case when the Lord becomes our stronghold as it did
for David. Or conversely, a stronghold
can be a source of defense for the devil's influence in our lives, where the demonic or sinful activity is actually defended within our sympathetic thoughts
toward evil.
Let’s look at the New Testament. The
Apostle Paul defines strongholds as speculations or lofty things raised up
against the knowledge of God. It is any
type of thinking that exalts itself above the knowledge of God, thereby giving
the devil a secure place of influence in an individual's thought-life. 2
Corinthians 10:5 ...casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts
itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to
the obedience of Christ.
How Do Strongholds Take Root? In order to
fully understand how to pull down strongholds, it is first important that we
understand how it is they first took root in our lives. Strongholds Come From
Worldly Influence. Many strongholds are a result of an accumulation of
uncrucified thoughts and unsanctified attitudes that have ruled our lives
during our formative years. As children
growing up in a world that is under the influence and the sway of the enemy we
received a steady stream of information and experiences that continually shaped
our childhood perceptions. This is why
the Bible says our minds need to be renewed once we are born again of God's
Spirit. The amount of love (or lack of love) in our home, our cultural
environment, peer values, and pressures, as well as fears of rejection and
exposure--even our physical appearance and intelligence, all, combine to form our
sense of identity and our view of life. Many of our opinions about life are
ours only because we know of no other way to think. Yet we protect and defend our ideas, justify
our opinions as though they were born in the wombs of our own creativity. There
is much to say about this subject. I will continue this topic in future Coaches
Corners so that you can more easily see the big picture.
Comments
Post a Comment