Even though a stronghold can be good such as a place of peace and security with the Lord (Psalm 9:9; 27:1), this month’s blog will focus on a stronghold as being some harmful behavior, activity, thought, or addiction that grips you so strongly that you can’t destroy it on your own power.
Do you struggle with a harmful stronghold such as anger, alcohol, drugs, pornography, jealously, bitterness, or any other behavior, activity, or addiction? Have you tried to destroy it on your own power, but failed?
My mentor told me that we can’t destroy harmful strongholds on our own power because they are spiritual strongholds and only spiritual weapons such as prayer and God’s Word can destroy them.
My mentor told me that God’s Word says, “For though we live in the world we are not carrying on a worldly war, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds”(2 Corinthians 10:3.4).
“Is not my word like fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer which breaks the rock (stronghold) in pieces”? (Jeremiah 23:29, emphasis supplied).
For ideas on spiritual weapons that will prevent strongholds from gaining a grip on you, or for ideas on how to destroy strongholds that already have a grip on you, read my August 2020 blog titled Battle for Control of our Mind.
To win the battle against any harmful stronghold, here are four things that you can do:
Ask God to give you a new and clean heart and a new and right spirit (Psalm 51:10) (Ezekiel 36:26, 27).
Ask the Holy Spirit to activate the mind of Christ that is in you (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Take captive any thought that does not obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Pray constantly (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Now, is there a stronghold you need to destroy? For example, let’s say it is anger.
You could pray something like this: Dear God, as you know, I struggle with anger. I repent of my anger and ask for your forgiveness. Please remove any anger or thoughts of anger from my current heart and give me a new and clean heart and a new and right spirit. I am now filled with the Lord’s peace and declare that anything is possible with God.
I renounce the anger stronghold and dismantle it in the name of Jesus. I bind the anger stronghold to the foot of the cross covered by the blood of Jesus. Lord, I believe that you have destroyed the anger stronghold and it is never to return. Now, please fill me with the Holy Spirit.
Dear Holy Spirit, activate the mind of Christ that is in me so I can think only his thoughts. Finally, control my thoughts, and give me the power to take captive any thought that does not obey Christ as well as the power to permanently destroy it.
Amen.
You may have to repeat this prayer more than once during any given day until the stronghold is destroyed. You may even have to simply cry out—Jesus, help me! Holy Spirit, transform me by renewing my mind! Control my thoughts! Give me the power to resist!
Author: Greg Stephens
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