Pulling Down Strongholds

 

By Andrea Merrell

For the weapons of our warfare are not physical

[weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God

for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds.

2 Corinthians 10:4 AMPC

Do you have a stronghold in your life? I’ve certainly had a few.

Merriam-Webster’s describes stronghold as something fortified. In the Christian’s life, it can be anything that exalts itself against the knowledge—and the Word—of God, our ultimate truth.

Many times we receive wrong teaching that goes against that truth. It could be a conviction, a belief, or a habit. According to The Word for You Today, these are some of the most common strongholds we deal with:

• Guilt – God could never forgive me.
• Resentment – I could never forgive that person.
• Self-pity – Bad things always happen to me.
• Pride – I have to be in charge.
• Rejection – I don’t deserve to be loved.
• Defeat – I’ll never recover.
• Performance – I must be good or God will reject me.
• Appearance – I’m only as good as I look.
• Materialism – My value equals my possessions.

The good news is God never intended for us to live under these false premises. Strongholds are meant to be broken, and He has given us the tools: His Word, prayer, fasting, the name of Jesus, the blood of Jesus, and His very own weapons of warfare (see Ephesians 6).

Don’t allow strongholds to keep you imprisoned in a state of perpetual frustration and even depression. Use God’s mighty weapons to overthrow, destroy, and completely obliterate them.

Photo by Daria Lyalyulina on Unsplash

Pulling Down Strongholds

 

By Andrea Merrell

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal

but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.

2 Corinthians 10:4 NLT

 

“What strongholds have you built in your life?” the pastor asked. A question that required some serious thought and prayer.

The Bible talks about “pulling down strongholds,” but what does that mean, and how do we make it happen?

 

A stronghold is defined as a place that has been fortified or where a particular belief is strongly defended or upheld. The pastor called it “the place from where the Enemy can attack” (speak, deceive, or manipulate).

We can unknowingly build these places in our heart through failures, illnesses, addictions, failed relationships, abandonment, or any number of ways. We can also create them through religious, legalistic thinking, human reasoning, false arguments, and teaching that does not line up with the Word of God. Each one creates seeds of doubt that, left unattended, grow into a wall that hinders our relationship with the Lord. It gives the Enemy a platform from which he attempts to steal our peace, our joy, our finances, our health, and even our life.

The Bible clearly tells us to pull them down. The MSG puts it this way:

We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.

Ask God to show you if there is a stronghold in your life. Then destroy it, and build an altar in its place—the place where you commune with the Lord.

(Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and renjith krishnan.)

TWEETABLE

Do you have a stronghold in your life? Ask God to show you, then destroy it and build an altar in its place. via @AndreaMerrell (Click to tweet.)

To read in browser or leave a comment, click here.