Overcoming strongholds (Part 1)
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 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. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
In today's key verse, "strongholds" means "fortresses". Fortresses are not holiday homes like castles; they are built with walls and located in high places. As a fortress, its purpose is to protect from attack and to dwell in. Who dwells in the fortresses? Why should we pull down the strongholds? Answer: The devil and his cohorts reside in the spiritual strongholds of our minds. They hide in the spiritual fortress to avoid being discovered. "I am not even here" is also a form of spiritual attack; it allows the enemy to occupy and afflict our minds.
It is a reality that we are engaged in spiritual warfare. We can find a lot of content on social media from deliverance ministers helping people cast out demons in public, exposing the invisible kingdom of darkness and showing the power of God that triumphs over Satan. Yet, in my 10 years of deliverance ministry, I have observed that some people cannot live or maintain their freedom despite powerful deliverance experiences. I believe their strongholds still remain.
Inner healing and deliverance ministry helps identify the enemy's entry points and how strongholds are built in the first place. Yet the Bible clearly states that we are "pulling down" the strongholds, which means we must destroy and demolish them. We can cast out "demons" through deliverance prayers, but we must also destroy strongholds. What needs to be destroyed? There are walls of lies and high places.
Strongholds are the result of wrong thinking or beliefs that have taken root in our lives. In most cases, they are inspired by the devil's lies and are contrary to God's truth. Because lies give the devil a powerful grip on our thought life, which affects our actions, behaviors, and habits, thus the stronger the hold becomes.
What are the high places? In my understanding, it is an exaggeration of the lies in opposition to "knowledge of God". When Israelites heard the bad report about the promised land, they exaggerated that they were grasshoppers in front of giant enemies, and they exaggerated that God wanted them to die in the wilderness. We tend to exaggerate problems when oppressed by strongholds, and the present circumstances seem to confirm those problems.
We do not need to be afraid of strongholds because God has called us to be more than conquerors, which means overwhelming victories. Part 2 will explore the effective weapons for destroying strongholds.
Blessing prayer: Lord Jesus, we equip ourselves with the full armor of God so we can stand victorious in this battle. We pull down any strongholds that hinders us. In Jesus' name Amen.
