Overcoming strongholds (Part 2)

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2

According to Ephesians 6, one of the attacks of the enemy is the “fiery darts ”. What are the fiery darts aiming at? Their target is our minds, which are the shooting targets. Strongholds don't just sit in our minds doing nothing, they produce uncontrollable thought patterns that can result in unwanted actions and behavior, even worse, bad minds can destroy our health. 

Today's key verse tells us that we can be transformed by renewing our minds, just as we can train and renew our physical bodies. Renewing our minds is a powerful way to pull down strongholds. There is no massive weapon like an atomic bomb that can destroy all the strongholds instantly, we need to tear down the walls of lies brick by brick.. 

First, we need to cast down our imaginations. That means we must not accept the devil's thoughts, lies and suggestions. We must identify the lies of the enemy and audit our dominant thinking. Such lies as, "You are not good enough, God is angry with you, you are doomed to fail, nobody likes you, etc." We need to replace lies with God's word, which is the sword of the Spirit. In the Bible, we are told to meditate on God's word day and night, so that our minds are fed with wholesome spiritual food. It is therefore necessary to read, study, and meditate on God's word every day, just like eating food. Slowly and surely, we can train our minds to align with the word of God and ultimately destroy the wall of lies. 

Second, the high places mean we exaggerate lies as a result of our exaltation of them. God is the only thing we can exalt, nothing else. When we praise and exalt God, we are elevated to a higher level as if we were on a plane, and when we look down, all the problems of the high places are reduced to pea size so that we no longer see their exaggeration. To strengthen our faith, we need to praise God and magnify His power and goodness at all times. When we trust Him, even though the circumstances seem unchanged, we will be at peace and joy. 

Last but not least, we can take thought into captivity, which means we can control our thoughts. What if our smartphone went crazy and started calling people on its own? We will stop the phone immediately, of course. In the same way, we must gain control over our minds and stop all negative thoughts immediately. If we continue to listen to the lies, our minds will imprison us instead. As the Holy Spirit is with us, He will guide us proactively to maintain a right and sound mind that is consistently aligned with God's truth.

We can overcome the strongholds with God's word, praising, and the Holy Spirit's help.

Blessing prayer: Lord, thank you for all the spiritual weapons that enable us to mediate noble, just, pure, lovely things that are of good report, virtues, and praiseworthy.  In Jesus’ name, Amen