Tonight I realized something I have never thought about before.
I put so much emphasis on putting on the armour of God and suiting up for battle, but I never thought about taking Satan's armour off.
Strongholds can be good..and they can be bad.
A stronghold can be a source of protection for us from the devil, as is the case when the Lord becomes our stronghold..
Or on the other hand, a stronghold can be a source of defense for the devil, where sinful activity is actually defended within us by our false beliefs the world can make.
You see, I want victory in this battle. However I cannot do that if I am also giving the enemy a lead to where I am weakest.
All successful healing must begin by first removing the structures which defends the enemy.
Where are you weakest? Do you give Satan a place to hit your weakest spot?
A stronghold may be found in any area of your life, from a relationship to your eating habits to an addiction to the music you listen to. It can be anything that triggers sin.
In any case, it is something that you have never completely surrendered to Christ for Him to control.
For myself, my stronghold used to be perfection.
I fell so deep into the desires of this world, I developed a whole new belief system. I stood strong on those false beliefs too. So strong, I was killing my body to abide by them.
You're not good enough, Lexi.
Everything you do is average..at the most.
If you were smaller, they would love you more.
You just aren't naturally pretty.
Everyone will always give up on you.
I could go on for days listing things I used to truly believe about myself.
What people go through on the inside is real.
I will never think some one's struggle is too small to bother caring about..because I have been there. That is how my false belief started, with one small lie.
With one tiny stronghold.
The enemy's camp will only get bigger the longer you let him hide there.
You see, Satan feeds upon sin. Wherever there is a habit of sin in a believer's life, expect to find Satan urging it on, making it more and more desirable, or a making it a need in your life.
Before victory can be claimed, these strongholds must be pulled down and Satan's armor removed. Then the mighty weapons of the Word and the Spirit can effectively plunder the enemy's camp.
Do not rationalize anything against the word of God.
1st. Get rid of any objects or materials that belong to Satan. Or maybe in some cases, it could be a person or a group.
2nd. Pray in Jesus' name for the stronghold to be shattered.
Dig and find some scripture that pertains to your situation and use them in your prayer.
There is real power in Christ's name and Satan cannot stand it.
Keep in mind you are not the one doing the crushing of Satan's open target. Desire for personal power has no place in the war against the evil one.
Therefore, your victory only lies in humble faith in the power of Jesus Christ.
Jesus died on the cross to do just this!
To set us free!
Claim your freedom today and move forward in your relationship with Him.
There were no strongholds, no wrong attitudes, no faulty thinking processes in Christ's mind. Just before Jesus went to His death, He said, "the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me" (John 14:30). Satan had nothing in Jesus.
We also want to be able to say that Satan has no secret area inside us, no "temptation-buzzer" he can push that will open the door of our soul toward evil.
When the strongholds of our minds are crushed, though we may still occasionally fall into sin, we will walk in great victory. And we will be useful in helping others in their deliverance as well.
"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses." -1st Timothy 6:12
Dear precious Father,
Please reveal any strongholds in my life, and give me your strength to deal with them. I do not want to wear any armour in Satan's name. Lord, I am gonna win this battle for you, with you, and because of YOU. You came to set me free and I want to claim that freedom today! Thank you for saving me.
I love you with all my heart.
Your daughter,
Lexi B.
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