Elijah2
No weapons formed against me will prosper.
Strongholds and Strongmen
STRONGHOLD:
(Macquarie Dictionary)
A stronghold is a place where anything, as an ideology, opinion, attitude, outlook, feelings, mindset, habit, etc., that is STRONG!
Based on this meaning, we may perceive that a “stronghold” is a faulty, or over-zealous thinking pattern and attitude that has been based upon false teaching, lies, deception, and seduction, which has taken up resident within our “soul”, that is our “house”. False teaching, lies, deception, and seduction are the main weapons of Satan’s arsenal to build up a stronghold in a Christian’s life through his forces, and his children.
These “lie-based-thinking-patterns” become the building blocks of our “stronghold”, which can either be large or small, allowing us to think in ways, that are not normal or in touch with reality. These “lie-based-thinking-patterns” block us from doing our best for our Lord Jesus Christ, His Kingdom, and fellow Servants.
One of the simplest “strongholds” in our Christian life is to think that we have to confess all our sins personally to everybody, who they have wronged. And because we don’t do it, or are unable to do it, we begin to berate and badger ourself and feel shame and guilt, particularly when a person has passed away or have been dead for some time. Even after we go through all our mindset steps, we continue to beat ourself up, and begin to feel guilt and shame again, because we have probably forgotten someone that we haven’t confessed our sins to.
Another simple “stronghold” is allow those spoken words, “You have no faith”, or “You are a sinner” to sink down into our “soul”.
This mindset becomes unnecessary, leading us on a merry-go-round ride of guilt and shame, suffering, and confusion because we have allowed those “weapons formed against us and those spoken words of judgment” (see Isaiah 54:17) and those “fiery darts” thrown at usby Satan, his forces, and his children to manifest in our lives, and to settle deep down within our “soul”, reeking havoc in our “carnal mind” (brain), and then settling into our “spiritual mind” (heart), and we begin to think that we have to do something drastic that we really didn't have to do.
The more serious ‘strongholds” are those that will lead us to “death”, through false teaching, beliefs, and doctrine; habitual attitudes, habits, and sin; addiction; obsessions; and mind-control allowing demonic control through influence, oppression, suppression and obsession, that is, “giving place to the devil”!
STRONGMAN:
(Macquarie Dictionary)
A powerful person/being in an organisation, state, or the like.
POSSESSION:
(Macquarie Dictionary)
Being in an organisation, or state that has control over oneself, one’s mind, one’s tongue, one’s heart, one’s attitude, one’s action, one’s feelings, one’s ideas, etc., that also holds or occupancy, either with or without rights of ownership.
Therefore, having a “stronghold”, controlled by a “strongman”, or “strongmen”, that is, “unclean spirits” (Matt. 12:43-45 & Luke 11:24-26), dwelling within the “soul”, the “house”, can cause many forms of control through “demonisation”, such as demonic influence, suppression, oppression, obsession, torment, and harassment. Through continual false teaching, dogma, and philosophy this control is further compounded.
Stronghold Description
“Christian, be sober, be vigilant; because Satan, his forces, and his children roam around your Christian life continually like a roaring lion trying to snare you into sin or waiting for you to sin through your lack of knowledge and understanding of their tricks and deceit, who you wrestle against, knowingly or unknowingly. They will try to devour you, dwell in your house, and control your life through influence, suppression, oppression, obsession, torment, and harassment if your house is empty, swept, and put in order. Therefore, don’t give place to the enemy, resist Satan and his forces, steadfast in faith, and they will depart from your house and your life.” (1 Pet. 5:8-9, My Amplified Version)
I believe that this amplification of my interpretation of those verses are in touch with some “spiritual reality”, and warns how to avoid a “stronghold” from being built into our Christian life.
In Ephesians 4:17-32 we are warned of the sins that will give Satan a doorway into our “house”, and from that doorway a “stronghold” can be built up within our life through such things as:
Academic knowledge, mockery, and foolishness:
“This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles (unbelievers and pseudo believers) walk, in the futility of their (carnal) mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God (our Lord Jesus Christ), because of the blindness of their (your) heart (spiritual mind);” (vv. 17-18).
Sexual immorality and filth:
“Whom, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness (immorality), to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ (Christ-centredness), if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in (our Lord) Jesus (Christ): that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts” (vv. 18-22).
Dishonestly, deception, falseness:
“Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbour’, for we are members of one another” (vv. 25).
Anger, bitterness, and resentfulness:
“Be angry, and do not sin” (v. 26). (Also see Hebrews 12:15.)
An Unforgiving Spirit, lack of confession and repentance:
“Do not let the sun go down on your anger” (v. 26).
Theft:
“Let him who stole steal no longer” (V. 28).
Idleness, passiveness, laziness:
“But rather let him labour, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need” (v. 28)
These sins affirm that an idle “carnal mind”, and “idle words” allows Satan, his forces, and his children to begin to pull down any good that has been built up in our “spiritual mind”, our heart, and through it a “stronghold” can be built into our “soul”, because the forces of the powers of darkness are given free reign, and rights, into our lives.
The only way that a stronghold can be removed is to: be sure you are saved; realise that only our Lord Jesus Christ can remove a stronghold (past or present); identify the stronghold (past or present); confess and repent all sins related to that stronghold (past or present); forgive those who have hurt, offended, abused, or rejected us; ask for forgiveness from those who we have hurt, offended, abused, or rejected; thank our Lord Jesus Christ for our forgiveness; ask our Lord Jesus Christ to free us from the demonic force associated with the strongholds (past or present); and make restitution if possible.
Satan’s fortress will crumble before our very eyes, when we wield our weapons of our Almighty God as we “put on the whole Armour of God” (Eph. 5:10-13).
When we “resist Satan”, we “stand alone” without human help. You cannot hide, or run away, or outrun, or get away from Satan, his forces, and his children on this planet. So when we resist Satan, we need to:
Be sure that we are fully submitted and living: under our Lord Jesus Christ’s authority; obediently and disciplined; and a clean life.
1. Take our stand against Satan in the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Stand steadfast in faith, believing our Lord Jesus Christ for the victory.
3. Verbally attack and rebuke Satan with His Word and His Works.
4. Give no place to Satan and his forces, and give up no ground whatsoever.
5. Command Satan and his forces to leave in the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ.
6. Give thanks and praise to, and submit to our Lord Jesus Christ all the time and then the enemy and his forces will flee.
Be blessed in Jesuss' Name.
STRONGHOLD:
(Macquarie Dictionary)
A stronghold is a place where anything, as an ideology, opinion, attitude, outlook, feelings, mindset, habit, etc., that is STRONG!
Based on this meaning, we may perceive that a “stronghold” is a faulty, or over-zealous thinking pattern and attitude that has been based upon false teaching, lies, deception, and seduction, which has taken up resident within our “soul”, that is our “house”. False teaching, lies, deception, and seduction are the main weapons of Satan’s arsenal to build up a stronghold in a Christian’s life through his forces, and his children.
These “lie-based-thinking-patterns” become the building blocks of our “stronghold”, which can either be large or small, allowing us to think in ways, that are not normal or in touch with reality. These “lie-based-thinking-patterns” block us from doing our best for our Lord Jesus Christ, His Kingdom, and fellow Servants.
One of the simplest “strongholds” in our Christian life is to think that we have to confess all our sins personally to everybody, who they have wronged. And because we don’t do it, or are unable to do it, we begin to berate and badger ourself and feel shame and guilt, particularly when a person has passed away or have been dead for some time. Even after we go through all our mindset steps, we continue to beat ourself up, and begin to feel guilt and shame again, because we have probably forgotten someone that we haven’t confessed our sins to.
Another simple “stronghold” is allow those spoken words, “You have no faith”, or “You are a sinner” to sink down into our “soul”.
This mindset becomes unnecessary, leading us on a merry-go-round ride of guilt and shame, suffering, and confusion because we have allowed those “weapons formed against us and those spoken words of judgment” (see Isaiah 54:17) and those “fiery darts” thrown at usby Satan, his forces, and his children to manifest in our lives, and to settle deep down within our “soul”, reeking havoc in our “carnal mind” (brain), and then settling into our “spiritual mind” (heart), and we begin to think that we have to do something drastic that we really didn't have to do.
The more serious ‘strongholds” are those that will lead us to “death”, through false teaching, beliefs, and doctrine; habitual attitudes, habits, and sin; addiction; obsessions; and mind-control allowing demonic control through influence, oppression, suppression and obsession, that is, “giving place to the devil”!
STRONGMAN:
(Macquarie Dictionary)
A powerful person/being in an organisation, state, or the like.
POSSESSION:
(Macquarie Dictionary)
Being in an organisation, or state that has control over oneself, one’s mind, one’s tongue, one’s heart, one’s attitude, one’s action, one’s feelings, one’s ideas, etc., that also holds or occupancy, either with or without rights of ownership.
Therefore, having a “stronghold”, controlled by a “strongman”, or “strongmen”, that is, “unclean spirits” (Matt. 12:43-45 & Luke 11:24-26), dwelling within the “soul”, the “house”, can cause many forms of control through “demonisation”, such as demonic influence, suppression, oppression, obsession, torment, and harassment. Through continual false teaching, dogma, and philosophy this control is further compounded.
Stronghold Description
“Christian, be sober, be vigilant; because Satan, his forces, and his children roam around your Christian life continually like a roaring lion trying to snare you into sin or waiting for you to sin through your lack of knowledge and understanding of their tricks and deceit, who you wrestle against, knowingly or unknowingly. They will try to devour you, dwell in your house, and control your life through influence, suppression, oppression, obsession, torment, and harassment if your house is empty, swept, and put in order. Therefore, don’t give place to the enemy, resist Satan and his forces, steadfast in faith, and they will depart from your house and your life.” (1 Pet. 5:8-9, My Amplified Version)
I believe that this amplification of my interpretation of those verses are in touch with some “spiritual reality”, and warns how to avoid a “stronghold” from being built into our Christian life.
In Ephesians 4:17-32 we are warned of the sins that will give Satan a doorway into our “house”, and from that doorway a “stronghold” can be built up within our life through such things as:
Academic knowledge, mockery, and foolishness:
“This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles (unbelievers and pseudo believers) walk, in the futility of their (carnal) mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God (our Lord Jesus Christ), because of the blindness of their (your) heart (spiritual mind);” (vv. 17-18).
Sexual immorality and filth:
“Whom, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness (immorality), to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ (Christ-centredness), if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in (our Lord) Jesus (Christ): that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts” (vv. 18-22).
Dishonestly, deception, falseness:
“Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbour’, for we are members of one another” (vv. 25).
Anger, bitterness, and resentfulness:
“Be angry, and do not sin” (v. 26). (Also see Hebrews 12:15.)
An Unforgiving Spirit, lack of confession and repentance:
“Do not let the sun go down on your anger” (v. 26).
Theft:
“Let him who stole steal no longer” (V. 28).
Idleness, passiveness, laziness:
“But rather let him labour, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need” (v. 28)
These sins affirm that an idle “carnal mind”, and “idle words” allows Satan, his forces, and his children to begin to pull down any good that has been built up in our “spiritual mind”, our heart, and through it a “stronghold” can be built into our “soul”, because the forces of the powers of darkness are given free reign, and rights, into our lives.
The only way that a stronghold can be removed is to: be sure you are saved; realise that only our Lord Jesus Christ can remove a stronghold (past or present); identify the stronghold (past or present); confess and repent all sins related to that stronghold (past or present); forgive those who have hurt, offended, abused, or rejected us; ask for forgiveness from those who we have hurt, offended, abused, or rejected; thank our Lord Jesus Christ for our forgiveness; ask our Lord Jesus Christ to free us from the demonic force associated with the strongholds (past or present); and make restitution if possible.
Satan’s fortress will crumble before our very eyes, when we wield our weapons of our Almighty God as we “put on the whole Armour of God” (Eph. 5:10-13).
When we “resist Satan”, we “stand alone” without human help. You cannot hide, or run away, or outrun, or get away from Satan, his forces, and his children on this planet. So when we resist Satan, we need to:
Be sure that we are fully submitted and living: under our Lord Jesus Christ’s authority; obediently and disciplined; and a clean life.
1. Take our stand against Satan in the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Stand steadfast in faith, believing our Lord Jesus Christ for the victory.
3. Verbally attack and rebuke Satan with His Word and His Works.
4. Give no place to Satan and his forces, and give up no ground whatsoever.
5. Command Satan and his forces to leave in the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ.
6. Give thanks and praise to, and submit to our Lord Jesus Christ all the time and then the enemy and his forces will flee.
Be blessed in Jesuss' Name.
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