Strongholds

[Southernscotty]

Strongholds


A stronghold is defined as a place that nature or man has made strongly defensible.

In ancient times kings, nobles and nations built strongholds and took refuge in them from invading armies. These were very strong structures built by using thick and solid stones. It made counter attack much easier. The guarding soldiers could rain down arrows on the invading armies. Most of the time strongholds were built on mountaintops or high places and were heavily guarded. No one could enter in or go out without prior permission.

Such was the ancient city of Jericho. History tells us that it was surrounded by two massive stone walls. The outer wall was six feet thick, 20 feet high with an inner wall 12 feet thick and 30 feet high. There was also a 15-foot guarded walkway between these two walls.

From a military standpoint, it was practically impenetrable. This great walled city stood as an obstacle between the people of Israel and them claiming all that God had for them. Therefore, before they could go deeper into the land of Canaan and receive the promises of God, Jericho had to fall first.

This ancient city represents those things that are entrenched and rooted in our lives that prevent us from going on and receiving the blessings and promises of God. Oh, we all have them! Regardless of how pious you may think you are, no matter what others may say, there are some things embedded in your life that hinder your walk with God.

Perhaps it is a lost loved one we would like to see the Lord touch and save; a lost community over which we are burdened; a ministry from the Lord that we feel inadequate about; or financial trouble that stresses us to the limits of our patience and faith.

It may be a root of bitterness, an unforgiving spirit that stands between you and God's best for you. It may be some old habit or bad attitude that is holding you back. It could be something from your past that you continue to struggle with to this day.

Before you will ever receive all God has for you, that stronghold must be torn down! We must learn not to look upon our obstacles as dead-ends, but as opportunities for the Lord to work in our lives.

Just as real are physical and mental strongholds that plague us, so are there spiritual strongholds. These are lies that Satan whispers into our mind as a simple thought. Then it grows up to a giant that controls our will and life against God's plan. It took builders many years to erect a physical stronghold and it is the same with spiritual strongholds -- they are not built overnight.

A major step in the path toward physical, mental and spiritual victory over the strongholds of life is confidence in the Lord -- confidence in his promise and confidence in his power. We may think that we will never see our strongholds fall at our feet, but we must ever remember that God will always keep his promises! He has promised us the victory, and the victory shall be ours (I Corinthians 15:57; II Corinthians 2:14; Romans 8:37).

At Jericho, Israel was about to learn the truth that victory was in the Lord and not in themselves. They were about to participate in the strangest victory in the annals of history. For them, victory would come about not as the result of trying, but as the result of merely trusting God.

Whatever God has promised, He is well able to bring to pass. Therefore, let us face our strongholds well assured in the fact that God will do everything he has promised us he will do!

Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue thatshall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

The word of God is sufficient for tearing down every stronghold that exalts itself against the knowledge of the Lord.

 

[Emli]

Amen, Scotty!
This is really well written.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

excerpts online: www3 . telus . net/trbrooks/mindbattlefield.htm

"After Regeneration

But even following repentance the believer’s mind is not liberated totally from the touch of Satan. As the enemy worked through the mind in former days, so today will he work in the same manner. Paul, in writing to the Corinthian believers, confided that he was “afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (2 Cor. 11. 3). The Apostle well recognizes that as the god of this world blinds the mind of unbelievers so will he deceive the mind of the believers. Even though they are saved their life of thought is as yet unrenewed; consequently it remains the most strategic battleground."

....
"Man’s mind occupies a large place in his life because his thought easily influences his action.
Before Regeneration:

According to the Bible the mind of man is unusual in that it constitutes a battlefield where Satan and his evil spirits contend against the truth and hence against the believer. We may illustrate as follows. Man’s will and spirit are like a citadel which the evil spirits crave to capture. The open field where the battle is waged for the seizure of the citadel is man’s mind. Note how Paul the Apostle describes it: “though we live in the world we are not carrying on a worldly war, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10.3-5)."

"Scripture explains that before regeneration “the god of this world (had) blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God” (2 Cor. 4.4). This verse concurs in what the other verse just quoted said by declaring here that Satan holds on to man’s mind by making it blind."
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[yeshuaslavejeff]

excerpts from www3 . telus . net/trbrooks/mindbattlefield.htm
...
"One fact which we must always bear in mind is: man possesses free will.
...
"The Causes of the Attack of the Evil SpiritsWhy is the Christian’s mental life so beset by evil spirits? this can be answered in one sentence: believers afford the evil spirits (or the devil) the opportunity to attack. Let everyone clearly understand that it is possible for one’s mind to be assaulted by the devil. This is confirmed by the experience of many saints. And the area primarily assailed by him is the thinking faculty, for it has a special affinity towards evil spirits.
....
...
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"The most crucial factor in relation to their wicked activity is to have ground given to them. Without proper footing they cannot operate. The amount of their activity depends on the amount of space yielded to them. It is in the organ of his thought that the Christian supplies territory to evil spirits and hence there that they operate. Generally speaking, the ground in the mind which may be ceded to the enemy is of six kinds. We shall look at each of these now at some length.

"(1) An unrenewed mind. The flesh continually furnishes bases for the enemy’s operations. If man’s mind is not renewed after his spirit is once regenerated, he exposes a great deal of territory to the machinations of the evil spirit. While many saints do have their mentality changed at the time of repentance, nonetheless the eyes of their heart once blinded by Satan have not yet been enlightened entirely and may still be veiled in many areas. These darkened corners are the old operation centers of the evil spirits: though greatly hindered, they have not been eliminated and thus continue to furnish bases for the operations of the unseen hosts of wickedness.

"The devil’s armies are most careful to cover up their deeds. If a Christian should remain fleshly they will urge upon him notions which seem to agree with his temperament and measure, prompting him to believe these are naturally the result of his thinking. Aware that this unrenewed mind constitutes their best workshop, the enemy forces employ every artifice to keep the believer in ignorance or to thwart him from seeking the renewal of his mind. The yielding of such ground is quite common among Christians. Were this the only type of ground they relinquish they would not suffer too severely in their intellect and memory; but other kinds are involved.

"(2) An improper mind. All sins furnish territory to the adversary. If a child of God cherishes sin in his heart he is lending his mind to satanic spirits for their use. ... ... ... "