Did you know that our minds are a battlefield. And that Satan try’s to set up strongholds within them.
The truth is, God and Satan are not equals. Yet strongholds are real.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 states, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds, throwing down imaginations and every high things that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captive to the obedience of Messiah.”
Our strongholds are fortified places. They are, according to the Bible, false arguments and lofty opinions that counter God’s truth. They are areas where we are in bondage that affect our thinking in the worst way. When we believe these false arguments, a terrible thing happens -we develop a new false way of thinking that captures every thought.
It is easy to see why the Apostle Paul tells believers to take every thought captive to obey Jesus.
God wants us to think like His Son because we should have the mind of Jesus. He doesn’t want us to allow Satan to set strongholds in our minds, because these false arguments can become our new way of thinking. Satan’s lies only brings nasty habits that cannot be unbroken until we recognize that we’ve believed false arguments.
Satan lies because he wants us to doubt God and continue down a path of habits that will hurt us. A stronghold opens the door to life sucking habits. But, God provides a way out. good morning.
I came from a home that was plagued with negativity. Satan attacked every one in that home. One brother who had everything going for in life turned to drugs and was later murdered. Another brother drowned on a boy scout trip because he wasn’t being watched closely, my step-brother was a sexual predator, one brother I have lost touch with, one day he just left the house and I haven’t seen him since. My sister lives about 4 hours away and we hardly speak. I’m telling you this not to feel sorry for me but as an of what Satan can do through strongholds in our minds. Satan ruins lives and he does it through our minds. He sneaks in and tells us lies to build strongholds that causes us to sin and run away from God.
God empowers us to change. He empowers us to change for the better.
Too many people think they have to stop sinning to choose God as their Savior. God knows we are flawed, and He knows Satan’s tactics. And He still accepts us because He loves us and wants to help us change. I’m not going to lie and tell you it’s easy because it’s not. We have to choose God every day, and we will still sin, but that’s what “The Last Supper” was for. To take communion, ask for forgiveness, and turn from that sin.
Philippians 1:6 says, “And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
Relying on Jesus’s strength we can smash the strongholds in our minds and see victory.
We need to see ourselves as God sees us – accepted, blessed, forgiven, chosen, His precious children. And to accept the truth that we are completely loved now and that we cannot earn God’s favor because we have it now.
Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing, it is a gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
There’s no doubt we live in a physical world and a spiritual world. And Satan and his demons want to stop all people from believing in Jesus, and if that doesn’t work, stop believers from growing spiritually in Jesus and stop them from enjoying the abundant life God has for us.
John 10:10 tells us, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly.”
I believe there is a spiritual war going on, and we are seeing the effects of that war on earth. The spiritual war is raging around us now and Satan wants to set up strongholds in our minds to keep us from embracing God’s liberating truth. Satan wants us to believe hid lies and paralyze us.
But, the beautiful news is because of what Jesus has done we will be victorious.
Satan tries to one up God Almighty. But he’s a defeated foe, he wants to steal our joy, peace, and destroy any belief in God we have.
From Pity to Praise 