Breaking The Chains Of Bondage (Part 4)

Spiritual warfare cannot be fought successfully without some understanding of what a stronghold is and how it creates a bondage in your life.  And the bondage serves only one intent, and that is to destroy your relationship with God.  Unless you can be free from the bondage in your life, you cannot be as effective as God wants you to be.  Today, I want to share with you five aspects of strongholds and their affects on your life.

1. What Are Strongholds

A stronghold in the Old Testament was a fortification for protection from the enemy.  In this sense, a stronghold is a good thing if it's God's stronghold that is protecting you.  Unfortunately, too many strongholds have their origin with Satan.  And when you give into those, you come into bondage.  Paul defined strongholds  as speculations or lofty things that are raised up against the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:5).  Another definition would be a "mindset impregnated with hopelessness that causes us to accept something that we know is contrary to the will of God."
 
2. How Strongholds Take Root
In order to fully understand how to rid ourselves from strongholds, it is important that we understand how they first take root in our lives. Strongholds come from "worldly influences."  Many strongholds are the result of an accumulation of uncrucified thoughts and unsanctified attitudes that have ruled our lives during our formative years.  We have a mindset that has been shaped by our parents and educators as well as the ungodly environment in which we live.  As Christians the only acceptable truth is the truth of God's Word.

3. Common Strongholds
Just because you are a Christian, it doesn't mean you are exempt from strongholds.  Some of the more common ones include: fear, resentment, bitterness, anger, unforgiveness, apathy, unbelief, depression, anxiety, sinful thoughts, addictions, lust, pride, greed, drugs, alcohol, pornography, lukewarmness.

When identifying your strongholds, start with an examination of your heart. Any system of thinking that does not line up with the Word of God, or produces a sense of hopelessness in your life is a stronghold.

4. How People Act Who Have Strongholds
Strongholds expose an inconsistency between what we say and what we do! People with strongholds often cope with them by building a "partition" which separates their mind into two compartments.  On one side is the knowledge of God; on the other side is the knowledge of the world. This fragmentation makes us develop what James describes as a "double mind" and it speaks of instability (James 1:8).

5.  The Devastating Affects Of Strongholds
The most devastating affect of a stronghold is how it weakens your faith in important areas of your lives.  It affects you when you are trying to believe God for a breakthrough but you cannot forgive a past hurt. A stronghold affects you when you need to believe God for a miracle or when you need to have power to witness.  These strongholds will paralyze your faith, that's why it is so important to break the chains of bondage.

Don't allow the influence of the world to attach it's tentacles of bondage to your life!  God is ready to set you free from the enemies strongholds.  Don't allow spiritual darkness to take over your life.  Allow God's Word to light the path of your life. Tell me what you think.  Leave a comment.


Pastor Temple