Strongholds--Are They Good or Bad...or Both?

“Standing on the defensive indicates insufficient strength; attacking, a superabundance of strength.”
                                                                                             --Sun Tzu,"The Art of War"

 

In 2 Cor. 10:4 Paul refers to strongholds in the Passion Translation as "defenses behind which people hide."

Strongholds can be good. In ancient times, strongholds were usually fortresses designed to resist attacks from enemies. They were often located on a hill or a rocky outcropping where an enemy approach could be seen from afar, so the city could attack first and potentially fend them off.

There are many verses in the Bible that talk about the Lord being our stronghold:

The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Psm. 9.9
The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. Prov. 18.10
You are my rock and my fortress, Psm. 31.3
For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. Psm. 61.3

This is good.  When we feel oppressed, we can run to Him for safety, protection and refuge.

However, there's another kind of stronghold. I looked up the definition of stronghold and it reads: faulty thinking based on lies and deception. These kind of strongholds cause us to think in ways which block us from God's best for us.
 

"Spiritual strongholds begin with a thought. One thought becomes a consideration. A consideration develops into an attitude, which leads then to action. Action repeated becomes a habit, and a habit establishes a 'power base for the enemy,' that is, a stronghold."
                                                                                                                           Elizabeth Elliot

Ouch. My past drinking habits were a stronghold. When trying to hide from my anxieties surrounding all the unknowns in 2020, food and exercise became a "power base for the enemy."  (Geesh, I typed that out loud. I hate to admit it.) Did they work? Did they bring me comfort and banish the anxiety? Momentarily...but because I just hid those thoughts and feelings, they returned...soon.  

Comfort zones may be strongholds--they keep us safe. Thoughts like "I'm too old", ''there's no way I could do that," "I've tried every diet and none of them work, so I'm just giving up," "The last time I loved someone, I was hurt...I'm not doing that again.'' Or my favorite, "that's just the way I am, I can't change." 

These all keep us safe and hidden in our own fortress of sameness and maybe keep us out of sight from God's best for us. The strongholds that we hold in our minds can prevent the supply of the Holy Spirit's Power from getting to us. It can cut off our communications, not only with God but with others. 

How do we overcome?

2 Cor. 10:4  tells us that our spiritual weapons are energized with divine power to effectively dismantle the defenses behind which people hide. We can demolish every deceptive fantasy that opposes God and BREAKTHROUGH every arrogant attitude that is raised up in defiance of the true knowledge of God. (That makes me feel 10 feet tall and bullet proof!)

Identify the particular stronghold that you are thinking about now. I'm smiling, because I believe you're thinking about one area/habit that you'd like to change. 

If you don't know or aren't able to identify a fortress where you like to hide--there is a feeling that accompanies a stronghold. It could be hurt, anger, anxiety or pride.  Those are just the ones that come to mind now. (Keep in mind, I'm not a Bible scholar, either.) It's a feeling of unease because the feeling/thought is "raised up in defiance of the true knowledge of God."

1. Now that you have identified the feeling, what is the attitude and the action that you want to take?

2. TAKE THE THOUGHT CAPTIVE AND MARCH IT RIGHT OUT OF YOUR HEAD.

3. Run to The Lord for comfort from the accompanying feeling. Replace it with thoughts and Scripture about how you would like to show up in that moment instead.

4. Then take THAT action. Be who you desire to be. It's in that faith move that the superabundance of power comes.

This takes practice, but it does work. I have experienced freedom--and am still practicing these steps as new fortresses get discovered. Growth is a process. Let me know if I can help!