Multitudes of us surrender daily to ungodly, spiritual strongholds that have overpowered our emotions. Frequently, many of these strongholds have influenced our behavior for years. We become so familiar that we end up cozying up to them. Erroneously, we give in to these strongholds and pronounce “that’s just who I am.”
Don’t ever personalize the stronghold that has overpowered you by using 1st person possessive “my…” (i.e. my depression, my porn…). When you do, it solidifies and integrates the stronghold as part of your identity. These horrible, untruthful thoughts become your daily companions. Truth never prevails in your mind! Jesus, the Father of Truth, infrequently gets invited into your daily mental parties as you host anxiety, depression, and demonic thoughts. The more familial your condition becomes, the less the possibility that healing ever occurs.
Often, other people label individuals by their stronghold. “Rick’s a depressive person.” “Girls beware, Billy has one thing in mind, S-E-X.” Daily, he snuggles up to his stronghold by feeding his daily porn addiction. Folks realize that Suzie’s a pathological liar even though she cannot or will not admit to it. Sally is a negative, dark person. Others don’t realize that she carries guilt from sexual promiscuity earlier in her life. Becky and Bob are much like Sally. Their noticeable “heaviness” comes from grimy sexual abuse they experienced when overpowered as youngsters by a family member and a neighbor, terrorized if they ever admitted it. Folks observe Becky and Bob’s poor self-images not realizing that they have not been able to forgive their assailants and feel dirty and weak to this very day. Frank and Mandy are drunks and continue to feed their stronghold because they “need it”. People observe Rebecca’s overbearing bitterness and the accompanying vitriolic behavior. Be careful with labels you place on others. They become very hurtful and unhealthy.
Please, don’t give up or give in to “your” stronghold. Jesus is able to take every dark thought in your mind and bring deliverance. 2 Corinthians, 10:3-5, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage battle according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of strongholds. 5 We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”
Colossians 2:15 and the prior verses declare how Jesus at the cross makes your victory clear, “When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.”
Don’t hesitate to attend a recovery ministry. You don’t get well by yourself. Discover other people have issues as dark and ugly as your very own. I suggest ReGen. If ReGen is not hosted in a church nearby, search for Celebrate Recovery. You need a community of people who are recovering themselves. They will hold you accountable, and you will do likewise for them without judgment or criticism. If you are able, locate a Godly Professional Counselor. They will shorten the length of your recovery.
Get up and get going! It’s time for deliverance from the strongholds in your life…
Barnabas Man 