Spiritual Strongholds

"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." -2 Corinthians 10:4

Have you ever heard of a “stronghold”?  A stronghold in a spiritual influence in our lives that compels us to make decisions that aren’t good for our spiritual or even physical well-being. Much stronger than a habit, a stronghold is something that makes us feel as if we don’t have any control over its influence.  When in fact the truth is, through the power of God’s Spirit, we do. 

Some examples of strongholds are:

• Fear 
• Rejection
• Heaviness/Depression
• Sexual Sin
• Addiction
• Judgment/Legalism

The root of strongholds are either negative memories where the stronghold was allowed to come in, or strongholds can also be passed down generationally. Have you ever noticed how families seem to have the same types of problems unless someone within that family "breaks the mold"?  Pregnancy out of wedlock, suicide, drug dependence and other ‘less serious’ problems can result from generational strongholds. We can also invite strongholds into our lives by our own choices and behaviors. Getting our needs met outside of God's design can open the door to a stronghold. Often we may not be aware of a stronghold’s influence over our lives.

Do you struggle with longstanding behaviors and thought patterns and wonder why you cannot overcome them? You may be influenced by a spiritual stronghold.  Some of the roots of strongolds and their anecdotes are below.  God desires that we be free from strongholds and their destructive influence.  Do you have any strongholds that may be holding you back in your life?

(For more on spiritual strongholds and how to overcome them, see the workbook "Demolishing Strongholds.")