{"id":1956,"date":"2016-06-16T22:43:04","date_gmt":"2016-06-16T22:43:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=1956"},"modified":"2016-06-16T22:47:26","modified_gmt":"2016-06-16T22:47:26","slug":"strategies-for-overcoming-strongholds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=1956","title":{"rendered":"Strategies for Overcoming Strongholds"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"images-1\"<\/a>This blog is from Lance Walnau. It was just too good not to republish. Enjoy!<\/p>\n

When the Apostle Paul <\/b>said that we \u201cwrestle not with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers,\u201d what did he mean? The verse found in Ephesians 6:12 makes something very clear. Paul did not believe his warfare was a battle with people, political institutions, or even personal circumstance. Our warfare, like his, is an intense, personal, and close wrestling match with disembodied spirits.<\/b><\/p>\n

1.\u00a0How do you know you are under attack?<\/b> One of the things I\u2019ve noticed is that when I am in warfare I don\u2019t feel like myself. I feel disconnected, awkward, and inauthentic. I\u2019m not myself and I don\u2019t even like who is showing up. Do you ever feel like this? It\u2019s like you\u2019re someone else<\/i>. Something is trying to take over your thought process. Remember: the battle zone is in your thought life<\/b>. The secret is to catch the enemy when he attempts to slip into your thought life like the serpent in the garden. Don\u2019t let the thought take hold. For this reason Paul says one of our primary weapons is the power to inspect and<\/b> take thoughts captive <\/b>as they enter your mind. \u00a0Paul describes an interrogation process, in which we take a thought captive \u201cat the point of a spear.\u201d Notice the language he uses to address strongholds: \u201cCasting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God\u201d (2 Corinthians 10:5).<\/p>\n

2.What is a stronghold? Think of it as a house made of thoughts. \u00a0<\/b>It\u2019s a pattern of thinking that has a \u201cstrong hold\u201d or grip on your mind. \u00a0<\/b>And let\u2019s be honest: if it\u2019s a pattern of thinking it is also a pattern of feeling and behaving. A stronghold is something that exerts an influence or leverage over the thought patterns that play in your mind<\/b>. They produce a harvest of consequences. The devil is trying to rob you and your children of God\u2019s inheritance<\/b>. \u00a0He does this by working to get you to compromise and bow your knee to unbelief, apathy, fear, lust, addiction, depression<\/b>. \u00a0Don\u2019t let him succeed. Put up a FIGHT!3.<\/p>\n

What is God\u2019s goal for you?\u00a0<\/b>The Spirit of God wants us to be thinking beings who operate out of freedom!\u2014NOT robots. The Holy Spirit is busy right now setting us free from CONTROLLING SPIRITS. This includes all addictions and compulsions. As a believer, you are not under the dominion of darkness<\/b> (Ephesians 6:12). God created man in His image and in His likeness and gave him a territory called a garden. In that sphere of influence man was in charge. He had authority over the snake. God has put you in the garden of your life. \u00a0He wants you to be free to flourish, create, and expand dominion. \u00a0<\/b>God made you in His image and wants your mind free to see, sense, discern, and judge.<\/p>\n

How can you dismantle these strongholds?<\/b><\/p>\n

Strongholds are like fortresses that must be torn down one brick at a time. Every thought that hits you needs to be countered by another thought! Lies need to be answered with TRUTH. You need a proclamation in your mouth\u2014there is an \u201cIT IS WRITTEN!\u201d for every battle. These truths need to be meditated upon and literally \u201cengrafted\u201d into your soul. <\/b>In this way God uses our warfare to do something that totally frustrates the enemy. It makes us stronger! This connects us to the lineage of overcomers described by the writer of Hebrews who said: \u201cOut of weakness they became strong!\u201d (Hebrews 11:34)<\/p>\n

Question: What lies do you need to refute in your mind? What truths do you need to stand on for daily victory in the spiritual realm? LanceLearning.com<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This blog is from Lance Walnau. It was just too good not to republish. Enjoy! When the Apostle Paul said that we \u201cwrestle not with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers,\u201d what did he mean? The verse found in Ephesians 6:12 makes something very clear. Paul did not believe his warfare was a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-featured","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":254,"url":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=254","url_meta":{"origin":1956,"position":0},"title":"Where Did the Time Go?","author":"hollysmith","date":"June 3, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Where did the time go? This week I met with a girl who thanked me for connecting her to a group that was blessing her. Without praying about it, I wondered aloud if I could sit in and be a part too. The group would consist of gifted, enthusiastic women,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Persevering Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Persevering Faith","link":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hollywsmith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/running-up-at-mtn2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3288,"url":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=3288","url_meta":{"origin":1956,"position":1},"title":"Anointing Your Weakness","author":"hollysmith","date":"February 17, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"God wants to anoint your weakness. That way we know it was impossible for us to do and God gets all the glory! My grace is sufficient for you for My power is made perfect in our weakness. (2 Cor. 12:9)Examples: 1. Saul to Paul - \"Jesus came to save\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?cat=18"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hollywsmith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/holly_bench.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2421,"url":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=2421","url_meta":{"origin":1956,"position":2},"title":"Mysterious Clues for Deliverance Alive in Scripture","author":"hollysmith","date":"November 1, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I believe some of you are being trained in a new kind of spiritual warfare. You will begin to see keys in scripture that jump off the page and come alive for clues how to pray for people currently. You will use scripture against attacks coming and to unlock deliverance\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?cat=18"},"img":{"alt_text":"freedom-3408327__340","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hollywsmith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/freedom-3408327__340-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2549,"url":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=2549","url_meta":{"origin":1956,"position":3},"title":"Mysterious Clues for Deliverance Alive in Scripture","author":"hollysmith","date":"July 8, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I believe some of you are being trained in a new kind of spiritual warfare. You will begin to see keys in scripture that jump off the page and come alive for clues how to pray for people currently. You will use scripture against attacks coming and to unlock deliverance\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?cat=18"},"img":{"alt_text":"freedom-3408327__340","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hollywsmith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/freedom-3408327__340-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":386,"url":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=386","url_meta":{"origin":1956,"position":4},"title":"Letting Christ Live Through Us","author":"hollysmith","date":"August 22, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"I watched a moving dvd the other night about some monks at a monastery in Bosnia. They were on a mission to this little village of poor people. They represented peace and defended the weak against the invading Islamic terrorists. Tension rose after the guerillas slaughtered some of the residents\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?cat=18"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hollywsmith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/images-2-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2339,"url":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=2339","url_meta":{"origin":1956,"position":5},"title":"Letting Christ Live Through You","author":"hollysmith","date":"May 1, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I watched a moving dvd the other night about some monks at a monastery in Bosnia. They were on a mission to this little village of poor people. They represented peace and defended the weak against the invading Islamic terrorists. 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