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Identifying strongholds in our own lives, those of others, and in our community is obviously very important in order to be effective Christ-followers.
In this section, I’ll try to equip us to better recognize strongholds so we can gain freedom from them for ourselves and others. In Part 1 - what they are, and Part 2 - how to overcome them, we found the Bible clear: Strongholds exist, and they can and will be overcome, in this life perhaps, and certainly in the next. But why wait for Heaven to be free from bondage? There is excellent teaching in God’s Word, and Christian authors, on this subject. In fact, I came across a great article that does a much better job than I can of addressing this subject of identifying strongholds. Go to Shegznstuff and you will find a two-part series on this subject by author Segun “Shegz” Aiyegbushi. CATEGORIES OF STRONGHOLDS Here are the five categories Segun identifies as categories of strongholds:
HOLY SPIRIT DISCERNMENT God has given us a savior, Jesus Christ. By accepting Him, we get many gifts, including the most profound, the Holy Spirit, who will be with us for eternity. The Holy Spirit is not a thing, but a person. Equal to God the Father, and Christ Jesus the Son, the Holy Spirit is our constant companion and protector, and will reveal to us strongholds in ourselves, others, and our community if we are intimately well connected with the Holy Spirit. HOW TO CONNECT WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT Quick little prayers here and there are great throughout the day, but will not serve to build a deep, intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit. Personally, for many years that was the extent of my prayer life. As God removed a major stronghold (alcoholism) from me in 1996, I started becoming better and better about two-way communication with God. Allow me to use marriage as an example. If all you do is say a quick hello and goodbye to your spouse, you will not develop an intimate relationship and that marriage has almost zero chance of succeeding. If your prayer life is only quick little prayers, you’re easing conscience at the expense of a relationship. There’s no substitute for time spent with Christ. If you’ve read my previous devotionals, you know I harp on a daily time of prayer (talking to God), meditation (listening to God), and capturing lessons learned from our time with Him (journaling). It is a daily discipline that produces the transformational results Christ-followers desire but seldom achieve due to a simple failure to invest the time. Just like with your spouse, the question about quality versus quantity time, and which one is better, is simply answered: “Both.” You need both to be in intimate relationships. One without the other is to shortchange your partner. Unfortunately, we can get away with shortchanging Christ a lot easier, and He does not make us sleep on the couch for being insensitive to His needs. Although sometimes, I wish He would! Let’s dedicate time to building a deep, effective, rich relationship with Christ. What have we got to lose? In the words of the famous slain missionary Jim Elliot: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” ALL ARE CALLED TO ENGAGE IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE Just as we are all called to full-time ministry, so too are we all called to engage in spiritual warfare. It is the exception that some of us are called to full-time vocational ministry. However, no one is exempt from the call to actively engage in fulfilling the Great Commission. It is a command and supreme directive to every man, woman, and child who confesses Jesus Christ as savior. Many, like myself, answered this call but still had strongholds in our lives. We got involved in vocational or bi-vocational ministry despite the “thorns in our flesh.” It was suboptimal, but what was good enough for the Apostle Paul is good enough for me. And, if every pastor or bi-vocational minister who had a stronghold resigned from ministry today, there would hardly be anyone left to shepherd Christ-followers! Beware of casting judgment on those of us who struggle with strongholds. Maybe spiritual pride is one of yours. ALL ARE CALLED TO LORDSHIP The next step in the journey for a ministry leader, or Christ-follower at any level, is to actively pursue an intimate relationship with Christ. This is where God is allowed to fully and completely be Lord of our lives. Where through our full acceptance of Him, we fully submit to the Holy Spirit’s leadership. We call this “Submitted to the Lordship of Christ” or “Christ is truly Lord of my life.” It is highly advisable to be in this state of “full submission to the Lordship of Christ” for maximum effectiveness and victory in battle. We are all engaged in this war of good versus evil, whether we know it or not. We need help and cannot prevail on our own. We must rely on the Holy Spirit. And unconfessed sin, a rebellious nature, or strongholds of any sort can weaken us to the point of defeat. APPLICATION FOR PASTORS AND MINISTRY LEADERS If you are a pastor or ministry leader in any capacity, it is critical for you to role model behavior for those that Christ has put under your care. If you are not having a daily time of prayer, meditation, and journaling of lessons learned, how can you expect others that follow you to engage in this practice? Our primary weapon to break down strongholds is the Holy Spirit. And our primary way to recognize strongholds is also the Holy Spirit. We will know in our spirit what to do, where to go, how to pray, and who else to bring in on various assignments we are given. We just need to be very in tune with Christ in order to hear what Christ is saying to us. THE NEVER-ENDING VOICE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT There is a continuous outward-bound communication from the Holy Spirit, akin to radio waves, which we cannot hear unless we possess a device capable of capturing and amplifying them. God has given us such a device: the daily quiet time, allowing us to hear His constant flow of words such as “I love you”, “I care for you”, “I am with you”, “I will never leave or forsake you”, “You will be with me for eternity”, and more. God is always speaking to us. For those who are hard of hearing, reading God’s Word (the Bible) is a reliable method of receiving His messages. The Holy Spirit leads and guides us to where we should read, imparting lessons we need to learn. Additionally, the Holy Spirit reveals strongholds in our lives and equips us with the tools necessary to break free from them. PRACTICAL APPLICATION Today, God revealed to me a list of strongholds. They include, but are not limited to: Addictions (such as alcohol, drugs, food, sex, rage, work, image, or compulsions), other recurring sins (like being controlling, angry, bitter, jealous, and more), certain mental and physical illnesses, demon possession, and so forth. Not all sins are considered strongholds; the distinguishing factor for me is the frequency of recurrence of the sin or possession. If you struggle with strongholds, actively increase the time you spend with God in daily prayer, meditation, and journaling. Share your struggles with others. Seek help from the community of Christ-followers. You are not alone. The same advice applies if you observe strongholds in others. And if you fail to recognize the strongholds in our world, I pray that your eyes may be opened, for there is a war raging. To underscore the importance of having “eyes wide open,” I’ll conclude with one of my favorite Old Testament stories: “When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:15-17 NIV) CONCLUSION We have more allies than adversaries. The Holy Spirit is on our side, as are all the angels in Heaven. Victory already belongs to the Blessed Trinity. Claim your rightful place in Christ’s kingdom, free from strongholds. Claim that place for others as well, and for communities, ranging from your small group, local church, city, state, country, to this little place we call Earth. For our greatest freedom in Christ - your aspiring servant, Daniel M. March 01, 2024 POSTSCRIPT: Dear friends, if this daily, transparent “Conversations with Christ” blesses you, please go to www.SOLIDpastors.org, where you will find these posted, and a repository of all, in English and Spanish. If you ever want to chat, you can reach me at [email protected]. May Christ bless you richly as you have your own intimate, daily conversations with Christ. Comments are closed.
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