Key scripture- “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

“Does a stronghold have a strong hold on you? Do you feel nothing but despair? Do you think thoughts of defeat?”

A stronghold is a false premise that denies God’s promises. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says “it sets itself up against the knowledge of God.” It attempts to magnify your problem and minimize God’s ability to solve it.

An example of some strongholds are:

God could never forgive me– That’s the stronghold of guilt.

Bad things always happen to me– That’s the stronghold of self-pity.

I have to be in charge– The stronghold of pride.

I don’t deserve to be loved– The stronghold of rejection.

This situation will never get better- The stronghold of defeat.

I can’t stop looking at pornography, I am obsessed with sex – The stronghold of lust.

I will never forgive them for what they did to me – The stronghold of unforgiveness.

I am so ashamed about what I did in my past – The stronghold of shame.

What if I lose my job? What if I get sick? – The stronghold of worry.

Most Christians don’t recognize that the negative thoughts that we are thinking are actually strongholds, instead we live with the strongholds and let them control us. But God is telling us that we don’t have to live with strongholds nor do we have to be controlled by them because we already have the weapons to defeat strongholds, which are, the weapons that have been given to us from God that have divine power to demolish strongholds. “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.”

Do you want to destroy the strongholds in your life? Then use the weapons that God has given you by doing what Paul told you to do in the Key scripture today, “Take every thought captive to obey Christ.” That means take control of the negative destructive thoughts that you are thinking and replace them with the Word of God. When you do that, you are making your thoughts obey Christ.

In order for you to defeat your strongholds you need to; keep God at center stage and know what He has said in His Word about your problem. Which means, you have to turn off the computer and television, open the Bible more, and meet with God in prayer on a regular basis. Ask Him for wisdom and to help you get control of the negative thoughts and replace them with His Word. When you do this you will be amazed at how your thoughts change and how you will no longer live in defeat because you will be strengthened and empowered by a powerful weapon, the Word of God.

Pray this – Our Precious Heavenly Father, I want to be free of my strongholds. I am so tired of letting them control me. I do not have the strength to overcome my strongholds, but You do. Today I will start replacing my thoughts with Your Word, which “is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart..” (Hebrews 4:12) I will start saying what You say about my strongholds. I know that because of You I have divine power to demolish strongholds. Help me to take my negative thoughts and lofty imaginations captive and put them under the obedience of Your Word. Give me the strength to keep doing it every time those thoughts return, until I never have them again. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

 Laura Ingle