If you are struggling with repeated behaviors that you hate but can’t break, you could be dealing with a stronghold.
Strongholds are fortified lies that have been erected in our minds. These mental mindsets oppose the word of God and keep the believer stuck in a toxic cycle.
Every stronghold is built by a lie and each lie is laid on top of the next until the fortress is built. These lies warp our view of God.
Common strongholds are:
- Fear: I’m not talking about a fear that you’re able to move through with prayer and counseling. I’m talking about a frequent debilitating sense of anxiety and worry.
- Confusion: This is not the occasional uncertainty or indecisiveness. Rather, it’s the continual confusion that causes double-mindedness.
- Anger: I’m not talking about the general emotion of anger, which is a God-given emotion. I am talking about the anger that is persistent and produces frustration, agitation, and harm in your life.
- Despair: We can all feel down and discouraged from time to time, but the stronghold of despair makes you believe that your life isn’t worth living. You feel helpless to see any hope in your situation.
Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:4: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.”
This tells me that we have the power to deal with these strongholds that the enemy uses to keep us bound.
In our last video, we talked about how to break mental strongholds. But how do you break something that you don’t realize is there?
Satan is the enemy of your soul and his favorite place to set up camp is in your head. He knows that everything you will do in life will begin with a thought.
That’s why I want to talk to you about how to identify strongholds in your mind, so you can be set free in the mighty name of Jesus.
Here are 4 common entry points that the enemy uses to begin building a stronghold in your mind.
1. Unhealed wounds.
When we are young and vulnerable, our heart is fertile ground for the enemy to plant lies. Once we entertain that lie, his fortification process begins. After the original lie, you then have experiences that reinforce the lie. Then others you love and trust confirm the lie. Here is where you truly begin to believe the lie and the lie transitions from your mind to reality. Once this is accomplished, the devil takes you, hostage, in that area.
An example of this would be a father betraying his daughter. She begins to believe the lie that she isn’t good enough and then gets into codependent abusive relationships that reject her and she is further convinced that she isn’t good enough.
2. Unconfessed sin.
1 John 1:9 reminds us that God is faithful to forgive us of our sins, but we must confess them. When sin remains unconfessed, it becomes a playground for demons. Through sin, Satan has the legal right to enter and begin his building project. His favorite sin is unforgiveness.
Here’s how it works: The door is open to Satan and his demons through sin (big or small), once in, he convinces you that the sin you’re committing is either acceptable, justifiable, or satisfying. If yielded to, the sin becomes a habit, which turns into a stronghold because he has taken over in that area.
3. Occult involvement.
Whether it’s yoga, tarot cards, Ouija boards, psychic readings, or any of the other numerous ways to engage in the demonic realm, if you have engaged in (even dabbled) occult practices, there is a strong possibility that you have opened yourself up wide to allow spirits to enter you and your life.
Here’s what happens: You are either intrigued by the spirit realm, or you’ve believed the lie that it’s silly and harmless—after all, who doesn’t want to know a little ‘hidden knowledge’? The problem is you’ve now entered into satan’s realm and the information you receive is spiritual, but it’s from the demonic realm. The door is wide open for demons to now operate in your life and the first area they look to erode is your true and only belief in God. So the next time, you have an issue or curiosity, you will likely go back to the demonic source for a solution.
4. Toxic family.
It’s not uncommon for a child to inherit a family’s toxic thought pattern or unhealthy coping skills. These can range anywhere from “religious” behaviors to addiction to negative thinking and everything in between. Anything that is contrary to the Word of God needs to be rejected. But instead, in toxic families, these traits (and demons) are passed down.
An example of this would be a controlling mother manipulating her children into doing what she wants. The adult child now adopts those behaviors because that’s all she’s ever known. And since manipulation is a form of witchcraft, that demonic stronghold is passed down through the family line.
These are just a few of the ways to identify if there is a stronghold operating in your life.
The good news is that every stronghold can be broken. Just because Satan has strongly influenced an area of your life, doesn’t mean he can stay.
The precious blood of Jesus can break the chains that Satan is using to keep you bound. You don’t have to stay stuck another day.
For more teaching on how to break demonic mental strongholds check out this blog.
How Toxic are My Thoughts? Quiz
