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Fundamentals of Strongholds:
A stronghold is an area of the mind where darkness reigns. It is a system of logic, rooted in a lie, that an individual has come to accept. This system of thought is formed behind any habitual response, addition, fixation, compulsion, obsession, and/or inordinate fear. A stronghold is any thought pattern alien to the Word of God. It serves as a mental or emotional "command post" to which the enemy has access. This mental or emotional word of thought system is designed to create misinformation and thereby affect an individual's decision-making ability. A stronghold keeps a person from embracing true Christlikeness. Some fundamental truths about how strongholds operate and hold people captive. 1. Strongholds area a primary strategy of Satan's work around the world and in our lives. 2. Strongholds form presuppositions that distort our perceptions of everything we encounter. 3. Everyone has strongholds in their lives. 4. None of us as free as Jesus' death on the Cross was purposed to make us. 5. If you are as free as you want to be, then you are free as you're going to be - until your desire changes.
1. Strongholds prevent or retard our emotional and spiritual growth and maturity. 2. Strongholds cause conflict, separation, and divorce in marriage. In the church, strongholds cause division. They provoke bitterness, jealousy anxiety, and depression. 3. Strongholds empower Satan and his demons, while grieving the Holy Spirit and God's angels. 4. Strongholds keep individuals from accepting what Christ has made them to be and thus keeps them from fulfilling their personal destiny in God. 5. Strongholds are a foothold or a place of operation that the devil possesses in us. "That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts" (Ephesians 4:22). 6. Strongholds produce financial disorder and will bring about spiritual disorientation. 7. Strongholds provoke us to respond to others in ways that even we do not understand. They fragment attempted friendships and steal our joy and hope. 9. Strongholds stifle our faith and distort Scriptures. They cloud and darken our minds and imprison our spirit. 10. Strongholds can only be killed at the root. They cannot be removed simply by addressing the manifestation. 11. Strongholds allow us to give only a begrudging love, at best. They keep us from forgiving others. Lord, I humbly admit that I have mental strongholds in my life. These strongholds distort my perception of what You are doing. I ask You to tear down these strongholds so that I can perceive clearly. Today, I loose myself in the Holy Spirit and to walk the fullness of Your purpose for my life. I know that I am capable of doing much more in You than I allow to happen. Therefore, I loose my spirit, soul, and body to be totally your today! Amen.