Breaking Strongholds

Breaking Strongholds

We live in this world, but we don’t act like its people or fight our battles with the weapons of this world. Instead, we use God’s power that can destroy fortresses. We destroy arguments and every bit of pride that keeps anyone from knowing God. We capture people’s thoughts and make them obey Christ.

– II Corinthians 10:3-5

STRONGHOLD: Anything that exalts itself against God’s Word.  It contradicts the Truth.  It contradicts what God says about you.  It goes against the will of God for your life!

a)      A stronghold begins with a thought, or two or three.

b)      A negative thought unchecked…leads to vain imaginations…and that’s how strongholds are born.

How to Break Strongholds:

1. Go to the source—your thought life.

Proverbs 23:7- For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. He says to you, “Eat and drink!” But his heart is not with you.

a)      We have to evaluate our thought life.  What wrong thoughts have  we accepted and believed that led to this stronghold?

2. Let go of the past pain.

Isaiah 43:18-19 Do not remember the things that have happened before. Do not think about the things of the past. See, I will do a new thing. It will begin happening now. Will you not know about it? I will even make a road in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

a)      FORGET the past!

b)      Don’t DWELL on it anymore!

c)      This is a NEW day!

3. Control your thoughts.

Ephesians 6:12-13 Our fight is not with people. It is against the leaders and the powers and the spirits of darkness in this world. It is against the demon world that works in the heavens. ¹³ Because of this, put on all the things God gives you to fight with. Then you will be able to stand in that sinful day. When it is all over, you will still be standing.

a)       Take every thought CAPTIVE and make it obedient to Christ.

b)       We have to deliberately choose what we allow our minds to dwell on.

c)       Decide Right Now:

d)      I am finished with this battle!

e)       I’m not fighting this stronghold the rest of my life!

f)        I am not going to let suicidal thoughts get the best of me!

g)       I am not going to allow poverty to reign in my life!

h)       I am not going to allow bitterness to control my life!

i)         Divine Weapons To Demolish Negative Thoughts—You Have:

j)         The Word of God

k)       The Name of Jesus

l)         Power and Authority over Satan

m)     At The First Sign Of A Negative Thought:

1. Stop and acknowledge that the thought is not from God.

2. Make a decision: I am not going to take Satan’s bait! I am not going to dwell on this

ungodly thought.

3. Resist Satan in the Name of Jesus!

4. Replace that thought with God’s thoughts about you.

a)     Don’t identify yourself with tempting thoughts.

b)     Instead of turning on yourself and attacking your self-esteem when thoughts come—turn

it around and attack the lies!  Deal with the real culprit that is a lie of Satan.

4. Be PERSISTENT!

A stronghold doesn’t develop overnight.   So you have to be consistent and persistent until you see the victory

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The Tough Season

Ref: Luke 8:43-48, Mark 5:25-34

There was a woman in the bible who had been dealing with the issue of blood for 12 years, when she hears about this saving king this man of God who is in her town and rumors where the only way to get things around back than, just by word of mouth, of what was going on in the city. She had got word that this man of God was doing healing; he was healing people, raising people from the dead, casting out demons. He was doing things that they hadn’t seen or even heard of. She decided that day, that this was going to be the day of her healing. I cant even imagine being in her shoes at that time, because during that time, because the condition that she had during that time was called being unclean, and most people with that condition had to stay outside the city gates, they weren’t even allowed inside, they couldn’t be a normal person everybody had to know what happened, everyone had to know… Some of us are in situations like this it may not be 12 years it may 30 years, 5 years, 2 months, maybe only 12 days. There’s a Savior, who not just in the “business” about us just hearing about him saving our lives, that’s the most important thing… there’s some of us who love God you’ve been serving him, but you have dealt with something for a long time that has kept you from truly loving God, Loving people, it effects everything you do, it effects your worship it effects the way you live your life. Jesus wants to remind us he is in control he is so faithful in Ephesians 3 it says there is nothing to big for God, nothing!.. We hear that and we think that’s nice for my neighbor, “pat on the back”, we walk away thinking it doesn’t apply to me but it applies to each of us every one of use each and every one of us. Sometimes we go through those seasons of just UGH…how many times do we go through those places where we are just broken even hope deferred.. Hope deferred makes the heart sick.. Sometimes there stuff in our heart, things that God wants us to let go of.. we have to lay those things down at times to take on who God says who we are and not walk regret and not walk in places of being hopeless because he gives us hope. God is in the pursuit of us walking in the freedom the anointing and the authority that we have because his son Jesus. We get to win, Satan doesn’t get to win, he’s a liar.. We should get up every morning and just kick him in the teeth.. but we let ourselves believe lies we have lived in these lies for years and years and years, and I pray that you get a revelation that God is for you and not against you he says he will never leave us nor for sake us, Just like the lady in the bible she decided you know what I may not be allowed to go into the city, I may have believed that I am this way or that way because of what people had said but tonight that doesn’t matter, that day she decided I don’t care what people say, I don’t care what people think I don’t care I don’t care I am going I am going after my Healing!.. I’m coming after this savior I’m gonna go and I’m going to find him and I’m going to press in and im not going to give up, She didn’t give up when she seen how many people were there needing something from this God, she came and she pressed in until she got her healing that day, the bible says the moment she got her healing the lord knew, and he said to her woman you are healed because of the faith in your heart, and her life changed that day. He is for us he isn’t against us, even in the tough seasons of like, he’s there and he’s come even to write upon your heart to remind you who he is that he’s never going to leave no matter what season your in. his word says in Romans 8 that there is nothing that will separate us from his love