What about strongholds?

Be encouraged! There is hope more than you can imagine! God created everything in the universe with merely the effort of his spoken word. You are not beyond his ability to give you a life full of joy. Actually the greater the forgiveness and healing………………the greater the love and joy you can experience. Jesus says in Luke “I tell you, her sins – and they are many – have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love."

The list of strongholds is enormous. The list could include: chemical addictions, anger, addictions to the approval of other people, gossip, perfectionism, withdrawal, bitterness, insecurity, pride, control, pornography, sexual impurity including sexual disorientation, depression and the list goes on.

We now desire freedom……….. that is, escaping the grasp of anything that holds us captive or enslaves us.

Or do we really desire freedom? We have probably developed a comfortableness and security with some of these strongholds…………an escape or hiding from reality and the pain and fears of life. So, the question is what are you substituting for the life you think God wants for you? If you could start living a life of freedom from this minute on, would you be willing to give up all these things, behaviors, addictions, control or whatever? Or would you need to think about it? This will indicate where you are in terms of repentance.

However, the actual demolition of these strongholds is not within our own capacity or strength. Paul says “we are humans, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.” Our strongholds are founded in false beliefs……..” empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the evil powers of this world, and not from Christ.” as Paul says in Colossians. We can destroy these strongholds in our life as God’s power, presence, love and truth empower us. He only needs a heart that desires to receive him and loves him more than a life of bondage.
“I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light” and “May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it.”, just as Paul prayed in Ephesians. As God miraculously opens the eyes and ears of your heart with his love for you personally, surrender into the embrace of his arms and presence. Remember, his love is greater than you could possibly imagine, so trying to make sense of something that God has said you can never fully understand in your mind will only hinder your experience of him in your heart.