Breaking Enemy Strongholds
If you were to look through the lens of God’s eyes, how would you describe our world?
Obviously, as we are not God and therefore we can’t fully comprehend what He thinks, there isn’t really a right or wrong answer to this question; however, as Christ followers, we can try to better understand His thoughts through His word.
God tells us in the Bible:
‘Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind’
~ Romans 12:2 New International Version
This verse is so important because it has the power to break enemy strongholds off your life. Enemy strongholds that lead to death, whether in the natural (physical) or the spiritual realm.
God wants the best for you, he knows the path you are meant to be on in order to obtain peace, but from the depth of His love for you He gave you free will to seek Him or to turn from Him. Matthew 4:4 (New International Version) tells us:
“It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’.
We need the word of God to give us direction, to give us understanding and to move on our behalf when we are weak.
‘For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace’.
~ Romans 8:6 (English Standard Version, ESV)
We cannot fight attacks of the enemy in our own worldly flesh, we need to be able to fight in the Spirit, and the only way to do that is to have a spiritual life which is grounded in truth and righteousness.
I know these might just be all words on a page for some people, however, if you have been struggling to change aspects of your life or you don’t have peace, then I encourage you to try something different.
‘All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.’
~ 2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV)
Righteousness, meaning, being in right standing with God. If you seek after God and His kingdom you will receive peace. Even in difficult times you will have Gods hand on your life. God instructs and promises us in Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV):
‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus’.
There is a meme going around on social media that says;
It’s not that Christians wanna shove Jesus down your throat but man if you only knew -
how He can transform you,
how He can take away all that bitterness,
that sorrow,
that hurt,
that depression,
that anxiety.
We boast about our Lord because He is mighty!! – (Be Still And Know That I Am God – April 23, 2022).
It is your job is to let God into your mind and heart and it is God’s job is to transform your mind and life. He will transform the way you live, the way you think about yourself, the way you think about others, your peace and the fruit you produce in your life. The fruit being ‘… love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23, ESV). He will break the chains of pain and suffering; He will throw away addictions and self-destructive behavior, it is a promise from God that you will be restored, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (ESV):
‘… do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day…’.
Here are some simple steps to take for renewing your mind…
Ask your Heavenly Father to renew your mind, this can be as simple as saying it aloud or in prayer.
Get into God’s word and meditate on His word, the reason for meditating is so you repeat it until you believe it and know it in your soul. It could just be one sentence or scripture passage. If you’re new to this, I would encourage you to start with a scripture that reflects who He says you are or what He has promised over your life.
Mindfulness. When you find yourself thinking a thought that is contradictory to what God says, replace it with His word. You are essentially reprogramming your beliefs and behaviors.
Psalm 119:11 (ESV) “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you’. Therefore, we can remain confident to move forward through Gods grace and love and never look back on things that were sent to destroy us.
Feel it! Feel what it is like for God to love you with a love that is so great that He allowed His son to die, so that you and I may know His love for us. Once you know His love, you will find His peace.
Isaiah 26:3 (ESV) ‘You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.’
Repeat these steps daily. Allow God time to work in your life, allow Him to fill you with His love and peace.
Colossians 3:10 (Amplified Version) ‘… and have put on the new [spiritual] self who is being continually renewed in true knowledge in the image of Him who created the new self’.
For those of us that are renewed in Christ, keep yourself immersed in His word, keep asking God to illuminate areas of your life that need change and take rest in His word that He has covered you with His grace, mercy, love, and peace.
If you are not renewed in Christ or simply curious what that means, I encourage you to commit to a daily routine, even if it only for a few minutes a day to read or listen to Gods word. I know the Bible can be hard to understand, but there are many other ways in which you can start this journey. There are many services you can use for free: Godly daily text messages, read a blog (our blog has plenty of topics you can search within), listen to a podcast (like ours) or a sermon, or one of my favorites read a devotional…it’s only one page a day!
God made you a promise, but He tells us that we must be:
‘…confident of this that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus’
~ (Philippians 1:6, NIV)
Some of us are so desperate for peace, joy and a rest for our soul, yet our complacency for change through Gods word allows the enemy to consistently attack and keep a stronghold over our lives.
I had a friend say to me once “Why is everything to do with God so black and white for you?” and my response was, “There are no grey areas when it comes to God, you either want what he has for you, or you don’t”. This is the same friend that wanted to feel the peace I had, so much so, that our friendship dissolved out of his envy. Therefore, it is so important to know what he says about who you are in Him and what He has promised over your life. If you don’t know Gods truth you cannot have the freedom or the blessings he provides.
From a person who thought, at one point in her life, that she was going to give up too much in life to pick up her cross and follow the Lord, I have 2 questions for you:
Is the peace, joy and abundant life that God promised worth the sacrifice of the worldly behaviors and desires?
Is Gods word worth the freedom, blessings, and peace over your life?
To that she answered YES!
I will leave you to ponder this thought: you will only experience Gods transformation in your life by the amount you are willing to have your mind renewed by Him.
Heavenly Father,
I want to thank you for the person reading this today,
Lord, we thank you for your continual love, grace and mercy.
I ask you to bless this person’s life Lord, with eyes to see and ears to hear you, Father God.
Lord, we ask for a renewal of our minds and hearts through your word.
We pray the blood of Jesus over our lives for strongholds to be broken and healing to take place within our spirits.
We thank you Lord for sending Jesus so that we may come to know your love for us.
It is Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen.