Breaking Spiritual Strongholds: Confess and Repent

June 14, 2023

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds: Confess and Repent

What are Spiritual Strongholds?

In order to understand how to recognize and break free from spiritual strongholds it is important that you know exactly what they are. Spiritual Strongholds are thick walls or towers that the devil creates in your mind that can very hard to tear down. Some of the ways that these towers are formed are: trauma, rejection, unforgiveness, and deliberate sin.

We have to remember that the adversary that we face is a serpent, very crafty and sneaky. His goal is to kill, steal, and destroy by any means necessary, John 10:10. He will use the things that you do that are contrary to the Word of God against you, especially intentional and habitual sin.

Your sin is a wide open door that will give the enemy the legal right to come into your life and wreak havoc. He will take your transgression and make sure that it intensifies by the arrows that he throws at your mind. What that will do is guarantee that he can develop strongholds which will hinder your ability to live a life in complete freedom.

Let’s take a look at the Word of God so that we can put the word stronghold into perspective. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 states, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

These passages of Scripture out of the New Testament written by the Apostle Paul are very revealing. He is going into detail about the fact that our weapons are not carnal but spiritual. The fact of the matter is that we cannot fight a spiritual battle with carnal (physical) weapons; we need the Spiritual weapons that the Lord has given us. The most powerful defense that we have is His Word.

The first step in demolishing these demonic spiritual strongholds in your life is to recognize that they exist to begin with. If you have not read my first and second articles pertaining to this topic please go back and read them: What are Spiritual Strongholds? and Recognizing Spiritual Strongholds .The second thing that you will want to do is confess your transgressions to the Lord and repent of all sin.

I am going to go over some Scriptures that disclose these two topics in more detail.

Confession

1 John 1:9-10

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

There are so many important things to unpack in these verses of Scripture. The Apostle John through the leading of the Holy Spirit is disclosing to us the importance of the confession of our sins. The word “confess” used in these passages from the Bible is the Greek word homologeō which means to declare and not deny.

John is making it very clear that anyone that says that there is no sin in them is already lying. Romans 3:23 states, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We all have things that we have had to confess to God about and ask for the forgiveness of our transgressions. Luckily we have an awesome God that is faithful to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The most important thing that you want to keep in mind when asking God’s forgiveness is that you come to Him with a genuine and repentant heart.

We can never take for granted that the shed blood of Jesus Christ is what has given us the ability to have forgiveness of sin in the first place. As children of God we no longer have to be spiritually bound at the hands of the adversary. We have the divine power of the Holy Spirit living on the inside of us to fight the devil and overcome.

The thing is if we are openly living in sin, we are giving the devil a legal right to infiltrate our life. He will use our transgressions to build strongholds in our mind that can be very difficult to tear down. Confessing your sins to the Lord and asking Him for help to overcome is what is going to allow Him to cleanse you from your iniquity.

The Spirit of God has the power to assist you in the renewal of your mind through the Word of God. What this will do is transform your thought process and give you weaponry to use against the devil when he tries to tempt you to live immorally. One thing that we need to understand is that we cannot fight the enemy within our own power; he will chew you up and spit you out!

By confessing your sin to the Lord you are taking a major step in reclaiming your power back from the enemy. We have a loving Father that does not want to see His children bound by the devil. Unfortunately God’s law is final and there is no way that it will change. It is important that we read the Lord’s Word so that we have an understanding of the rules and regulations that He expects us to live by.

I have several articles pertaining to understanding the Spiritual rules and stipulations that the Lord states in His Word: The Spiritual Laws of God-Having an Understanding, The Spiritual Laws of God-The Power of Your Tongue!, The Spiritual Laws of God-The General Principles, The Spiritual Laws of God-Restoration, The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty Part 1, and The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty Part 2.

Repentance

Acts 3:19

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”

This verse of Scripture written by the Apostle Paul is detailing the importance of repentance. In order for our sins to be blotted out we have to repent, there really is no way around it. The word repent used in this passage is the Greek word metanoeō which means to change one’s mind for better, amend with loathing of one’s past sins. In other words it is a hatred for your sins because they separated you from God making you want to completely turn away from them.

The first message spoken by John the Baptist was a message of repentance. His mission was to prepare the way for the Son of God on Earth. Matthew 3:1-3 accounts, “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’ ”

The reason why repentance is so significant is because it is you turning completely away from your old life of sin and allowing the Holy Spirit to cleanse and renew your heart. This lets you take your control back from the enemy. Your sin gave him the legal right to create chaos. Living a Christian life doesn’t mean that you are going to be perfect but it does mean that you should want to change.

God is very clear about how He feels about sin; those that remain in deliberate sin will not inherit the Kingdom of God, Galatians 5:21. Luckily every born again believer has the great power of the Holy Spirit living on the inside of us. He is our Helper: guiding us, leading us, and convicting us when we get off track. He will give you the power to overcome the temptation to get back into the sin that you were delivered from.

A true repentant heart does not want to sin. Why? The reason a Christian that truly loves the Lord does not want to continue living immorally is because of the wedge that it creates between them and God. The Lord loves us so much and does not wish that any of us perish but He wants us to live an everlasting life with Him. The fact is that He gives us free will.

He will not force us to love Him, He gives us that choice. One thing I can tell you for sure is that your life will completely change in so many positive ways if you genuinely give your heart to Christ. He is not just your Savior but He is your Lord meaning that you allow Him to take full control. This includes living your life the Biblical way; obeying the stipulations and guidelines that the Lord gives us in His Word.

God makes it plain to us that we are not only to be hearers of the Word. James 1:22 states, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” The Bible is living and powerful and has the ability to break the chains of sin off of your life, but you have to apply it daily. This is the only way that you are going to be able to completely renew and transform your heart and frame of mind.

Never forget that the death of Christ is what has afforded us to have the ability to ask for forgiveness of past sins and future sins. We can never take that for granted. The Lord is merciful, compassionate, and patient but He is a God of justice. He will not be mocked in any situation; if you are repenting and not taking it seriously He will know because He can see the condition of your heart.

Some of the ways that you will know if you are truly turning away from your wickedness are: you will have an entire shift in your mindset, there will be a complete transformation in your heart posture, and you will begin to recognize what grieves the Lord and disconnect from it. The only way that you are going to be able to make these significant changes is if you get into the Lord’s Word and apply it to every aspect of your life!

Conclusion

One of the most used devices that the enemy loves to use on Christians consistently is establishing strongholds in our mind. One of the primary ways that they get created is through deliberate and continual sin. That is why it is so important that you take the time to read God’s Word so that you can have a clear understanding of what the Lord states is a violation of His Biblical law.

When you become a Christian, you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit living on the inside of you. He will lead you into all truth, John 14:26. He is the One that is going to help you confess, repent, and turn completely away from your wicked ways. That way the devil will not have a “place” in your life that he can build strongholds on. This will take a renewing of your mind and transformation of your heart posture. It can be done but you have to be willing to put in the work!

Also, don’t forget to check out my other blogs:

Recognizing Spiritual Strongholds

What are Spiritual Strongholds?

The Importance of Reading Your Bible-Shows Us How to Love

The Importance of Reading Your Bible-It Renews Your Mind

The Importance of Reading your Bible-fights the enemy

The Importance of Reading your Bible-has the ability to heal

The Importance of Reading your Bible-Builds Your Faith

The Importance of Reading your Bible-Reveals Jesus Christ

Your Real Enemy

Loving Your Enemies

How to share your Testimony