Recognizing Spiritual Strongholds

June 9, 2023

Recognizing Spiritual Strongholds

What are Spiritual Strongholds?

Spiritual Strongholds are thick walls or a high tower that the devil creates in your mind that can be very hard to tear down. Some of the main sources of strongholds are: deliberate sin, trauma, rejection, unforgiveness, and word curses. Negative patterns in your behavior that become consistent can create demonic strongholds in your life.

The perfect verses that disclose what the word stronghold means is found in 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.”

Here the Apostle Paul is making it very clear how spiritual strongholds are dealt with. They are cast down by using the spiritual weapons that the Lord has provided us with, primarily His Word. Physical weapons of the World will not help you fight a spiritual battle. God’s Word is literally your double-edged Sword that can pierce through the mental strongholds that the enemy tries to establish.

Breaking down these passages of Scripture even further we can conclude that arguments (a thought that is hostile to the Christian faith) or high thing (barrier, barricade, or wall) are directly correlated to Satan’s lies. We are to take every adverse thought captive that is in direct opposition to the truth of God.

We can never forget the fact that we are facing spiritual warfare daily. Whether you are a believer of Jesus Christ or a non-believer, that fact remains the same. The enemy’s goal is to try to destroy every area of your life and building negative strongholds is one of his most used devices. Open doors are what give the devil and his kingdom the legal right to enter into your life but the strongholds are what they build in your mind so that they can stay.

The good news is there are things that can be done to overcome the schemes of the devil. The first step is to recognize the strongholds in your life.

How do I know if I am dealing with spiritual strongholds?

There are some things that you can look for as a defining mark of a stronghold:

You have overwhelming thoughts that pop up in your head that you know are not yours (thoughts of suicide, thoughts of death, thoughts of murder, deep depressive thoughts, etc).
You find yourself hating acts or thoughts that you are having (sexual sin or thoughts, drinking excessively, acting out in rage, saying things that you regret).
Another key indicator that you could be dealing with demonic strongholds is feeling guilty after a thought or act being done.

Recognizing that you are dealing with spiritual strongholds is going to be your first step in overcoming them. The devil is extremely crafty and sneaky and his goal is to completely destroy us. He cannot stand any one of us because we were created in the image of God, Genesis 1:26.

One thing that you want to understand is that life is completely spiritual and we are fighting a very powerful adversary that one cannot see with the naked eye. Ephesians 6:12 gives us a description of the devil’s demonic kingdom when it states, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

The enemy has a highly militant style army that has levels and ranks as we can see by this verse of Scripture written by the Apostle Paul. One of the greatest deceptions of the devil is to make us think that he isn’t real. He fools even some Christians. They “say” they know he exists but don’t really believe he does.

So, what happens is the devil and his evil spirits can come into our lives undetected because we pass the intrusive demonic thoughts that they feed us as our own. The Word of God is definitive when it tells us that we are not to be ignorant of the devil’s devices, 2 Corinthians 2:11. That is why it is crucial that we read our Bibles, study it, digest it, and apply it to our daily lives.

A Christian with no Word in their hearts is an easy target for the enemy. He will chew you up and spit you out. I know first-hand what it feels like to be completely demonically oppressed by the enemy and that is why I am so passionate about spreading the Truth to as many people as I can. It is our responsibility to expose the devil and his demonic agenda, Ephesians 5:11.

Some examples of common sources of strongholds

Deliberate sin:

Make no mistake about it; sin is always going to open the door to the enemy. It doesn’t matter what kind of sin you are involving yourself in, sin is sin. A lot of people overlook the sins created in the heart (unforgiveness, lust, anger, or hatred) because they cannot be seen. Where as a person that is addicted to drugs is easier to identify. The Lord absolutely hates sin because what is does is drives a wedge between you and Him. He cannot be in the presence of sin, period.

Not only does it create a barrier between you and your Heavenly Father but it also destroys your life. Romans 6:23 states, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Sin allows the enemy to build strongholds; and leads to spiritual and literal death and it risks our chances of making it into heaven. It is never worth it!

Sin is a breeding ground for the devil, what he does is take your transgression and intensify it. Before you know it your occasional drink turns into you becoming a full blown alcoholic. Or, you rarely watching porn turns into you becoming a full blown porn addict. Your slight offense against someone turns into you harboring unforgiveness in your heart.

I have several articles about the dangers of open doors to the enemy: Spiritual Oppression-The Dangers of Open Doors to the Enemy-Part 1, Spiritual Oppression-The Dangers of Open Doors to the Enemy-Part 2, Spiritual Oppression-The Dangers of Open Doors to the Enemy-Part 3, Spiritual Oppression-The Dangers of Open Doors to the Enemy-Part 4, and Spiritual Oppression-The dangers of Open Doors to the Enemy Part 5.

Also don’t forget to check out my articles of Spiritual Warfare Scriptures: Spiritual Warfare Scriptures: Facing Life’s Battles-Part 1, Spiritual Warfare Scriptures: Facing Life’s Battles-Part 2, Spiritual Warfare Scriptures: Facing Life’s Battles-Part 3, Spiritual Warfare Scriptures: Facing Life’s Battles-Part 4, and Spiritual Warfare Scriptures: Facing Life’s Battles-Part 5.

Trauma:

Unfortunately trauma is an open door for the enemy to throw flaming darts at our minds and develop strongholds. The devil never plays fair and he will take your painful experience and exacerbate it. Often times the trauma that we experience is beyond our control. It could be something that you experienced as a child that you couldn’t prevent.

The way that you will know that the devil is attempting to develop strongholds through your traumatic situation is you will consistently have thoughts of the trauma. He will shoot fiery arrows at your mind to make sure that you remember the painful event over and over again. Even when you aren’t trying to think about it, the enemy will remind you of it.

The devil targets us even from our mother’s womb. For instance: a mother that is pregnant with a child states “I don’t want to be pregnant” or “I can’t afford this baby.” The baby can be born with feelings of rejection already on him or her. So, as they grow older the enemy will consume them with thoughts of rejection that can develop into strongholds.

By meditating on God’s love for us and through the diving power of the Holy Spirit working within us, these strongholds can be broken. God’s truth trumps the lies of the enemy every single time! We need to allow the Lord’s Word to cleanse us and renew our minds so that the enemy won’t wreak havoc in our lives.

Unforgiveness:

Unforgiveness is one of the main sources that the enemy uses on countless believers to build spiritual strongholds. The Lord has several verses pertaining to forgiving others. It’s not a request, He commands us to forgive everyone. When we choose not to forgive it goes directly against what the Word of God says. What that does is gives the enemy an open door to come into our life and create chaos.

He will take your feelings of being offended against someone that did something to you and multiply it. Before you know it, you being slightly upset will turn into anger, hatred, and eventually unforgiveness. This is how spiritual strongholds are built surrounding your inability to forgive.

Some examples of how the thoughts would come across are:

“Don’t you remember what they did to you?”
“You should never forgive them for what they did, it’s unforgiveable!”
“Who do they think they are treating you that way?!”
“You should get revenge for what they did to you!”

These are some examples of thoughts the devil will infiltrate your mind with to make sure that you stay angry so that you won’t forgive. These thick barriers built around your heart can take some time to tear down. We have to remember that spiritual walls are built by the devil’s lies and destroyed by the Truth found in the Word of God.

That is why it is so important to spend time in the Bible daily. Scripture is your spiritual weaponry that you use against the attacks of the enemy. If you don’t counterattack the lies that the devil is shooting at your mind, those thoughts can turn into strongholds.

Word Curses:

God is very specific about the effects of the words that come out of our mouths. Proverbs 18:21 details “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.” In other words, the things that we speak can bring forth life or they can bring forth death. We have to be extremely cautious that we don’t speak negativity because the enemy will take what you say and use it against you.

We have to remember that the devil is legalistic. When you break the Lord’s Biblical laws and regulations he will take your disobedience and use it as a legal right to infiltrate your life. The Lord’s Word is extremely clear when it comes to word curses, Proverbs 18:21 is one of God’s Spiritual Laws that He expects us to abide by.

There are several verses of Scripture that disclose the Lord’s promises. When we face trials and tribulations we are supposed to stand on the assurances of God but a lot of times we find ourselves believing the devil’s lies and proclaiming them instead. This is one of the ways that the enemy builds spiritual strongholds in your mind. He will take your negative words and build upon them.

Some examples are:

“I am sick and I am never going to get better.”
“I am not qualified to get a good job.”
“I am not good enough; nobody is ever going to want me.”
“I’m so fat, I can’t stop eating.”
“I’m so stupid!”

These are all illustrations of word curses that you can place on yourself because of the words that you are speaking over your life. The Scriptures are what we are supposed to be speaking over our lives, the Word of God is living (Hebrews 4:12) it produces life. The enemy wants you to speak these adverse things out loud because he knows that he can easily build strongholds by the damaging verbiage that you are proclaiming.

One of the worst things that you can do is speak word curses over your spouse or children. Whether you believe it or not, your words will have an effect on their lives. You choose whether they are positive effects or negative ones based on what you say. Not only are you supposed to be speaking the Word of God over your life but you are supposed to be speaking God’s Word over your loved ones.

Some examples of word curses that can have an effect on your children are:

“You’re never going to amount to anything; you’re just like your father/ mother!”
“You are such a bad little kid, why can’t you do anything right?!”
“You are so stupid, are you ever going to understand anything?!”

Some examples of word curses that can have an effect on your spouse are:

“You’re never going to make enough money to pay these bills!”
“You are worthless!”
“You’re fat, why did you let yourself go!”
“You’re so ugly; I don’t know what I saw in you to begin with!”

These are just some examples of negative things that you can speak out that can have repercussions on your life and your loved ones. Proverbs 13:3 states, “He who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.” Be very mindful of the things that come out of your mouth, they can be the big difference between life and complete destruction!

I have several articles pertaining to the importance of taming your tongue: The Spiritual Laws of God-The Power of Your Tongue, The Power of Your To ngue, and Proverb Scriptures that will Help You Tame Your Tongue!

Conclusion

One of the most used weapons that the enemy uses over and over again on us is spiritual strongholds. He knows that once we come into agreement with his lies and don’t counterattack them, he can begin to build his wall around our mind that is not easy to tear down. The Lord is clear when He tells us that we are supposed to renew our minds.

The Word of God is literally our Sword that can slice through the lies that the enemy attempts to feed us. Our problem is that we lack knowledge when it comes to spiritual things so we just assume that every thought that we have is our own. That is far from the case, if that were so the Lord would not instruct us to bring thoughts captive.

It is so important that we read our Bibles daily; it is what is going to give us the wisdom against the devil’s schemes. The more of God’s Word that you have embedded in your heart and mind, the more weaponry you have to fight the enemy with. Don’t allow him to have any place in your life, recognize any strongholds and tear them down with the Lord’s Truth!

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

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

The Importance of Renewing Your Mind!