Tag Archives: #Jesus is Lord

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (KJV)

“A stronghold– A fortified place. A place of security or survival. A place dominated by a particular group or marked by a particular characteristic.” Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary

Bible with Strong’s #H4685, defines, “Strong hold” as, “Fortification, castle, or fortified city, fenced”

Ed Silvoso defines strong hold as,

“A spiritual stronghold is a mind-set impregnated with hopelessness that causes us to accept as unchangeable, situations that we know are contrary to the will of God.”

The apostle Paul was dealing with a strong hold in the Corinthian Church. It was a stronghold of opinions that undermined his leadership. His detractors said, ‘”his speech is contemptible and his bodily presence is weak.”

The New Living Translation quotes, “For some say, “Don’t worry about Paul. His letters are demanding and forceful, but in person he is weak, and his speeches are really bad.” 2 Corinthians 10:9 (NLT)

Our Warfare

The apostle Paul said, he would not fight such with human weapons but spiritual weapons that were mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds. He said,

casting down imaginations and

every high thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of God,

bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

What should we know about a stronghold

A strong man lives in a strong hold and he will talk to you from a place of strength. His stronghold is fortified. A strong man will talk to you and it will control your life. The dumb spirit of Luke 11:14. This dumb spirit rendered his victim speechless. In Mark 9, what was probably a spirit of suicide, threw its victim into fire and water.

The demonic spirit called Legion, Mark 5:6-20

The unclean spirit called Legion caused his host to live in a graveyard. No man could bind him. No restrains could hold him. No man could tame him. Day and night legion caused his victim to cry out in pain cutting himself with stones.

One thing about the spirit called Legion, they knew Jesus was the Son of the most high God, they ran bowed down and worshipped him. They also knew Jesus had power to torment them. They asked him not to send them away out of the country. This Legion of demonic spirits were so afraid of being without a host that they asked Jesus to send them into a herd of pigs.

“And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.” Mark 5:12 (KJV)

The devils recognized Jesus’ authority. They talked to Jesus, worshipped him, sought his leniency. The strong man will talk to you out of a strong hold.

Presence Day Strong holds

There are presence day strong holds in the financial industry, medical pharmaceutical fields, prison systems, drug gangs, gun rings, motorcycle clubs, sex trafficking rings and the list goes on and on. Sometimes the demonic spirits ruling behind the scenes don’t readily reveal themselves and other times their behaviors is evident.

I had to deal with the stronghold of debt. I got myself into debt. It started out innocently, The first time I got into credit card debt, I saw all the wonderful things I could buy with a credit card. Once I got out debt, I went back into debt because I saw what a credit card could do for me? I could rent a car or rent a hotel room. This second time around, I stay in bondage to Citi-bank visa for twenty-two years. This time, I built stronghold into my own financial life. When a financial need came up, I already had the money set aside to meet those needs.

“And Tyrus build herself a strong hold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets.” Zechariah 9:3 (KJV)

How is a strong hold constructed

Dealing with a wiles,

The apostle Paul said, ‘we are not ignorant of the devil’s devices.’ He also said, ‘take the whole armor of God that you might be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.’

Wiles– Defined as, “deceit, a trick or stratagem intended to ensnare or deceive; also a beguiling or playful trick; skilled at outwitting; to lure by or as if by a magic spell; entice.” From Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary

I was sitting in the front room of my house. I kept hearing these thoughts rush into my mind, “You ain’t nothing. You are a nobody.” The same thoughts kept coming in rapid succession being repeated over and over again. I said, I rebuke that thought. I plead the blood of Jesus, then the next thing I heard with my ears, the sound of a record player, when the arm is this dislodge from the groves of the old vinyl disc record. I knew in that moment that I was under a demonic attack. Something I had not recognized before but in that moment and until this day, every thought that exalts itself or undermines me, I exercise authority and dominion over it and cast it out. I pleaded the blood of Jesus Christ over my thought life.

“When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from. So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and clean. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.” Luke 11:24-26 (KJV)

This is called relapse. Person could be set free but if there hasn’t been a renewal of mind, that person will get pulled back into that lifestyle. Jesus gave us a perfect example of what goes on in the spirit realm. A demonic spirit that was cast out, goes seeking another host but finds none and he goes back to previous host, find them clean and their lives put in order. This demonic spirit gets seven other spirits more wicked than itself who are probably looking for a new host, overwhelm the person’s will, retakes their new home.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, Proverbs 18:21. Your words are very powerful and your adversary needs you to agree with his words. His words are powerless until you agree with them and begin to speak those words and act upon them.

Ephesians 4:27, says give the devil no place. How does one give the enemy a place or foot hold? Through negative self talk, that is done on a repetitive daily basis. Your words becomes seed that will produce a negative harvest.

When a demonic spirit has gained access to a person’s heart and mind, it will continue to speak the same words over and over until it gains access to the person’s will. Once it gains access to the will, that demonic spirit will make the person self harm themselves. Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy.

How do you overcome an attack of the enemy?

Be renewed in the spirit of your mind, Ephesians 4:23-24, put on the new man. The end goal of the faith is to become like Jesus Christ. Ephesians 4:13, coming into the unity of the faith, of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

“Finally, brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye might be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Ephesians 6:10-11 (KJV)

The apostle Paul says, our warfare is not against flesh and blood but an enemies in the spiritual realm. A highly organized system designed to steal, kill and destroy. He said,

“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore…” Ephesians 6:13-14a (KJV)

Case in point, the man who was possessed by the demonic spirit called Legion, who lived in the tombs, cut himself with stones, strip off his clothes and constantly cried out. No one could tame him. Once Jesus cast the devil out of this man, he was sound in mind, seated and clothed.

“And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possess with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind, and they were afraid.” Mark 5:15 (KJV)

If you want to pray biblical correct prayers that give the enemy no place, go to http://www.peopleofpraiseministries.org look for the confession tab. I’ve included several prayers and continue to update with new content.