“The 13th Step To Overcoming: Understanding Spiritual Strongholds”

No matter who you are, where you come from, no matter your education, background, family name, social and financial status, church affliction or how spiritually gifted or connected to Christ you may be, there’s one thing we all have in common…we’re all walking this earth struggling with something…DAILY!!!  We’re either struggling in our mind, emotions, finances, our body, our careers or racked with worries, concerns, addictions, vices, habits, etc. 2 Corinthians 10:7 asks us one important question:

“Do you look at things according to the outward appearance?”

9 out of 10 times, most of us view things according to how it appears.  However, in this scripture, God is calling us to look deeper at how we view things from shifting our focus from the natural to the supernatural, to look at things from the spirit realm and from God’s perspective.

Most times, we’re visually able to call a spade a spade, but what we often overlook is that we view things from blurred and tainted perceptions. Why? Strongholds. Wrong Erroneous thinking. Judgments and opinions. Our realities tainted by past experiences. More times than not, we often don’t take the time to investigate the real meaning behind something or why something exist.

What is a stronghold? 

According to Guillermo Maldonado, Pastor of King Jesus Ministries,

“Strongholds are fortresses, castles, lies the enemy has hidden in our human reasoning that’s waiting for us to agree with and approve.”

John Paul Jackson goes onto say that strongholds:

1. Are arguments against who God say’s we are
2. Are gateways that allow demonic access to our lives
3. Are attitudes keeping us from embracing Christ-likeness and keeps us believing our actions are justified
4. keep us in spiritual paralysis
5. Distort how we think about ourselves, affects who we are, how we behave and keeps us in bondage
6. Suppress our faith and keeps God from being able to move on our behalf
7. Make us have a “Why Me?” attitude
8. Not only affects our individual lives, but can also keep our children struggling with the same stronghold and bondage
9. Set themselves up against God’s knowledge and His opinion of us in our own mind so that we’ll lose sight of who He say’s we are

How does the enemy set up strongholds in us?

Pastor Guillermo Maldonado goes onto says,

1. He drops in us thoughts, the power of suggestion, a lie
2. We agree with that lie then we begin to develop a mind-set based off of that lie
3. That lie over time begins to develop a stronghold in our mind and from there, habits and behaviors form
4. Over time as that stronghold persist and grows stronger, we begin to have a reprobate mind, a mind that only thinks about or is consumed with evil
5. Over time, a reprobate minds leads to Apostasy, calling wrong right and right wrong and abandonment of your religious convictions and beliefs

What does the bible say about strongholds?

2 Corinthians 10:3-7 (NKJV)

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 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, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

God wants His people to stop looking at things from the surface, but look at our struggles from the supernatural, with our spiritual eyes so He can help us identify the true source of our struggle and help us pull them down.

What are you struggling with? 

I’m struggling to overcome obesity, but what’s your struggle? Is there a persistent issue you’re dealing with in your family, job, kids, finances, personally, etc. God is calling us to pray and seek Him about those areas so He can help us identify the root causes that we may gain freedom. The bible tell’s us were able to defeat satan and pull down anything raised up against Him and us. Let’s begin to tear down those lies and strongman that’s wreaking havoc in our lives, but we have to be persistent in prayer and fasting if we truly want to identify the strongman operating in our lives and live in freedom. We’re more Conquerors in Jesus.

Continue to join me as I share with you whats Christ is sharing with me on overcoming. As always, Be Encouraged, Stay Connected, Fight and Let’s Become Free Together.

How to Overcome Strongholds Part 1- Pastor Guillermo Maldonado

In His Name,

Ke’Shawn Adamson

B.O.O.M!