Strongholds to overcome are our primary personal “battlefields.” These are the major emotional strongholds that disconnect us from the peace of Christ and all too often hold us captive to stress (as anxiety) or distress (as depression). Jesus is our true stronghold—the Rock that we run to when threatened by sin or danger, our new shield of protection against the enemy’s encroachments. But if we don’t tag up with Him in time…
The enemy creates counterfeit strongholds in our flesh (with our co-operation). These are un-surrendered, un-healed or un-crucified areas of the old nature or self-life. They rise up and resist the Spirit-given life. Self-protectiveness built them and maintains them, aided by the lies and temptations of the enemy. We are to resist them by pulling them down. We don’t need self-protection any longer—we have the Lord to protect us! His grace is all-sufficient!
How does the flesh get such a strong grip on us? Strongholds of the flesh can show up in an instant and pin us to the mat, but they don’t jump on us “out of the blue.” We almost always have had a long history of giving way to them, or of traumatic past issues that spawned them. This means that what came in can also go out! Knowledge is power. Whenever it is placed under the Lord’s leadership, it leads to liberation (as in “you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free”).
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Life can get complicated, especially when you are trying to unravel the emotional damage that has bound you up in a tangled web of pain. Just imagine the confusion and fear a fly must feel when caught by a spider’s web. Sometimes the more you struggle with it the worse it seems to get! Forgiving others is only one piece of the nexus of pain that can get stuck to us when we have been hurt and abused. If we want to get free,…
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“Catch the little foxes!” the shepherd tells his beloved maiden. Why? They’re so cute! Oh, but her lover wants to share the joy of new wine with her, and that will never happen if little foxes get to the grapevine first. Little foxes aren’t obvious dangers like wolves and lions. All they do is nibble on tender young plants, seeking the budding fruit. However, if that’s allowed to go on, the grapevine won’t have a chance to mature. Its grapes will be lost before…
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Have you ever fallen into the trap of the Scarlett O’Hara syndrome? I have observed many people adopting it as a coping strategy. It seems highly favored by us. It certainly feels evident and right at the moment of pain or pressure. For me it was a pattern that began early in childhood. Here is an excerpt that describes it from the book I wrote a few years back. See if you can relate: There were shadowy sides to me that I preferred…
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Strongholds to overcome are our primary personal “battlefields.” These are the major emotional strongholds that disconnect us from the peace of Christ and all too often hold us captive to stress (as anxiety) or distress (as depression). Jesus is our true stronghold—the Rock that we run to when threatened by sin or danger, our new shield of protection against the enemy’s encroachments. But if we don’t tag up with Him in time…
