Demolishing Strongholds
“Strongholds”
At one time in my Christian experience, I was unaware of the reality of “strongholds.” I knew that God could be a “stronghold” in various ways and in a time of need (2 Sam. 27:3; Ps. 9:9; 27:1; 144:2; Joel 3:16; Nahum 1:7). However, I did not know that a Christian could have a stronghold in his or her life that prevents spiritual growth and maturation.
One day, I became seriously interested in strongholds to the extent that I bought a book by Liberty Savard entitled Shattering Your Strongholds (SYS). I thought Savard would open the book by addressing Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 10:4 when he wrote, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds” (ESV). To my surprise, she opened her book by highlighting the importance of believers making room for God in their lives (p. x). Savard argued that some believers think that other Christians have an advantage in gaining things from God to which others may not have access (p. ix). She posited that those who receive much from God have much room for God in their lives (p. x).
Before Savard addressed 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, she stressed the significance of truth as it relates to strongholds. In John 8:32, Jesus said, “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Jesus knows that truth can liberate a person from erroneous beliefs and ways of thinking that can contradict God’s absolute truth. Savard said, “Every believer comes to Christ with certain old mindsets of misinformation” (p. 3). She added, “Most minds come into a state of salvation stubbornly filled with old attitudes, wrong patterns of thinking, and some pretty strange ideas. Many of these ideas and attitudes will be protected by self-erected strongholds” (p. 5). Believers should be persistent in “tearing down the strongholds around these wrong mindsets” (2 Cor. 10:4) (p. 5).
Sometimes believers fail to recognize the presence and power of a stronghold in their life. They may erect a stronghold and use it to get by in life without ever realizing that they are “protecting a bad attitude, wrong belief, and wrong patterns of thinking” that they “learned to trust more than” placing their trust in truth (p. 45). Every day, believers fortify themselves behind a stronghold (fortress) and rely on wrong concepts to make it through life (p. 5). Even though the concept may be a wrong concept about God, the person holds on to that concept because they think they need the concept.
According to Savard, people can have a wrong concept of God when they think that He will accept them after they measure up to His standards (p. 5). They
fail to realize that God does not accept anyone based on their moral behavior. As the apostle Paul pointed out the activity of God in the work of salvation, he observed how God did not accept anyone for salvation based on their goodness. However, God embraced us, not when we were at our best, but when we were at our worst (Rom. 5:6-8). Thus, a proper concept of God can keep one from trying to be in a relationship with God through a misconstrued concept of Him.
Savard does not address 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 until page 37 of her book. She noted the danger of one’s failure to “tear down” a stronghold that perpetuates a lie, which can prevent spiritual development (p. 37). What are some strongholds that people need to tear down in their lives that can prevent them from growing and maturing in their relationship with the Lord God?
Suspicion and Doubt – protection from being deceived again (hinders one’s ability to try God at His Word).
Independence – refusal to be vulnerable (hinders the work of God in the believer through the Holy Spirit).
False Security – tries to offset unmet needs through a façade of strength that keeps everyone at a distance (hinders God from building intimacy).
Unforgiveness – lives through the lie that God doesn’t expect the person to forgive because what happened was unforgivable (hinders God’s forgiveness of the person).
Distrust – tries to protect one from further emotional wounding from betrayal (hinders one from fully trusting God).
Control and Manipulation – tries to overcome a past full of chaos and instability (hinders the formation of relationships that are absent of rules and unrealistic expectations).
Self-indulgence – tries to overcome the lack of appreciation and depriving of various essentials of life (hinders the possibility of quickly overcoming an addiction).
Fear – apprehension over unresolved issues (hinders novelty).
Denial – refuses to acknowledge what is true (hinders admission of reality) (all suggested strongholds are adapted from SYS, pp. 46-47).
Rather than live by a misconception, we should live by God’s absolute truth that frees a person to live according to God’s desire for His children (Rom. 12:2).