Faith Filled Family Magazine August 2016 | Page 26

Satan is quite happy to encourage this. Specific demonic activity, although it may be present
at certain stages, is often not
needed for a stronghold to take
control of a person’s life. No
one can say, “The devil made
me do it,” when it comes to longstanding habits that develop into
strongholds. Whereas severe
emotional trauma may invite
demonic presence earlier in the
process, Satan cannot actually
force a believer to do anything.
PRACTICE MAKES PERMANENT
I heard a Christian speaker not
long ago who asked her audience to complete this sentence.
“Practice makes________.” Of
course, most of us assumed that
missing word would be “Perfect”.
She corrected us. The sentence
should be, “Practice make permanent.” As an illustration, I
picture a ravine that has been
carved out by centuries of water
flowing through the same path.
Eventually, the path becomes
permanent, and the river will
continue to flow through the
same path unless some major
force, whether that is an earthquake, flood or excavation, acts
upon it to change its course.
It is much the same with strongholds. Whether a stronghold
exists due to a long-standing habit, or if it has become
empowered and strengthened
by specific demonic activity, it is
important to know what to do with
strongholds. What kind of major
force can be brought to bear on
a stronghold to tear it down?
AVOID LETTING STRONGHOLDS BE BUILT
First of all, it is best to not allow

strongholds to be built at all. We
need to stay close to God. Rely
on His power and not our own.
Search out and speak truth from
God’s Word to displace the lies
Satan tries to get us to believe.
Catch the wayward thought
early and reject the invitation to
a bad choice. Remember. Practice makes permanent.
The
truth is that if we, in the power
of God, practice truth and practice right choices, they will build
their own channel that will, over
time, become easier and easier
to follow.

in obedience to God, we make
strides toward tearing down the
stronghold that has been raised
up in opposition to God.

Give no opportunity. One of
the primary means by which a
stronghold keeps a person captive is that it takes advantage
of opportunities that are easily
available to bring a person
down. Giving no opportunity may
involve some drastic changes in
routine and activities that all too
often lead to a fall. When dealing with a stronghold in the area
of alcohol, it would be foolish for
What if a stronghold already a struggler to continue taking
exists? It would be nice if we only a route home from work that
needed to consider how to pre- leads by his favorite bar. Give no
vent strongholds. That is all well opportunity. If the stronghold is
and good, but what if a strong- compulsive shopping, a woman
hold has already taken hold? would be wise to restrict her time
What is a person to do then?
at her favorite mall, and would
be wiser still to cut up her credit
Acknowledge that the strong- cards. Give no opportunity.
hold exists. Plain and simple.
Acknowledging that there is If a man is struggling with a
a problem is essential to get- stronghold in the area of internet
ting rid of it. Identify it. Name it. pornography, he may need to
Acknowledge the destruction it take some precautions such as
is causing.
putting his computer in a public
place so that anyone passing
Take every thought captive. Each through the room can see what
time a wayward thought crosses he is looking at. If that is not
your mind, take it captive. Grab enough, he may need to take
it, confess it to God, and ask the more restrictive action of
Him, in His Holy Spirit’s power to installing one of many available
cast it out. Name it for the evil programs to restrict access to
that it is. If it is a lie that Satan is those sites, or even the drastic
throwing your way for the thou- measure of getting rid of internet
sandth time, identify the lie and access entirely. Not easy to do
before God, confess the truth. in this day and age where everyThe Apostle Paul writes in 2 Cor- thing is online, but if it means
inthians 10:5, “We are destroy- being free of a stronghold, that
ing speculations and every may be exactly what needs to
lofty thing raised up against the happen. Give no opportunity.
knowledge of God, and we are
taking every thought captive to Giving no opportunity for a
the obedience of Christ.” As stronghold to lead to a fall makes
we take each thought captive sense in the areas described