Strongholds

Gal 5:19-21, 1 Cor 6:9-10, Col 3:5-8

Strongholds are works of the flesh and once they permeate into one's system, they may be very difficult to break away with. It can be likened to a bondage which dominates and rules over an individual's life.

Examples of Stronghold
Adultery, fornication, lying tongue, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, strife, variance, emulation, heresies, envying, murder, drunkenness, reveling, sedition, blasphemy, filthy communication, malice, prayerlessness, lukewarmness, unbelief and doubt, dressing nude, greed, pride, anger, slander and stealing.

Sources of Strongholds
Strongholds can emanate from the family background, environment, peer-group influence, social background, societal values or even from demonic spirits. I like to consider a few of them.

Anger: Numbers 20:7-11
Moses anger led him to disobey God and it eventually deprived him of getting to the promised land. He could not take the isrealites to the promised land. Brethen, have you ever lost some privileges because of anger? You can prevent it. Anytime you are provoked to the point of anger, imbibe the habit of singing hymns and praises unto the Lord. Ask for His grace to be able to control your emotions.


Drunkennes: Gen 19:30-38
Lot's daughters got thier father drunk with wine and stoopped to incest; they slept with their father. Drunkenness apart from being a purse drainer and being hazardous to one's health as it may cause liver cirrhosis; damage other organs of the body or even lead to sudden death; it can impair or affect one's judgement, temperament and decisions or temporary loss of your reasoning abilities as it happened to Lot. Are you hooked on wine or alcohol? Do not allow alcohol to rule you.

Dressing Nude: Gen 3:21
God clothed Adam and Eve with garments he made from coats of skins. God did this to cover their nakedness and perhaps prevent them from being beaten by harsh weather conditions. If primarily dresses are to cover one's nakedness, why are you exposing body conditions parts that you are to cover? Dressing nude does not make you responsible or beautiful. Woe to world because of the things that cause people to sin. Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come. Therefore, you should not dress or appear in a manner that would allow others to sin. Matthew 18:7.

Lying: Act 5:1-11
Lying is a conscious attempt to deceive. Ananias and Sapphira lied to God and God's people. The punishment they got was instant death. Are you still lying? Your punishment may not be instant death, but lying destroys your testimony about Christ. Perhaps, you tell lies to evade punishment or to please people to make yourself look good. Lying is of the devil.

Murder: Gen 4:8-12
Cain became envious and killed his junior brother Abel because God accepted Abel's offering and looked on him with favour. God placed a curse on Cain that when he tilled the ground, it would not yield crops and that he would be a restless wanderer on the earth. Brethe, Cain started with envy and jealousy and eventually led to murder. Learn to control your emotions. Do not get in the habit of comparing yourself with others. You are unique and specially made. If Cain had not compared himself with his brother, perhaps he would not have been a murderer. You would not be a murderer in Jesus Name.

Adultery: 2 Sam 11:4-27
David committed adultery with Bathesheba and sent Bathesheba's husband, Uriah to the warfront so that he could have full possession of her. Uriah eventually died at the warfront and Bathesheba moved into David's house. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord. The seed of adultery died. God also pronounced that the sword shall never depart from his house and his wives shall be taken by people that are close to him and shall lie with them. Learn from David's predicament. Flee from the lust of the flesh and be faithful to your partner. Do not bring down curses on your family.

Pride: Isa 14:12-16
Lucifer occupied an important position in the kindgom of God among the angels, but he became proud and rebellious. As a result, he lost the privileged position. God sent him out of heaven and since then he is been roaming about the earth with one third of the angels that followed him from heaven seeking whom he may devour. Pride goes before downfall. What is making you proud? Is it wealth, position or beauty? You can be dispssessed of them all. You will not fall in Jesus name. Remember Lucifer fell from grace to grass.

Brethen, you have known what strongholds are and how they can affect your life. The Bible says in James 2:10-11, that whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point of one is guilty of breaking all the law and such person shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.

What is your stronghold? Will you allow adultery, anger, fornication, greed, lying, drunkenness, murder or pride and the likes to rob you of eternity? God forbid. You have to cut them off. Identify your stronghold and deal with it as discussed below.


Dealing with strongholds
The bible says our weapons of warfare are not carnal. To deal with stronghold, you have to embrace the sword of the spirit and pray without ceasing. Read the word and live it. You may need to change your environment if the stronghold emanates from your there. It may also involve you cutting off your friends and replacing them with believers. Jesus should be your role model.

Do not see pulling down strongholds as a difficult task. In Romans 17:19-25, Apostles Paul cried out to God when he discovered that the good things he loved to do, he was not able to do them and the evil things he did not want to do were those things he was doing. Finally, he said, "What a wretched man I am. Who will rescue me from this body of death. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ". So, who will rescue you from these strongholds? God will surely rescue you through Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Lord Almighty, in the name of Jesus, deliver me from all kinds of strongholds and grant me dominion over them. I also pray that the devil will not have a hold on me. AMEN