The Danger of Strongholds Against Your Assignment - Part 5
by Dr. John Tetsola

Last month we saw the importance of staying in the place of our assignment, recognizing that our place of assignment is our place of refuge. We observed the ingredients of David’s downfall and considered how stepping out of his place of assignment created an open door and entrance of great attack upon his assignment. Now we will examine the strongholds of sin against our assignment and observe how these established strongholds fortify themselves against the power of God to free us.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
2 Corinthians 10:3-4

First and foremost we must realize that many things that we have tolerated as weaknesses in our lives are actually strongholds that must be dealt with. As long as we call our strongholds weaknesses, we will never see a need to do anything about them. And the reason we will never do anything about them is that from childhood we’ve been taught that all of us have weaknesses. As a result, we justify the strongholds in our lives by calling our moral failures, our inappropriate behavior, lack of integrity, and character flaws “weaknesses” instead of the strongholds that they actually are. Think about it, strongholds don’t just appear. They are built, and as long as we continue to stroke and pet our weaknesses and view them as something that everyone has, we are allowing a stronghold and fortress with the similitude of a castle to be built and erected in our minds. The truth of the matter is that if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you don’t have a weakness in morals, ethics, integrity, and character. Instead, you have a stronghold that must be dismantled. Most teaching and preaching in regards to a stronghold is that you cast it out, rebuke it, scream at it, or you bind it. But the problem is that very little of this has proven any real and lasting success.

What are Strongholds?

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
2 Corinthians 10:5-6

The word “stronghold” in the literal text means a Castle. A castle is a building or a series of connected buildings that are built or fortified for the purpose of defense against the enemy. So when strongholds are built in our lives, they are erected by the enemy to prevent the entrance of truth and light into our lives that brings deliverance. They fortify themselves against the power of God to free us. God shows us how they are built in verse 5. The Bibles says “casting down imaginations”—that is, the pictures and the images that don’t produce any value or addition to your life and growth, the way we think and reason, and the thinking processes that affect our behavior in life.

How Strongholds Are Built

Most people don’t know how a stronghold got there to begin with, so they think that they can just shout at it, wave a handkerchief and it will disappear. Not so. There was a process to the establishment of strongholds in our lives and there will be a process to dismantle them. Strongholds are built by three components and knowledge of how something was erected in our lives affords us the wisdom of how that very thing should be cast down. First, Satan brings you a thought—just a suggestion—nothing evil or harmful at the beginning. Second, if you tolerate his thought, then he brings a contradiction, which implies a denial of what has been asserted, written, or declared. Third, you develop an imagination that is a basis of reasoning and thinking that leads to your actions.

Strongholds can affect multiple areas of your life. You can have a stronghold in how you view things, or you may have a stronghold of immorality. Paul wrote “casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought to the obedience of Christ.” Satan has no power or hold over you unless you agree with his thoughts or suggestions. If you don’t do anything to cast down the thoughts and suggestions of the enemy, they will then produce a contradiction to that which is true, to that which you know and have been taught. Then eventually a base or foundation of reasoning is established which validates and okays your actions in your mind, and you begin to do what you want to do, and validate it with reasoning. You now have a newly established base from which your stronghold may now operate in your life. When dealing with people with strongholds, it is always difficult for them to understand what you are saying because of the strong base and foundation of reasoning from which they operate.

Next month we’ll discuss the process of dismantling strongholds that have been established in our lives. Knowledge of how something was erected affords us the wisdom of how to dismantle the same.

by Dr. John A. Tetsola